William Kampiles

William Peter Kampiles (born December 21, 1954) is a former United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee during the Cold War known for selling a top secret KH-11 spy satellite manual in 1977.

Early life Born to Greek parents, Kampiles grew up in Hegewisch, on the far south side of Chicago. Kampiles' family was poor and lived in a small rental apartment. His father died in 1964, when Kampiles was nine. He found his job, routing message traffic, to be boring, and quit after a year when a transfer failed. His friend George Joannides later testified that Kampiles had wanted to work in the covert section of the CIA, but would need to undertake the necessary training. Upon quitting, he stole a top-secret KH-11 spy satellite manual from CIA headquarters in 1977 for monetary gain,

Espionage and prison In January 1978, Kampiles surprised his friends by flying unexpectedly to Athens, Greece, FBI agents arrested Kampiles at home in Munster, Indiana on August 18.