# List of Western Bloc defectors

This is an incomplete list of Western Bloc intelligence agents, military personnel, scientists, politicians, diplomats, and other prominent people who defected to the Eastern Bloc or non-aligned countries during the Cold War and after.

## Defections before 1991

| Defector | Profession/Prominence | Country of origin | Year of defection | Country of defection |
| Erwin Borchers | French Foreign Legion | Germany/France | 1945 | Viet Minh |
| Ernst Frey | French Foreign Legion | Austria/France | 1945 | Viet Minh |
| Siegfried Wenzel | French Foreign Legion | Germany/France | 1945 | Viet Minh |
| Kostas Sarantidis | French Foreign Legion | Greece/France | 1946 | Viet Minh |
| Stefan Kubiak | French Foreign Legion | Poland/France | 1946 | Viet Minh |
| Park Si-hyeong | Historian | South Korea (U.S. Occupation Zone) | 1946 | North Korea (Soviet Occupation Zone) |
| Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler | BBC journalist | West Germany (British Occupation Zone) | 1947 | East Germany (Soviet Occupation Zone) |
| Emil Selhofer | French Foreign Legion | Switzerland/France | 1947 | Viet Minh |
| George Shaw Wheeler | Foreign Economic Administration economist | United States | 1947 | Czechoslovakia |
| Annabelle Bucar | United States State Department | United States | 1948 | Soviet Union |
| Hong Myong-hui | Writer | South Korea | 1948 | North Korea |
| Kang Tae-mu | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1948 | North Korea |
| Kim Sun-nam | Composer | South Korea | 1948 | North Korea |
| George Koval | Atomic spy | United States | 1948 | Soviet Union |
| James McMillin | United States Army cryptographer | United States | 1948 | Soviet Union |
| Pyo Mu-won | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1948 | North Korea |
| Albert Clavier | French Army | France | 1949 | Viet Minh |
| Robert Dagleish | Foreign Office | United Kingdom | 1949 | Soviet Union |
| Gerhart Eisler | Journalist | United States | 1949 | East Germany |
| Noel Field | United States State Department | United States | 1949 | Czechoslovakia |
| Archibald Johnstone | Journalist | United Kingdom | 1949 | Soviet Union |
| James Stuart | British Army | United Kingdom | 1949 | East Germany |
| Miroslav Surý | French Foreign Legion | Czechoslovakia/France | 1949 | Viet Minh |
| František Vaňhara | French Foreign Legion | Czechoslovakia/France | 1949 | Viet Minh |
| David Young | Royal Navy | United Kingdom | 1949 | China |
| Leopold Infeld | University of Toronto physicist | Canada | 1950 | Poland |
| Ian Milner | United Nations diplomat | Australia | 1950 | Czechoslovakia |
| Ján Poláček | French Foreign Legion | Czechoslovakia/France | 1950 | Viet Minh |
| Bruno Pontecorvo | Atomic physicist | Italy/United Kingdom | 1950 | Soviet Union (via Finland) |
| John Peet | Reuters correspondent | United Kingdom | 1950 | East Germany |
| Nâzım Hikmet Ran | Poet | Turkey | 1950 | Soviet Union |
| Ri Sung-gi | Seoul National University chemistry professor | South Korea | 1950 | North Korea |
| Arna Rides | British Council medical adviser | United Kingdom | 1950 | Czechoslovakia |
| Josef Zvoník | French Foreign Legion | Czechoslovakia/France | 1950 | Viet Minh |
| Guy Burgess | Foreign Office/MI5 | United Kingdom | 1951 | Soviet Union |
| Donald Maclean | Foreign Office | United Kingdom | 1951 | Soviet Union |
| Alfred Sarant | Military engineer/Atomic spy | United States | 1951 | Poland, then the Soviet Union |
| Joel Barr | Military engineer/Atomic spy | United States | 1951 | Czechoslovakia, then the Soviet Union |
| Margaret Schlauch | New York University English professor | United States | 1951 | Poland |
| Weng Wenhao | Geologist and Kuomintang politician | Taiwan | 1951 | China |
| Heiner Braun | Track athlete (5000 metres) | West Germany | 1952 | East Germany |
| Stefan Heym | United States Army/Writer | United States | 1952 | Czechoslovakia, then East Germany |
| Günther Gereke | Christian Democratic Union politician | West Germany | 1952 | East Germany |
| Victor Grossman | United States Army | United States | 1952 | East Germany |
| Kug Yong-am | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1952 | North Korea |
| Charles Lucas | United States Army | United States | 1952 | East Germany |
| Aubrey E. Miles | United States Army | United States | 1952 | East Germany |
| Wolfgang Gans zu Putlitz | MI5 | United Kingdom | 1952 | East Germany |
| Miloud Salhi | French Army | France | 1952 | Viet Minh |
