Robert Hanssen: Difference between revisions
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{{for multi|the serial killer|Robert Hansen}} |
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{{similar names|Robert |
{{similar names|Robert Hansen (disambiguation)}} |
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In 1979, three years after joining the FBI, Hanssen approached the Soviet [[Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU)]] to offer his services, beginning his first espionage cycle, lasting until 1981. He restarted his espionage activities in 1985 and continued until 1991, when he ended communications during the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]], fearing he would be exposed. Hanssen restarted communications the next year and continued until his arrest. Throughout his spying, he remained anonymous to the Russians. |
In 1979, three years after joining the FBI, Hanssen approached the Soviet [[Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU)]] to offer his services, beginning his first espionage cycle, lasting until 1981. He restarted his espionage activities in 1985 and continued until 1991, when he ended communications during the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]], fearing he would be exposed. Hanssen restarted communications the next year and continued until his arrest. Throughout his spying, he remained anonymous to the Russians. |
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Hanssen sold about six thousand classified documents to the [[KGB]] that detailed U.S. strategies in the event of [[nuclear war]], developments in military weapons technologies, and aspects of the U.S. [[counterintelligence]] program.<ref name="oig" /> He was spying at the same time as [[Aldrich Ames]] in the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA). Both Ames and Hanssen compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed for their betrayal. Hanssen also revealed a [[Operation Monopoly|multimillion-dollar eavesdropping tunnel]] built by the FBI under the [[Embassy of Russia, Washington, D.C.|Soviet Embassy]]. After Ames' arrest in 1994, some of these intelligence breaches remained unsolved, and the search for another spy continued. The FBI paid $7 |
Hanssen sold about six thousand classified documents to the [[KGB]] that detailed U.S. strategies in the event of [[nuclear war]], developments in military weapons technologies, and aspects of the U.S. [[counterintelligence]] program.<ref name="oig" /> He was spying at the same time as [[Aldrich Ames]] in the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA). Both Ames and Hanssen compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed for their betrayal. Hanssen also revealed a [[Operation Monopoly|multimillion-dollar eavesdropping tunnel]] built by the FBI under the [[Embassy of Russia, Washington, D.C.|Soviet Embassy]]. After Ames's arrest in 1994, some of these intelligence breaches remained unsolved, and the search for another spy continued. The FBI paid $7{{nbsp}}million to a KGB agent to obtain a file on an anonymous [[Mole (espionage)|mole]], whom the FBI later identified as Hanssen through fingerprint and voice analysis. |
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Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001, at [[Foxstone Park]],<ref>{{cite web |first=Adrian |last=Havill |work=crimelibrary.com |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/2.html |title=His fate is sealed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907223240/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/2.html |archive-date=September 7, 2007 |access-date=September 10, 2007}}</ref> near his home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of [[Vienna, Virginia]], after leaving a package of classified materials at a [[dead drop]] site. He was charged with selling U.S. intelligence documents to the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia for more than $1.4 million in cash, diamonds and Rolex watches over twenty-two years.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-04-21-0204210451-story.html | title=Secret Passage | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=April 21, 2002 | access-date=May 3, 2023 | archive-date=May 3, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503014942/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-04-21-0204210451-story.html | url-status=live}}</ref> To avoid the death penalty, Hanssen pleaded guilty to fourteen counts of espionage and one of [[Conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy]] to commit espionage.<ref name="transcript">{{cite web |url=https://cryptome.wikileaks.org/usa-v-rph-gp.htm |title=Transcript of Hanssen Guilty Plea |date=July 6, 2001 |access-date=February 22, 2007 |archive-date=October 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006033849/https://cryptome.wikileaks.org/usa-v-rph-gp.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="usdoj.gov">{{cite report |work=United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2001/July/308ag.htm |title=Thompson Statement Regarding Hanssen Guilty Plea |date=July 6, 2001 |access-date=February 22, 2007 |archive-date=November 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106100111/http://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2001/July/308ag.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He was sentenced to fifteen life terms without the possibility of parole, and was incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]] until his death in 2023.<ref name="death">{{Cite web |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Robert Hanssen, former FBI agent convicted of spying for Russia, dead at 79 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-hanssen-dies-convicted-spying-for-russia-dead-age-79/ |access-date=June 5, 2023 |website=[[CBS News]] |language=en-US |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605201156/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-hanssen-dies-convicted-spying-for-russia-dead-age-79/ |url-status=live}}</ref> |
Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001, at [[Foxstone Park]],<ref>{{cite web |first=Adrian |last=Havill |work=crimelibrary.com |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/2.html |title=His fate is sealed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907223240/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/2.html |archive-date=September 7, 2007 |access-date=September 10, 2007}}</ref> near his home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of [[Vienna, Virginia]], after leaving a package of classified materials at a [[dead drop]] site. He was charged with selling U.S. intelligence documents to the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia for more than $1.4 million in cash, diamonds and Rolex watches over twenty-two years.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-04-21-0204210451-story.html | title=Secret Passage | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=April 21, 2002 | access-date=May 3, 2023 | archive-date=May 3, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503014942/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-04-21-0204210451-story.html | url-status=live}}</ref> To avoid the death penalty, Hanssen pleaded guilty to fourteen counts of espionage and one of [[Conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy]] to commit espionage.<ref name="transcript">{{cite web |url=https://cryptome.wikileaks.org/usa-v-rph-gp.htm |title=Transcript of Hanssen Guilty Plea |date=July 6, 2001 |access-date=February 22, 2007 |archive-date=October 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006033849/https://cryptome.wikileaks.org/usa-v-rph-gp.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="usdoj.gov">{{cite report |work=United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2001/July/308ag.htm |title=Thompson Statement Regarding Hanssen Guilty Plea |date=July 6, 2001 |access-date=February 22, 2007 |archive-date=November 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106100111/http://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2001/July/308ag.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He was sentenced to fifteen life terms without the possibility of parole, and was incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]] until his death in 2023.<ref name="death">{{Cite web |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Robert Hanssen, former FBI agent convicted of spying for Russia, dead at 79 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-hanssen-dies-convicted-spying-for-russia-dead-age-79/ |access-date=June 5, 2023 |website=[[CBS News]] |language=en-US |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605201156/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-hanssen-dies-convicted-spying-for-russia-dead-age-79/ |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] family that lived in the [[Norwood Park, Chicago|Norwood Park]] neighborhood.<ref>Havill, Adrian. "[http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/3.html The Spawning of A Spy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424154142/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/3.html |date=April 24, 2012}}." ''Robert Philip Hanssen: The Spy who Stayed out in the Cold''. [[Crime Library]]. Retrieved April 11, 2012.</ref> |
Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] family that lived in the [[Norwood Park, Chicago|Norwood Park]] neighborhood.<ref>Havill, Adrian. "[http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/3.html The Spawning of A Spy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424154142/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/3.html |date=April 24, 2012}}." ''Robert Philip Hanssen: The Spy who Stayed out in the Cold''. [[Crime Library]]. Retrieved April 11, 2012.</ref> His father, Howard (died 1993),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2001/03/09/accused-spys-mother-wonders-what-went-wrong/26665427007/ |title=Accused spy's mother wonders what went wrong |work=[[The Ledger]] |via=''[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]'' |date=2001-03-09 |access-date=2023-07-12 |location=[[Sarasota, Florida]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712132848/https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2001/03/09/accused-spys-mother-wonders-what-went-wrong/26665427007/ |archive-date=2023-07-12 |url-status=live |issn=0163-0288 |oclc=187953892}}</ref> a [[Chicago Police Department|Chicago police officer]], was allegedly [[emotionally abusive]] to Hanssen during his childhood.<ref name="oig">U.S. Department of Justice [http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/index.htm "A Review of the FBI's Performance in Deterring, Detecting, and Investigating the Espionage Activities of Robert Philip Hanssen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208154959/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/index.htm |date=February 8, 2005}}, ([https://web.archive.org/web/20121011190021/http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/oig/hanssen.html Archive]) August 14, 2003</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=10}}</ref> Hanssen graduated from [[William Howard Taft High School (Chicago)|William Howard Taft High School]] in 1962 and attended [[Knox College (Illinois)|Knox College]] in [[Galesburg, Illinois]], where he earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in chemistry in 1966.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/us/robert-hanssen-spy-dead.html | title=Robert Hanssen, F.B.I. Agent Exposed as Spy for Moscow, Dies at 79 | work=The New York Times | date=June 5, 2023 | last1=Baker | first1=Peter | access-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606005409/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/us/robert-hanssen-spy-dead.html | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Hanssen applied for a [[cryptography]] job at the [[National Security Agency]] following his college graduation but was turned down due to budget |
