NAVY TIGHTENS SECURITY AFTER SPY ARRESTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403680006-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: June 25, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28 :CIA-RDP90-009658000403680006-8
ARTI~'I.E AP~EA~rD WASHINGTON POST
~u n~~E
....
lvavy ~ghtens Securit After S Arrests
Following their arrests, Defense
/ "Be sure that qualified personnel
By Sharon LeI~'rraniers- ... ?, occupy these unportutt and exact- Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger
/~ - " ordered an immediate 10 percent
J and 1Zuth Marcus ? ing duties, Lehman warned. reduction in the 4.3 million military
w,.Aiyta" ran se~rr w~ten Navy spokesman Lt. CIndf. Bill and civilian personnel cleared to see
Na bases and shi ands across ~ Harlow said the tightening of secu-
~'Y PY secret information. The Navy also
the cxruntry, as well as shi and rity procedures is going on Navy-
~ ~ wide" since the break-up of what ~ that it would spend mil-
submarines at sea, are implement- ;federal officials have called the big- lions of dollars to replace equipment
ing a wide array of measures de- for codin mesas because of
signed to tighten security following ~; Sest espionage ring in decades. 8 B~
the arrests of four Navy men on At the Norfolk Naval Base-the what the Soviets may have learned
charges of funneling defense se- '' Navy's largest-locksmiths are no about the codes work.
crets to the Soviet Union. ~ longer given the combinations of In its mast recent employe pub-
The steps-part of a Na safes in which confidential docu- Gcation, the Norfolk naval shipyard
~'~~ ' n-ents are stored, said Robert warned empbyes to be close-
effort to beef up security ordered :Belcher, acting chairman for the mouthed about their work even at
by Secretary John F. Lehman Jr.- 1~Ieta1 Trades Council in Norfolk. home or with their friends.
include changing safe combinations, Instead, Belcher said, locksmiths "Extreme care should be exer-
limiting aoaas to areas in which are instructing the individuals re- cised with members of your family
classffed material is stored to those' sponsible for opening and closing the? and friends," the article said. "They
with a "need to know," and warning safes how to change and set combi- are not cleared! They do not have a
employes to beware of spies among nations. "Just the ntdividual who will need to know."
then ~~~ ~ ~li~? be opening and closing the safe will The publication urges employes
At the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, have the combination," said Belcher. to question their coworkers closely
the Navy's biggest repair yard, "They're trying to get the barn before revealing information and
plans are under way to increase se- closed up before another horse suggests questions like "What au-
curity drills for testing how well jumps out:' thorizes you to have this informa-
yard employes guard confidential Norfolk, a prime target for Soviet lion? What will yon do with it? Why
information. according to Dave Hil- spy recruiting efforts, is home to yin vnu need this?"
lard, a shop steward with the Metal one-sixth of the Navy's sailors and The new measures are causing
Trades Council. one-fifth of its ships. Three of the consternation among some Navy
The drills involve decoys who at? accused spies served there. employes, even while they say they
tempt to enter restricted areas' In his message, Lehman ordered understand the need to increase se-
without the proper clearance or Navy personnel to make certain "all curtly. "The locksmiths came to us
who ask employes for information classified material awaiting destruc- and said,'Why is our integrity being
that they are not sutborized to re- lion is protected at all times until questioned?' "said Belcher, at the
ceive, according to Hillard and oth-~ actual destruction occurs" and that Norfolk naval base. "A lot of people
er officials with the metal trades two people are assigned to super- are depressed with the situation
vise the process. that they're not trusted;' said Wil-
union, which represents 9,000 em-
loyes at the yard. Navy Seaman Michael Lance Siam Pontious Jr., a boilermaker at
P Walker, 22, one of four Navy men the shipyard.
"The Navy is testing itself," said accused of being part of the alleged Yesterday, Michael Walker's law-
Hillard. "They're trying to find out Soviet spy ring, was one of those ~:ers filed a motion in U.S. District
where their weak points are so they aboard the USS Nimitz with access Court in Baltimore to dismiss the
can reinforce them." to the ship's "burn bag" of classified charges against him on the basis of
In a message to all Nay--coin- material to be destroyed. "the overwhelming amount of pre-
manders earlier this month, Leh? In addition. Lehman said, "Resin- trial publicity."
man ordered, among other mew phasize to all hands the require- They also asked that their client,
sores, the imnudiate impositioa of ments ...for reporting information who is being held without bond of an
random security checks of those bearing on loyalty, reliability, judg- undisclosed Maryland jail, be trans-
visiting Navy facilities where clas- ment and trustworthiness. Compli? ferred to a halfway house and that he
sifted information is stored. ante with these procedures might be tried separately from his father.
"As we continue to investigate have denied Soviet access to else- John Walker, who allegedly ran
;? the Walker espionage case, it is es- sifted information." the spy ring, was tranferred June 12
sential that the Navy take a strong Charged with espionage in connec- to the Montgomery County Deten-
lead in implementing far stronger lion with the case are: John A. Walk- Lion Center, where director John
and more stringent security mea- er Jr., a retired chief warrant officer; Wright said he spends his days in a
sores," Lehman said. his brother Arthur James Walker, a two-man cell reading and watching
? The "ALNAV" message also m- retired lieutenant commander; Jecry television. He said Walker, whom he
structs commanders to make an im- Alfred ~itworth, a retired commu- described as "very congenial" and
~, mediate inventory of all their top nications specialist, and Michael "easygoing," requested to be held in
secret holdings and to "Personally Walker, John Walker's son. a secluded area of the jail 'until he
charge of se? felt more comfortable here.
l i
"
n
personne
;? evaluate
? ~ curtly operations.
Staff writsr Vktoria CltKrdtvipe
contributed to this report.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/28 :CIA-RDP90-009658000403680006-8