News In Brief

May 15, 1984

Life sentence goes to man who sold missile secrets

James Durwood Harper Jr., who pleaded guilty to selling US missile secrets to communist agents, was sentenced to life in prison Monday. US District Judge Samuel Conti said Harper has never expressed regret for his crimes. The judge said he would recommend Harper never be paroled, calling him "a traitor to this country."

Harper had pleaded innocent in December to six charges of stealing Minuteman missile secrets and papers outlining the United States' ability to survive a nuclear attack.

Last month, he changed his plea to guilty on a single count of conspiring to sell defense secrets to Polish agents, who allegedly delivered the information to the Soviets. The other counts against Harper were dropped.