| Clarence Adams | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Howard Gayle Adams | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Albert Constant Belhomme | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Otto Grayson Bell | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Arthur Boyd | United States Army | United States | 1953 | East Germany |
| Andrew Condron | Royal Marines | United Kingdom | 1953 | China |
| Richard G. Corden | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| William Cowart | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| W. Glancy | British Army | United Kingdom | 1953 | East Germany |
| Rufus Douglas | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| John Roedel Dunn | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Andrew Fortuna | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Hans Joachim Geyer | Gehlen Organization | West Germany | 1953 | East Germany |
| Lewis Griggs | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Samuel David Hawkins | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Wolfgang Höher | Gehlen Organization | West Germany | 1953 | East Germany |
| R. Irvine | British Army | United Kingdom | 1953 | East Germany |
| Kim Sung-bai | Republic of Korea Air Force | South Korea | 1953 | North Korea |
| S. Lewes | British Army | United Kingdom | 1953 | East Germany |
| Norman M. Lowell | United States Army | United States | 1953 | East Germany |
| R. W. Luwman | Royal Netherlands Army | Netherlands | 1953 | East Germany |
| Clifford F. Murphy | United States Army | United States | 1953 | East Germany |
| Arlie Pate | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Scott Rush | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Lowell Skinner | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Larance Sullivan | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Richard Tenneson | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| James Veneris | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Harold Webb | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| R. Wanroy | Royal Netherlands Army | Netherlands | 1953 | East Germany |
| William White | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Morris Wills | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Aaron Wilson | United States Army | United States | 1953 | China |
| Stanislaw Zdanowski | United States Army | United States | 1953 | Poland |
| William Donal Adkins | United States Army | United States | 1954 | Soviet Union |
| Choi Man-chong | Republic of Korea Air Force | South Korea | 1954 | North Korea |
| Joseph Cort | Doctor of Medicine and University of Birmingham physiology lecturer | United States | 1954 | Czechoslovakia |
| James Davis | United States Army | United States | 1954 | Czechoslovakia |
| Bruno Folta | Radio announcer | West Germany | 1954 | Czechoslovakia |
| Raymond H. Hutto | United States Army | United States | 1954 | East Germany |
| Otto John | Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz | West Germany | 1954 | East Germany |
| Karl Franz Schmidt-Wittmack | Bundestag deputy and Christian Democratic Union politician | West Germany | 1954 | East Germany |
| Richard Squires | British Army | United Kingdom | 1954 | Soviet Union |
| William Turner | United States Army | United States | 1954 | Soviet Union |
| Ralph Bernard Frederick Cross | Canadian Army | Canada | 1955 | East Germany |
| James W. Pulley | United States Army | United States | 1955 | East Germany |
| Manfred von Brauchitsch | Racing driver | West Germany | 1955 | East Germany |
| Ho Wei-Chin | Republic of China Air Force | Taiwan | 1955 | China |
| B. F. Holland | United States Army | United States | 1955 | East Germany |
| Horst Spanier | United States Army | United States | 1955 | East Germany |
| Wei Li-Huang | Republic of China Army | Taiwan | 1955 | China |
| Hung Chin-Shan | Republic of China Military Police | Taiwan | 1955 | China |
| Henri Maillot | French Army | France | 1956 | Algerian National Liberation Front |
| Wolf-Dieter Loebl | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1956 | East Germany |
| Orest Stephen Makar | Photogrammetrist and Saint Louis University engineering associate professor | United States | 1956 | Soviet Union |
| Anthony Wraight | Royal Air Force | United Kingdom | 1956 | Soviet Union |
| Augustin Cabrera Oroza | Spanish Navy | Spain | 1957 | Mexico |
| Manuel Fernandez Rodriguez | Spanish Navy | Spain | 1957 | Mexico |
| Ginas Jiminez Nortes | Spanish Navy | Spain | 1957 | Mexico |
