My Life As a Spy
Walker was a communications specialist in the U.S. Navy, and from 1968 to 1985 he passed cryptographic secrets to the KGB so the Soviets could track U.S. fleet movements. Here, he justifies his treason through criticism of Cold War American society and includes fascinating details of his actions. He claims that the information he provided allowed the Kremlin to see that the Reagan administration was not preparing for a nuclear war and helped lead to the fall of the USSR. Walker explains his motivation: he was upset at the dangerous and expensive falsehoods of the Cold War, he thought that the assassination of President Kennedy was an organized coup by corporate/government leaders, and he wanted the money. It is ironic that this traitor is outraged that his spying partner and longtime friend Jerry Whitworth betrayed him to the FBI; Walker also blames his ex-wife and Whitworth's wife. His book is suitable for the espionage collections of all libraries to complement Pete Earley'sFamily of Spies, Howard Blum'sI Pledge Allegiance, and Robert W. Hunter and Lynn Dean Hunter'sSpy Hunter.—Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, ILCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.