The man in front of you in the checkout line looks like he might own a small business or teach science at the local community college. But looks can be deceiving.
Instead, he is a retired US Army counterintelligence agent, and he helped topple the one of the biggest spy rings of the cold War. Meet Sergeant Major Danny Williams, a man who knows the art of deception.
In 1987, Williams was sent undercover to infiltrate a European spy ring being run by a personal friend Sergeant First Class Clyde Lee Conrad, a non-commissioned Army officer and pathological con man. For 12 years Conrad had sold NATO secrets to Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Russia, including atomic and biological weapons information and critical information on NATO war plans. Conrad was intent on building an espionage empire until Williams intervened.
Williams’ covert work resulted in the arrest and conviction of Conrad and eight members of his spy network in five European countries. Conrad, who is only one of five spies in U.S. history known to have made millions of dollars selling U.S. intelligence secrets, was sentenced to life in prison and died behind bars.
“Counterespionage is like playing chess in the dark,” laughs Williams. “You’re never sure of any move.”
Russian roulette may be closer to the truth.
“I knew he was capable of killing, just as I knew he was very suspicious about why I had suddenly reappeared in his life. But I hung in long enough to regain his trust and turned it against him,” says Williams. “I also know that he had planned executions that were never carried because we caught him.”
Williams has published his jaw-dropping story in “Damian and Mongoose” – a fascinating first-hand account of how he infiltrated the ring after convincing his friend that he wanted a piece of the action.
No car chases or shoot-outs here – Instead, Williams offers a step-by-step primer on counterespionage tradecraft; an insider’s view of the dangers and frustrations of close undercover work, where any slip might prove fatal.
“We were able to stop Clyde before he was able to implement a plan he’d been developing for several years to recruit disgruntled U.S. soldiers as spies,” says Williams. “This was a very dangerous man without any principles, and his plans included kidnapping, torture, and murder.”
Conrad’s capture was a delicate matter – a New York Times reporter who was tipped off to the investigation almost brought the case crashing down before the arrest. The arrest itself was also controversial. Williams’ counterespionage operation was conducted on German soil without German authorities being told about it until just before the arrest.
After the operation Williams returned to Ft. Huachuca as special operations instructor, then designed, taught, and implemented operational security procedures for the Army’s Information Systems Command. He retired in 1993, but continued assisting the FBI with the final investigation and conviction of Clyde Conrad’s co-conspirators. He lives in Hereford, Arizona, with his wife of forty-two years, Shirley.
For more information visit: http://www.damianandmongoose. net/