| Enrique Medina Fernandez | Spanish Navy | Spain | 1957 | Mexico |
| Jürgen Mickeleit | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1957 | East Germany |
| Victor Rodriguez | Spanish Navy | Spain | 1957 | Mexico |
| Alfred Kaufman Stern | Philanthropist | United States | 1957 | Czechoslovakia |
| Martha Dodd Stern | Philanthropist | United States | 1957 | Czechoslovakia |
| Ernie Fletcher | United States Army | United States | 1959 | East Germany |
| Klaus Fuchs | Atomic spy | United Kingdom | 1959 | Exchanged to East Germany |
| Ho Ye-Chen | Republic of China Army | Taiwan | 1959 | China |
| Arnold Kephart | United States Army | United States | 1959 | East Germany |
| Billy Mullis | United States Army | United States | 1959 | East Germany |
| Lee Harvey Oswald | United States Marine Corps | United States | 1959 | Soviet Union via Finland, rejected from Cuba |
| Libero Ricciardelli | United States Air Force | United States | 1959 | Soviet Union |
| Franz Julius Schröder | Christian Democratic Union aide | West Germany | 1959 | East Germany |
| Arthur Wegner | University of Münster law professor | West Germany | 1959 | East Germany |
| John B. Witt | United States Army | United States | 1959 | Czechoslovakia |
| Franz Böttger | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Guy Bouchard | Canadian Army | Canada | 1960 | East Germany |
| Horst Braun | Bundesluftwaffe | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Bruce Davis | United States Army | United States | 1960 | Soviet Union |
| Joseph Dutkanicz | United States Army Military Intelligence | United States | 1960 | Soviet Union |
| Richard Gromek | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Gilbert Paul Jenkerson | British Army | United Kingdom | 1960 | East Germany |
| Bernon F. Mitchell | National Security Agency | United States | 1960 | Soviet Union |
| William H. Martin | National Security Agency | United States | 1960 | Soviet Union |
| Peter Petrich | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Serafin Sanchez | United States Air Force | United States | 1960 | Cuba |
| Paul Schlüter | Social Democratic Party of Germany politician | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Vladimir Sloboda | United States Army Military Intelligence | United States | 1960 | Soviet Union |
| John Strobl | Canadian Army | Canada | 1960 | East Germany |
| Horst Tuschla | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Otto Weissenberger | Cartographer | West Germany | 1960 | East Germany |
| Walter Barth | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1961 | East Germany |
| Walter Hagemann | Christian Democratic Union politician and University of Münster journalism professor | West Germany | 1961 | East Germany |
| K. H. Falk | Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz | West Germany | 1961 | East Germany |
| Fernando Ganhao | Portuguese Army | Portugal | 1961 | Mozambique Liberation Front |
| Ollie Harrington | Cartoonist | United States | 1961 | East Germany |
| Junge family | University of Washington scientists | United States | 1961 | Czechoslovakia |
| Winfried Krychowski | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1961 | East Germany |
| Mohamed Lamari | French Army | France | 1961 | Algerian National Liberation Front |
| Wolfgang Objeglo | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1961 | East Germany |
| Mário Moutinho de Pádua | Portuguese Army | Portugal | 1961 | Congo-Léopoldville |
| Larry Allen Abshier | United States Army | United States | 1962 | North Korea |
| Wilfried Alsguth | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Herbert Böhmer | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Heinz-Dieter Brehning | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| James Joseph Dresnok | United States Army | United States | 1962 | North Korea |
| Günther Fischer | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Heinrich Frank | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| R. S. Hareld | United States Army | United States | 1962 | Czechoslovakia |
| Guntram Hoffmann | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Rudolf Abel | Atomic spy | United States | 1962 | Exchanged to the Soviet Union |
| Bobby Joe Keesee | United States Army | United States | 1962 | Cuba |
| Henry Kiernan | United States Army | United States | 1962 | East Germany |
| Albert Kostede | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Richard Lang | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| David Michael | Engineer | United States | 1962 | Cuba |
