The John A. Walker spy ring - 25 years ago this week

Twenty-five years ago this week, John A. Walker, a Norfolk private detective who retired from the navy with a top-secret security clearance, was arrested by FBI agents in a hotel hallway in Rockville, Md. The previous evening, Walker had left a bag containing 129 secret documents in rural area of Maryland outside of Washington D.C., allegedly to be picked up by a Soviet KGB agent. Federal agents intercept the delivery of the documents intended for the Soviet Union.

Walker was jailed in Baltimore and held without bail on a charge of espionage. Turns out, he had been supplying the Soviets with classified documents for nearly two decades.

The spy ring widens to include Walker’s son, Michael Walker, a yeoman stationed aboard the carrier Nimitz, who worked as a clerk responsible for destroying secret messages.

John’s brother Arthur Walker, a retired Lieutenant commander who lived in Virginia Beach and Jerry A. Whitworth, John Walker’s friend, another retired Navy communications expert living in California. All of the men are arrested and eventually convicted of spying.

Arthur Walker is tried first and is convicted in Norfolk federal court for passing two classified documents to his brother. He is sentenced to three life terms plus 40 years and fined $250,000.

Michael Walker pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union and gets two 25 –year sentences.

John A. Walker never stood trial for his crime. He pleaded guilty to three counts of espionage in exchange for two life sentences. As part of the plea agreement, both John and Michael agree to cooperate fully with authorities.

Jerry Whitworth is tried in San Francisco and received the toughest penalty of all - 365 years in prison.

The Walker spy ring would eventually be called the most damaging Soviet spy ring in U.S. history.

On the morning of May 21, 1985, Hampton Roads residents opened their copy of the Virginian-Pilot and read the headline below.

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This is the affidavit written by FBI Special Agent Robert Hunter of the Norfolk field office filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before Daniel E. Klein Jr. a federal magistrate.

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Map showing Walker where to drop his signal (a 7-UP soda can) indicating that he was available for an exchange.

This is the spot where Walker dropped off a shopping bag containing secret documents in Western Montgomery County.

 Walker escorted from court after pleading guilty to spy charges.

Arthur Walker – officials lead Arthur Walker to jail after an appearance in the Federal Courthouse in Norfolk.

Jerry Whitworth

May 25, 1985 - Michael L. Walker – John Walker’s son. Michael was flown from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, to Andrews Air Force base and placed under arrest upon arrival on charges of passing secrets to the Soviet Union.

FBI agents enter and search the office of John Walker’s Private Investigative Service.

Walker’s house boat at Willoughby. The boat was seized by the IRS.

Walker’s home at 8524 Old Ocean View Rd. in Norfolk.

Aleksei Gavrilovich Tkachenko – a vice counsel of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, is shown in a photograph mounted on an evidence board for the spy trial of Arthur Walker.  The FBI traced the license plates of a car seen near one of the signal points (the 7-UP can)  to Tkachenko.

November 1986 - John Walker’s daughter Cynthia (left) and ex-wife Barbara, after John Walker received two life sentences for selling secrets to the Soviets.

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