Background
Ronald William Pelton, a former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency. Ronald Pelton was born in 1942; he later attended Indiana University. After college, Mr. Pelton decided to join the United States Air Force, within the Air Force, he was placed into the signal intelligence Division in Pakistan. After serving his time in the Air Force, in 1965 Ronald started in career as an intelligence analyst within the National Security Agency. Pelton resigned his position in the National Security Agency in 1979 - ("Master spies,").
Court Records show that Ronald Filed for bankruptcy in April 1979. Nine months later on January 14, 1980, Ronald contacted the Soviet Embassy. Pelton had a top secret security clearance, which enabled him to gain information related to signal intelligence. With this Intel Ronald Pelton was able to provide valuable data to the Soviet Embassy. - (Faulkner, 1985) he contacted the Soviet embassy in Washington, DC, He convinced the diplomat that he worked for the U.S. Government, so they agreed to meet with him at the Embassy. Due to tapping the Phone call and surveillance of the embassy, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) anticipated the meeting, but was not able to identify the caller in time. Ronald meet with Yurchenko an officer of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) formally known as the secret Soviet Police. - ("The free dictionary,") due to his photographic memory Ronald shared a detail report of his activity within the United States. The information Ronald gave Yurchenko, was that the U.S., was monitoring the Soviet underwater communication. The United States was using submarines in the sea of Okhotsk to spy on the Soviet communication. Yurchenko in 1985 disclosed t...
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...6) following the Trial in the District Court for the District of Maryland question whether the district court gathered legit evidence on Ronald Pelton due to Electronic Surveillance conducted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Act.-("Ronald w. pelton,," 1987) the petitioner Ronald William Pelton was convicted of committing espionage and attempted espionage, due to this conviction Ronald received concurrent life sentencing on the espionage and conspiracy counts and a concurrent ten year sentence on the unauthorized- disclosure count.("Ronald w. pelton,," 1987)
Conclusion
Ronald William Pelton, Sold Secret Information About the NSA to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. In doing this act of Espionage Mr. Pelton was caught and sent to Prison for three concurrent sentences and one ten year sentence for the act of Espionage and conspiracy toward the United States.
...ary 1997, Earl Edwin Pitts plead guilty on two counts of espionage. On 23 June, Earl Edwin Pitts was sentenced to 27 years in prison by a Federal judge who stated that the former agent was guilty of “the most egregious abuse of trust.” When asked why he spied, Pitts cited a number of grievances he had against the Federal Bureau of Investigations and stated that he “wanted to pay them back.” (12) This could have been prevented if the Federal Bureau of Investigations had a program similar to the Army’s TARP (Threat Awareness Reporting Program) to train fellow employees what to look for and how to report on espionage indicators. Another preventive measure would be to work with employees on job preferences to duty locations, If Earl Edwin Pitts would not have been transferred he would not have thought to get payback and the nations secrets would still be secure today.
During the late nineteen forties, a new anti-Communistic chase was in full holler, this being the one of the most active Cold War fronts at home. Many panic-stricken citizens feared that Communist spies were undermining the government and treacherously misdirecting foreign policy. The attorney general planned a list of ninety supposedly disloyal organizations, none of which was given the right to prove its loyalty to the United States. The Loyalty Review Board investigated more than three million employees that caused a nation wide security conscious. Later, individual states began ferreting out Communist spies in their area. Now, Americans cannot continue to enjoy traditional freedoms in the face of a ruthless international conspiracy known as the Soviet Communism. In 1949, eleven accused Communists were brought before a New York jury for abusing the Smith Act of 1940, which prohibited conspiring to teach the violent overthrow of the government. The eleven Communist leaders were convicted and sentenced to prison.
At the congressional hearings, Oliver North took full responsibility for the scandal, claiming he did it in the name of patriotism. In reality, he and his security advisor, Admiral John Poindexter had lied to Congress, shredded evidence, and refused to inform the President of details in order to guarantee his “plausible deniability”. Ultimately, the Iran-Contra investigation raised more questions than it answered. Reagan held fast to his plea of ignorance, the full role of the CIA director remained murky, and the role of Vice President Bush remained mysterious as well. The Iran-Contra affair revealed how secretive government officials undermine the Constitution and compromise Presidential authority under the facade of patriotism.
" 2. The court said that it was difficult decide with the argument of executive privilege because there was no real claim to protect military, diplomatic, or sensitive national security secrets. 3. The court stated: "We conclude that when the ground for asserting privilege as to subpoenaed materials sought for use in criminal trial is based only on the generalized interest in confidentiality, it cannot prevail over the fundamental demands of due process of law in the fair administration of justice. The generalized assertion of privilege must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a pending criminal trial.
