“The downfall of a foolish spy: The story of Edwin Pitts”

The thirst for revenge did not lead to anything good.

Twisted spy stories look spectacular on the screen. But it happens that real stories can surpass even the most intriguing scenario. In this field, an American spy associated with the USSR somehow distinguished himself.

Edwin Pitts worked for the FBI for a while. However, the desire to get rich pushed him to espionage. So Pitts began to transfer classified information to the authorities of the USSR. However, in 1992, after the collapse of the Union, the spy was handed over by his Soviet colleague, who was eager to obtain US citizenship.

Pitts was hunted in America for more than a year. The man was told that the Russian side wanted to cooperate with him. Edwin agreed and even presented materials that he had previously passed on to Soviet intelligence. So Pitts for 16 months obtained information about the FBI for his own people, thinking that he was “leaking” it to the Russian special services.

As a result, the spy was convicted. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Pitts explained his decision to work for the USSR by the fact that he hated his colleagues from the FBI. Later in the press he was called the most stupid spy in history.