This story was originally published at ProPublica.org. [1]
Licensed under creative commons by-nc-nd/3.0 [2]
EX-C.I.A. AID CONVICTED IN SPY CASE
Author Name, ProPublica
Date: 07, 2021
Mr. Chin testified that the Chinese in the period from the 1960's to the late 1970's were highly suspicious of Western motives. He said Peking's willingness to accept American overtures was enhanced by the stolen documents he provided. None of these, he said, included military matters or described American weaponry. 'Most Sensitive Secrets'
Mr. Aronica drew a very different picture of the defendant. Mr. Chin, he said, was motivated primarily by more than $150,000 in payments from the Chinese. He said Mr. Chin began by telling a Chinese agent about his interrogation of Chinese prisoners in the Korean War and continued his espionage activities for more than three decades.
''For 30 years, he was a direct funnel from the American intelligence community to the People's Republic of China,'' said Mr. Aronica. The prosecutor said testimony at the trial showed that Mr. Chin had access to sensitive intelligence reports that were given to the President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and National Security Council.
''The most sensitive secrets the United States had throughout this period found their way to Peking,'' he declared.
Judge Merhige, in his one-hour charge to the jury, instructed them, ''Good motive alone is never a defense when the act done or accused is a crime.''
One mystery that remained unexplained at the close of the trial was how the American authorities first became suspicious of Mr. Chin. Prosecutors have said the investigation began in mid-1983 but have not provided further details.
The F.B.I. agents who interviewed Mr. Chin in November confronted him with detailed accounts of his conversations with Ou Qiming, who they said was his Chinese handler.
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https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/08/us/ex-cia-aid-convicted-in-spy-case.html
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