A second former U.S. soldier involved in a spy ring that sold secrets to the Soviets apparently provided information that led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader, a West German newspaper said today. The Die Welt newspaper of Bonn also said that ``no charges have been filed against the (second) American citizen, although he is still in the Federal Republic.'' The man alleged to have led the ring, former U.S. Army Sgt. Clyde Lee Conrad, remained in prison today, facing espionage charges carrying a maximum 10-year sentence. Conrad allegedly paid another U.S. soldier ``a five-figure sum'' for obtaining secret NATO information, according to chief West German prosecutor Kurt Rebmann. ``The information that led to the arrest of the alleged international spy ringleader, former U.S. Army Sgt. Clyde Lee Conrad, apparently came from the U.S. Army soldier who was recruited by Conrad to provide information after Conrad left the service in 1985,'' the conservative Die Welt said. Although the West Germans say the second American was a soldier when he was recruited for espionage, the Washington Post quoted administration sources as saying the man has since left the Army. In Washington, a U.S. official said Friday that Conrad had a top secret security clearance before leaving the U.S. Army. The U.S. official also conceded that Conrad was never subjected to a periodic follow-up investigation during the time he held the high-security clearance. West German and U.S. news media reports have said the spy ring sold the Soviets secret documents about nuclear missile bases, military pipelines and NATO troop strength. Officials say the ring started operating in the late 1970s. According to a report Friday night on CBS News, the 41-year-old Conrad collected more than $1 million for peddling the secrets. CBS attributed the report to a West German newspaper that it did not identify. West German investigators have said they believe Conrad kept the money in numbered Swiss bank accounts.