| Erwin Miran | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Nguyen Van Cu | Republic of Vietnam Air Force | South Vietnam | 1962 | Cambodia |
| Klaus Reichardt | Bundesluftwaffe | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Willi Salzmann | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Peter-Joseph Schödder | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Manfred Schüssler | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Horst Pilger | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Peter Pitzen | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Bodo Ratzinger | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Dieter Schmutzler | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Otto Schwarz | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Ronald Stanley | British Army | United Kingdom | 1962 | East Germany |
| Jürgen Steinigtweg | Bundesmarine Marineflieger | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Robert Stuckhaus | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Wolfgang Vogt | Bundesluftwaffe | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Berthold Wizien | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1962 | East Germany |
| Thomas Badey | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Frank Barton | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Richard Bourret | Physicist | United States | 1963 | Cuba |
| Benjamin Cain | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Klaus Chepelier | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1963 | East Germany |
| Victor Norris Hamilton | National Security Agency | United States | 1963 | Soviet Union |
| Reymond Herzet | Belgian Army | Belgium | 1963 | East Germany |
| Gary Martzke | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Roberto "Robert" Ramos Michelena | United States Air Force | United States | 1963 | Cuba |
| James Carl Moore | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Heinrich James Newton | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Jerry Wayne Parrish | United States Army | United States | 1963 | North Korea |
| Brian Patchett | British Army | United Kingdom | 1963 | East Germany |
| Christopher John Pengate | British Army | United Kingdom | 1963 | East Germany |
| Kim Philby | MI6 | United Kingdom | 1963 | Soviet Union |
| Alfred Svenson | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Willard E. Valentini | United States Army | United States | 1963 | East Germany |
| Jacinto Veloso | Portuguese Air Force | Portugal | 1963 | Mozambique Liberation Front |
| Chan Chueh | Olympic Games official | Taiwan | 1964 | China |
| Cheng Yi-Ming | Intelligence Bureau | Taiwan | 1964 | China |
| Li Fung-ryong | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1964 | North Korea |
| Theo van Eijck | Marine-Luchtvaartdienst | Netherlands | 1964 | Libya |
| Anatoly P. Kotloby | Rocket scientist | United States | 1964 | Soviet Union |
| Ma Ching-Shan | Olympic sharpshooter | Taiwan | 1964 | China |
| Claude Swain | United States Army | United States | 1964 | East Germany |
| Zhao Zongli | Republic of China Navy | Taiwan | 1964 | China |
| Bui Van Trach | Republic of Vietnam Air Force | South Vietnam | 1965 | Cambodia |
| Chan Chen-Chin | Republic of China Army | Taiwan | 1965 | China |
| Chen Li | Intelligence Bureau | Taiwan | 1965 | China |
| Alfred Frenzel | Social Democratic Party of Germany politician | West Germany | 1965 | Exchanged to Czechoslovakia |
| Hua Tsu-Hsin | Diplomat | Taiwan | 1965 | China |
| Charles Robert Jenkins | United States Army | United States | 1965 | North Korea |
| Glen Roy Rohrer | United States Army Military Intelligence | United States | 1965 | Czechoslovakia |
| Ana Maria Silva Pais | Daughter of PIDE Director Fernando Silva | Portugal | 1965 | Cuba |
| Li Zongren | Former Kuomintang politician, vice president, and acting president of China | United States | 1965 | China |
| Nguyen Chi Canh | Huế police chief | South Vietnam | 1965 | North Vietnam |
| Stephen Biggs | British Army | United Kingdom | 1965 | East Germany |
| Harold M. Koch | Roman Catholic priest | United States | 1966 | Soviet Union |
| John Discoe Smith | United States State Department | United States | 1966 | Soviet Union |
| Nguyen Duch Hien | Republic of Vietnam Air Force | South Vietnam | 1966 | Cambodia |
| Craig Anderson | United States Navy | United States | 1967 | Sweden |
| Richard Bailey | United States Navy | United States | 1967 | Sweden via Japan |
