Whitworth Told Her About Walker’s Spying Activity, Woman Says

SAN FRANCISCO —  Accused spy Jerry Whitworth once confided to a Navy friend that admitted spy John A. Walker financed his big-spender life style by selling classified secrets to the Israelis, the friend testified Monday as Whitworth’s trial entered its second week.

The testimony by Myra Barnes, 37, a former girlfriend of Walker and acquaintance of Whitworth, was the first indication that Whitworth was aware of Walker’s espionage activities.

Barnes testified that Whitworth made the admission in a San Diego bar in about 1977, after she mentioned that Walker seemed to be “doing really well,” and spending large amounts of money.

The government claims that by 1977 Whitworth had been supplying Navy secrets to Walker for two years. Walker has told federal authorities that he sold military secrets to the Soviet Union during a 16-year period beginning in 1968.

In the Walker-Whitworth espionage case, there has been no indication by any government source that Walker also peddled information to Israel or any other country.

(In an unrelated incident last November, authorities in Washington arrested civilian counterintelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard on charges of selling Navy code secrets to the Israelis, who later returned the documents after their role in the affair was criticized.)

Assistant U.S. Atty. William (Buck) Farmer, who is prosecuting Whitworth on 13 counts of espionage and tax evasion, declined comment when asked by reporters whether Walker passed secrets to the Israelis. However, government authorities have maintained that the one market for the secrets allegedly stolen by Whitworth was the Soviet Union and Farmer has said previously that Walker refused at least initially to tell Whitworth what country he dealt with, although he implied that he was selling to private intelligence sources.

In her testimony, Barnes said that Whitworth had invited her to the bar in 1977. She said that in the course of a one- or two-hour conversation, she told Whitworth that Walker “seemed to be spending like crazy, doing really well, buying airplanes.”

Whitworth responded by saying, “Johnny Walker had been selling classified information to an ally. He mentioned Israel,” recalled Barnes, who at the time was a dental technician in the Navy.

“It sounded like a rather novel idea. I had never heard of selling secrets to an ally,” Barnes testified.

Barnes testified that Whitworth introduced her to Walker in the early 1970s, and that she and Walker began dating--”bars, flying, sailing, restaurants, hotels.” At one point, Walker flew her on his plane to the Bahamas for a two-week trip, she said.

She said that the only time she asked Walker about the source of his money, he replied that he was “in personnel management.” Walker, sentenced to life in prison, has been accused of recruiting Whitworth, and has admitted bringing his brother and son into the espionage business.

Whitworth, 46, of Davis, is accused of passing secrets to Walker from 1975 to 1983 and receiving $332,000 in return. Seven of the 13 charges against Whitworth carry potential life sentences. The trial will resume today.