Harold James Nicholson | |
|---|---|
 Undated photograph of Nicholson, released by the CIA | |
| Born | November 17, 1950[1] Woodburn, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupation | Former Central Intelligence Agency officer |
| Criminal status | Released |
| Spouse |
Laura Sue Cooper
(m. 1973; div. 1994) |
| Children | 3 |
| Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to commit espionage (18 U.S.C. § 794) Conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government (18 U.S.C. § 951) Conspiracy to commit international money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956) |
| Criminal penalty | Sentenced to 31 years and 7 months imprisonment; Released after 26 years |
Harold James Nicholson (born November 17, 1950) is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer who was twice convicted of spying for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
Nicholson's recruitment to the SVR appears to have occurred in the wake of a much-publicized arrest of the senior CIA officer and Moscow mole Aldrich Ames in February 1994 which, in the words of CIA veteran and author Tennent Bagley, had "exposed extraordinary slackness of CIA security procedures."[2]
- ^ Smith, W. Thomas (July 1, 2003). "Nicholson, Harold James". Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency. Infobase Publishing. p. 177.
- ^ Tennent H. Bagley. Shedding Light on Cold War Mysteries. Wall Street Journal Europe, March 7, 1994.