Great Democrats in History -- Aldrich Ames

On this day, April 28, in 1994, former CIA official Aldrich Ames pleaded guilty to selling U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and later, Russia. He first began spying for the Soviet Union in 1985, when he walked into the Soviet embassy in Washington to offer secrets for money.

Ames was assigned to the CIA's Europe Division / Counterintelligence branch, where he was responsible for directing the analysis of Soviet intelligence operations. He had access to the identities of U.S. sources in the KGB and Soviet military. The information Ames provided led to the compromise of at least 100 U.S. intelligence operations and to the execution of at least 10 U.S. sources. He ultimately gave the Soviet Union the names of every American agent working in their country. The Soviets paid Ames approximately $4.6 million. Ames, an alcoholic, had no ideological affinity for the USSR. Before he was caught, he was assigned the task of preparing the damage assessment of Jonathan Pollard's activities, and it is believed that he used the opportunity to attribute to Pollard the act of uncovering CIA agents and assets in the USSR. Ames and his wife liquidated about $2.5 million of the money the Soviets paid him for their use, with the Soviets withholding the remaining $2.1 million in a Russian bank account to be utilized once he retired from his spying. He gave a total of $5,5oo to the Democratic National Committee from 1990 to 1992.