| John Barilla | United States Navy | United States | 1967 | Sweden |
| George Blake | MI6 | United Kingdom | 1967 | Soviet Union |
| Lorenzo Brown | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Costa Calfelis | Journalist | Greece | 1967 | Switzerland |
| Des Carragher | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Jerry Condon | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Jerry Dass | Green Beret SFOD B, S-5 | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Jimmy Dotson | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| John Forler | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Kenneth C. Griggs | United States Army | United States | 1967 | Cuba |
| Bob Janson | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Roy Ray Jones | United States Army | United States | 1967 | Sweden |
| Walter Harshall | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Tom Hayes | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden, later managed Clergy & Layman Concerned |
| Roger Hinchliffe | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Dick Kilmer | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Steve Kinneman | United States Army | United States | 1967 | Sweden via Thailand, and Laos |
| Michael Lindner | United States Navy | United States | 1967 | Sweden |
| William Males | United States Army | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| McKinley Nolan | United States Army | United States | 1967 | North Vietnam |
| Henry Nordby | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Rich Pauley | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Richard Harwood Pearce | United States Army | United States | 1967 | Cuba |
| Irving Rubin | United States Army | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Arnold Schölzel | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1967 | East Germany |
| David Smith | United States Army | United States | 1967 | Sweden |
| Joe Stewart | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Tseng Chao-Ping | Republic of China Air Force | Taiwan | 1967 | China |
| Herbert Washington | United States Army | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Ted Weisberg | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Terry Whitmore | United States military | United States | c. 1967 | Sweden |
| Robert Argento | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Edwin Arnett | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| John Ashley | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Samuel Brown | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Gerald Burger | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Robert Burroughs | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Robert Carroll | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Kenneth Cooper | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Erwin Foster | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| David Haire | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Rodney Huth | United States Marine Corps | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Edward Johnson | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| William Jones | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Bruce Mayor | Draft evader | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Richard Lee McKinney | United States Marine Corps | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Peter Moebius | Physicist | West Germany | 1968 | East Germany |
| Justin Olson | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Herbert Patzelt | European Atomic Energy Community aide | West Germany | 1968 | East Germany |
| William Percell | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Ehrenfried Petras | Microbiologist | West Germany | 1968 | East Germany |
| Bruce Proctor | Former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Richard Lee Propp | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| David Roman | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Raymond Sansiviero | United States Marine Corps | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Parker Smith | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Vincent Strollo | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Richard Tannimura | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Gregory Vitarelle | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Mark Warrell | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| Eugene Westbrooks | United States Army | United States | 1968 | Sweden |