Sulick, Michael J.. Spying in America espionage from the Revolutionary War to the dawn of the Cold War., Georgetown University Press, 2012
HOLLIES, J. This is an indictment in three counts. The first charges a conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917 . . . by causing and attempting to cause insubordination, &c., in the military and naval forces of the United States, and to obstruct the recruiting and enlistment service of the United States, when the United States was at war with the German Empire, to wit, that the defendants willfully conspired to have printed and circulated to men who had been called and accepted for military service under the Act of May 18, 1917, a document set forth and alleged to be calculated to cause such insubordination and obstruction. The count alleges overt acts in pursuance of the conspiracy, ending in the distribution of the document set forth. . . . They set up the First Amendment to the Constitution forbidding Congress to make any law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, and bringing the case here on that ground have argued some other points also of which we must dispose.
In 1985, the Administration initiated a secret "arms-for-hostages" operation designed to free seven Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon. Reagan had said he would never deal with supporters of terrorists, which he considered Iran's leaders to be. But he and his advisers believed Iran could get the hostages released. Members of the Administration arranged for the CIA to secretly purchase arms from the Department of Defense. Private individuals bought the arms from the CIA and sold them to Iran in return for its promises of help in the hostage release. But the sales led to the release of only three hostages, and three more Americans were taken hostage during the same period. Administration agents secretly diverted (transferred) profits from the arms sales to the contras.
With the introduction of the internet being a relatively new phenomenon, the act of cyber espionage is not something that has been properly acknowledged by society. The American Government has done a stand up job of keeping its methods in the shadows and away from the eyes of its people since its documented domestic surveillance began on October 4th, 2001; Twenty three days after the Twin Towers fell President George Bush signed an order to begin a secret domestic eavesdropping operation, an operation which was so sensitive that even many of the country's senior national security officials with the...
From the time when Jonathan Pollard was convicted, during President Ronald Reagan’s second term to now, the thought of releasing him from prison was brought about, however; those efforts never took place. Now those same efforts are being brought forward, but whether or not it will happen is still unknown because back then it was said that yes, he did spy, but for an ally. Pollard has said (The Facts of the Pollard Case) he was motivated by the belief that the intelligence he passed on was vital to the security of Israel, one of the closest U.S. allies. He acknowledged his actions in pleading guilty and claims he had no intention of harming the U.S. (Retrieved April 19, 2014)
Debated as one of the most misrepresented cases in American legal history, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald still fights for innocence. Contrary to infallible evidence, prosecution intentionally withheld crucial information aiding MacDonald’s alibi. Such ratification included proof of an outside attack that would have played a major role in Jeffrey’s case.
Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (N.S.A) subcontractor turned whistle-blower is nothing short of a hero. His controversial decision to release information detailing the highly illegal ‘data mining’ practices of the N.S.A have caused shockwaves throughout the world and have raised important questions concerning how much the government actually monitors its people without their consent or knowledge. Comparable to Mark Felt in the Watergate scandals, Daniel Ellsberg with the Pentagon Papers, Edward Snowden joins the rank of infamous whistleblowers who gave up their jobs, livelihood, and forever will live under scrutiny of the public all in the service to the American people. Edward Snowden released information detailing the extent of the N.S.A breaches of American privacy and in doing so, became ostracized by the media and barred from freely reentering America, his home country.
Among the spies of the 20th century, Kim Philby was a master of his craft. “To betray, you must first belong,” Kim Philby once said. Philby betrayed his colleagues, his friends, his wives, and most of all his country. He did all this in the secret service of the Soviet Union. The effects of this master spy’s operations set the stage for post-World War II in Europe.
On July 17, 1950, Julius Rosenberg was arrested for "conspiracy to commit espionage" and just 25 days later for the same charge Ethel Rosenberg was also arrested. After being arrested they were noticed by the FBI after David Greenglass accused Julius in his statement to the FBI. They were both placed in jail and were placed at 100,000 dolla...
Edward Snowden. This is a name that will be in the history books for ages. He will be branded a traitor or a whistleblower, depending on where you look. Many Americans feel that Edward Snowden is a traitor who sold the United States’ secrets, aiming to harm the nation. Others believe that he was simply a citizen of the United States who exercised his right to expose the government for their unconstitutional actions.
It is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to withhold a great deal of information from society. Many may argue that secrets are kept to ensure the safety of the nation. Thus, upholding the governmental duty of protecting the nation against possible threats. On the other hand, many believe that secrets may exist which violate our constitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who was a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reason to expose the NSA to the world because they were in violation of our fourth Amendment rights to unreasonable searches and seizures. The government called him a traitor, while others viewed him as a hero for exposing the government. Edward Snowden is a whistle blower because he felt that it is up to society to decide if governmental practices are just or unjust. Snowden does “express the highest respect for the law”, and he wanted to protect the right of privacy for American citizens.