Aldrich Ames, C.I.A. Turncoat Who Helped the Soviets, Dies at 84
The New York Times••general
Key Points:
- Aldrich Ames, a former CIA officer who betrayed the United States by spying for the Soviet Union, died at age 84 while serving a life sentence without parole in federal prison.
- Ames worked undetected as a Soviet spy for nearly a decade, during which he compromised numerous American intelligence operations and agents.
- He rose through the CIA ranks to become chief of the counterintelligence branch of the Soviet division, gaining access to highly sensitive information about covert American-Soviet collaborations.
- Motivated by greed, arrogance, and a desire to disrupt the Cold War espionage balance, Ames initiated contact with the KGB in 1985, delivering secrets in exchange for money.
- His espionage activities are considered among the most