| J. W. Wright | United States Air Force | United States | 1968 | Soviet Union |
| William Lee Brent | Black Panther Party activist | United States | 1969 | Cuba |
| Irvin Leon Butler | United States Navy | United States | 1969 | Sweden |
| Lona Cohen | Atomic spy | United States | 1969 | Exchanged to the Soviet Union |
| Morris Cohen | Atomic spy | United States | 1969 | Exchanged to the Soviet Union |
| Jerry Bhagwan Dass | United States Army | United States | 1969 | Sweden |
| Robert Edward Dostlik | United States Marine Corps | United States | 1969 | Cuba |
| Heinz Felfe | Bundesnachrichtendienst | West Germany | 1969 | Exchanged to East Germany |
| Olaf Foertsch | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1969 | East Germany |
| Ludwig Gummert | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1969 | East Germany |
| Thomas Kavanaugh | United States Army | United States | 1969 | East Germany |
| Hans-Joachim Kruse | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1969 | East Germany |
| Robert Kündiger | Bundesmarine | West Germany | 1969 | East Germany |
| John Lowney | United States Marine Corps | United States | 1969 | North Vietnam |
| Vassilios Tsironis | Doctor of Medicine | Greece | 1969 | Albania |
| Jim Walch | United States Army | United States | 1969 | Sweden |
| Zhou Zhende | Republic of China Army | Taiwan | 1969 | China |
| Kimihuro Uomoto | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Kimiko Fukudome | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Kintaro Yoshida | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Moriaki Wakabayashi | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Shirō Akagi | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Takahiro Konishi | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Takamaro Tamiya | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Takeshi Okamoto | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Yasuhiro Shibata | Japanese Red Army | Japan | 1970 | North Korea |
| Alvin Glatkowski | United States Merchant Marine | United States | 1970 | Attempted defection to Cambodia |
| Clyde McKay | United States Merchant Marine | United States | 1970 | Attempted defection to Cambodia |
| Marc Carbonneau | Front de libération du Québec | Canada | 1970 | Cuba |
| Jacques Cossette-Trudel | Front de libération du Québec | Canada | 1970 | Cuba |
| Yves Langlois | Front de libération du Québec | Canada | 1970 | Cuba |
| Larry Humphrey | United States Army | United States | 1970 | Cambodia |
| Mihalis Maniadakis | Royal Hellenic Air Force | Greece | 1970 | Soviet Union |
| Chang Shuang-Chao | Ministry of Finance aide | Taiwan | 1971 | China |
| Sun Chi-Chou | Diplomat | Taiwan | 1971 | China |
| Michael Deberry | United States Army | United States | 1971 | Sweden |
| Tom Horne | Green Beret | United States | c. 1971 | Sweden |
| Ernest Hunter | United States Air Force | United States | c. 1971 | Sweden |
| Hans-Dieter Reinkensmeier | German Army Aviation Corps | West Germany | 1971 | East Germany |
| Harold Hill | Rolls-Royce Limited engineer | United Kingdom | 1971 | Soviet Union |
| Esteban Llana | United States Air Force | United States | 1971 | Panama |
| Jaime Morais | Portuguese Army | Portugal | 1971 | Sweden |
| Bernard Pryer | United States Army | United States | 1971 | Panama |
| John R. Vequist | United States Army | United States | 1971 | Sweden |
| Tobey Wagner | United States Army | United States | 1971 | Panama |
| Kevin Cadwallader | British Army | United Kingdom | 1972 | Sweden |
| Ngo Cong Duc | Journalist | South Vietnam | 1972 | Sweden |
| Pham Van Dinh | Army of the Republic of Vietnam | South Vietnam | 1972 | North Vietnam |
| Sung Wei-Pi | Former diplomat | Taiwan | 1973 | People's Republic of China |
| Gerard Burns | British Army | United Kingdom | 1974 | Ireland |
| Nguyen Thanh Trung | Republic of Vietnam Air Force | South Vietnam | 1975 | North Vietnam |
| Jürgen Schneider | Bundeswehr | West Germany | 1976 | East Germany |
| Bong Ju | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1977 | North Korea |
| William Joseph Black | United States Army | United States | 1977 | Czechoslovakia |
| Yu Un-hak | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1977 | North Korea |
| Robert Thompson | United States Air Force | United States | 1978 | Exchanged to the Soviet Union |
| Erhard Mueller | Bundesmarine aviation wing | West Germany | 1978 | East Germany |
