I accept that the rules were wrong and needed changing and that they were probably very good at their jobs, but these people knew that it was against the law at the time and knowingly broke it. What did they think would happen if they were found out?
Remember that had they been compromised, there was a possibility of blackmail, particularly for those working in sensitive areas.
Unfortunately, breaking the law does have consequences. Just because the law is different today, doesn’t make their actions right and they need to accept that.