Aldrich Ames, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer whose treason for the Soviet Union became one of the most devastating betrayals in American espionage history, died on Monday. He was 84 years old and had been serving a life sentence without parole in federal prison since 1994. His death was confirmed by the federal bureau of prisons inmate database.
The Rise of a Traitor Within the CIA
The son of an alcoholic CIA officer, Ames spent 17 years climbing the agency's ranks, despite a mediocre career. His fortunes changed in September 1983 when he was appointed chief of counterintelligence for the CIA's Soviet division. This position granted him access to America's most sensitive secrets, including the identities of clandestine Soviet sources working for the United States.
As the Cold War tensions peaked, Ames grew disillusioned. He viewed the spy-versus-spy game as a charade. By his own admission, a dangerous mix of vodka, arrogance, grand delusions, and greed fueled his actions. In April 1985, he took his first step into treachery. He hand-delivered an envelope to the KGB chief at the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., offering CIA secrets and requesting $50,000 in return.
The Betrayal That Shattered US Intelligence
Fearing exposure from one of the CIA's own Russian assets, Ames made a calculated decision to betray them all to secure his own safety and wealth. "I panicked," he confessed in a 1994 jailhouse interview with the New York Times. "Only by suddenly giving them everyone" would he be protected, and he knew it would bring him "as much money as I could ever use."
He compiled hundreds of secret documents into a six-pound stack—a comprehensive list of Soviets spying for the CIA and an encyclopedia of US operations behind the Iron Curtain. He walked out of CIA headquarters with the files in his briefcase and delivered them to his Soviet contact. "I was delivering myself along with them," he later said.
The KGB rewarded him handsomely, paying Ames a total of $2.7 million. In return, they ruthlessly eliminated the threats he identified. As many as 10 Soviet and Eastern Bloc spies were arrested, interrogated, and executed for treason. The entire network that provided the US with vital political, military, and intelligence insights on Moscow was obliterated.
The CIA later concluded that Ames also revealed the identities of two dozen US intelligence officers and foreign agents, and exposed approximately 50 secret operations in Russia, Europe, and Latin America.
The Long Road to Justice
As the CIA's Russian assets began vanishing one by one, the agency slowly realized a mole was in its midst. However, the internal investigation repeatedly stalled. The breakthrough came in 1989, when a CIA officer reported Ames's inexplicable wealth upon his return to Washington. He had purchased a new home for $540,000 in cash and was driving a brand-new Jaguar.
Despite this red flag, it was not until 1993 that a formal probe, led largely by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), gained momentum. The FBI finally arrested Aldrich Ames in 1994. His wife, Rosario, who was aware of his treason and helped spend the proceeds, was also arrested. She received a five-year prison sentence.
Ames pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, closing one of the darkest chapters in CIA history. His actions stand as a stark reminder of the profound damage a single, motivated insider can inflict on national security.