| Li Jun-gwang | Republic of Korea Army military intelligence | South Korea | 1978 | North Korea |
| Roy Chung | United States Army | United States | 1979 | East Germany, then to North Korea |
| Ursel Lorenzen | NATO aide | West Germany | 1979 | East Germany |
| Christel Broszey | Christian Democratic Union aide | West Germany | 1979 | East Germany |
| Inge Goliath | Christian Democratic Union aide | West Germany | 1979 | East Germany |
| Helga Roediger | Federal Ministry of Finance | West Germany | 1979 | East Germany |
| Alexander Lambert | Bureau of State Security | South Africa | 1979 | Sweden |
| Justin Lin | Republic of China Army | Taiwan | 1979 | China |
| Friedrich Tomberg | Pädagogische Hochschule philosophy professor | West Germany | 1979 | East Germany |
| Kim Ryong-jin | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1979 | North Korea |
| Imelda Verrept | NATO aide | Belgium | 1980 | East Germany |
| Günter Guillaume | Aide to the West German Chancellor | West Germany | 1981 | Exchanged to East Germany |
| Frank Terpil | Central Intelligence Agency | United States | 1981 | Libya, then to Cuba |
| Huang Zhicheng | Republic of China Air Force | Taiwan | 1981 | China |
| Ma Bi | Kuomintang adviser | Taiwan | 1981 | China |
| Robert Vesco | Financier | United States | 1982 | Cuba |
| Joseph T. White | United States Army | United States | 1982 | North Korea |
| Gerhard G. | Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz | West Germany | 1982 | East Germany |
| Gerald Andreas Eckert | South African Army | South Africa | 1983 | Mozambique |
| Li Dawei | Republic of China Air Force | Taiwan | 1983 | China |
| Mun Sang-chol | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1983 | North Korea |
| Alessio Casimirri | Red Brigades | Italy | 1983 | Nicaragua |
| Nam Mccurdy | Writer | United States | 1983 | Nicaragua |
| Assata Shakur | Black Panther Party activist | United States | 1984 | Cuba |
| Xie Yuchen | Film director | Taiwan | 1984 | China |
| Zhang Jinfeng | Film producer | Taiwan | 1984 | China |
| Hans Tiedge | Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz | West Germany | 1985 | East Germany |
| Jeffrey Carney | United States Air Force | United States | 1985 | East Germany |
| Ra Il-ryong | Republic of Korea Army | South Korea | 1985 | North Korea |
| Edward Lee Howard | Central Intelligence Agency | United States | 1985 | Soviet Union |
| Sonja Luenberg | Aide to the Federal Minister of the Economy Martin Bangemann | West Germany | 1985 | East Germany |
| Herta-Astrid Willner | Aide to the West German Chancellor | West Germany | 1985 | East Germany |
| Herbert Willner | Defence analyst | West Germany | 1985 | East Germany |
| Rudolf Alken | University of Mainz researcher | West Germany | 1985 | East Germany |
| Karl Koecher | Central Intelligence Agency | United States | 1986 | Exchanged to Czechoslovakia |
| Hugo Almeida | United States Army | United States | 1986 | Cuba |
| Glenn Michael Souther | United States Navy | United States | 1986 | Soviet Union |
| Arnold Lockshin | Biochemist | United States | 1986 | Soviet Union |
| Wang Xijue | Airline pilot | Taiwan | 1986 | China |
| Wade E. Roberts | United States Army | United States | 1987 | Soviet Union |
| Stig Bergling | Swedish Security Service | Sweden | 1987 | Soviet Union via Finland |
| Theodore Branch | Radio announcer | United States | 1987 | Soviet Union |
| Choe Deok-sin | Former South Korean diplomat and foreign minister | United States | 1987 | North Korea |
| Song Chang-gu | United States Army aide | South Korea | 1988 | North Korea |
| Lin Xianshun | Republic of China Air Force | Taiwan | 1989 | China |
| Michael Peri | United States Army | United States | 1989 | East Germany |

## Defections after 1991

| Defector | Profession/Prominence | Country of origin | Year of defection | Country of defection |
| Maurizio Gelli | Businessman | Italy | 2009 | Nicaragua |
| Edward Snowden | National Security Agency contractor | United States | 2013 | Russia |
| Choe In-guk | South Korean citizen | South Korea | 2019 | North Korea |
| Evan Neumann | Trumpist militant | United States | 2022 | Belarus |
| Emil Czeczko | Polish Land Forces | Poland | 2021 | Belarus |
| Travis King | United States Army | United States | 2023 | North Korea |
| Tara Reade | Former Congressional aide | United States | 2023 | Russia |
| Wilmer Puello-Mota | Former Holyoke, Massachusetts city councillor and former Massachusetts Air National Guard airman | United States | 2024 | Russia |
| Tomasz Szmydt | Judge | Poland | 2024 | Belarus |