Hanssen applied for a [[cryptography]] job at the [[National Security Agency]] following his college graduation but was turned down due to budget constraints. He enrolled in dental school at [[Northwestern University]],<ref>Adrian Havill, [[Court TV]], [http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/4.html ''Robert Philip Hanssen: The Spy who Stayed out in The Cold''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211034721/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/hanssen/4.html |date=February 11, 2007}}. Retrieved February 6, 2007.</ref> but he switched his focus to business after three years.<ref>Dolores Flaherty, Chicago Sunday-Times [https://web.archive.org/web/20070222160610/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20031123/ai_n12526021 ''Hanssen, the spy with two faces''] 2003 November 23. Retrieved February 6, 2007</ref> Hanssen received an [[MBA]] in accounting and [[information systems]] in 1971 and took a job with an accounting firm. He quit after one year and joined the Chicago Police Department as an [[internal affairs (law enforcement)|internal affairs]] investigator, specializing in [[forensic accounting]]. In January 1976, Hanssen left the Chicago police to join the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI).<ref name="oig" /> |
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Hanssen met Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a staunch [[Roman Catholic]], while attending dental school at Northwestern. The couple married in 1968, and Hanssen converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/spy-s-wife-speaks-after-taking-a-lie-test.html|title=Spy's Wife Speaks, After Taking a Lie Test|first=James|last=Risen|date=May 16, 2002|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-date=September 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913213617/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/spy-s-wife-speaks-after-taking-a-lie-test.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
Hanssen met Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a staunch [[Roman Catholic]], while attending dental school at Northwestern. The couple married in 1968, and Hanssen converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/spy-s-wife-speaks-after-taking-a-lie-test.html|title=Spy's Wife Speaks, After Taking a Lie Test|first=James|last=Risen|date=May 16, 2002|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-date=September 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913213617/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/spy-s-wife-speaks-after-taking-a-lie-test.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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=== FBI counterintelligence unit, further espionage activities (1985–1991) === |
=== FBI counterintelligence unit, further espionage activities (1985–1991) === |
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[[File:Ellis dead drop.jpg|thumb|"Ellis" dead drop site in [[Foxstone Park]] used by Hanssen, including on the day of his arrest.]] |
[[File:Ellis dead drop.jpg|thumb|"Ellis" dead drop site in [[Foxstone Park]] used by Hanssen, including on the day of his arrest.]] |
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In 1981, Hanssen was transferred to [[FBI headquarters]] in Washington, D.C., and relocated his family to the suburb of [[Vienna, Virginia]]. His new job in the FBI's budget office gave him access to information involving many different FBI operations. This included all the FBI activities related to [[wiretapping]] and [[electronic surveillance]], which were Hanssen's responsibility. He became known in the FBI as an expert on computers.<ref> |
In 1981, Hanssen was transferred to [[FBI headquarters]] in Washington, D.C., and relocated his family to the suburb of [[Vienna, Virginia]]. His new job in the FBI's budget office gave him access to information involving many different FBI operations. This included all the FBI activities related to [[wiretapping]] and [[electronic surveillance]], which were Hanssen's responsibility. He became known in the FBI as an expert on computers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=28–33}}</ref> |
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Three years later, Hanssen transferred to the FBI's Soviet analytical unit, responsible for studying, identifying, and capturing Soviet spies and intelligence operatives in the United States. Hanssen's section evaluated Soviet agents who volunteered to give intelligence to determine whether they were genuine or [[re-doubled agent]]s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=37–38}}</ref> In 1985, Hanssen was again transferred to the FBI's field office in New York City, where he continued to work in counterintelligence against the Soviets.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/robert-hanssen-business-cards-chalk-and-thumbtacks | title=Robert Hanssen Business Cards, Chalk, and Thumbtacks | access-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-date=March 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314200909/https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/robert-hanssen-business-cards-chalk-and-thumbtacks | url-status=live }}</ref> After the transfer, while on a business visit back to Washington, he resumed his espionage career.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McGahan |first1=Jason |title=New Stop on Washington's Spy Tour |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/03/01/new-stop-on-washingtons-spy-tour/270e7b2c-1d32-42eb-8b75-4226037e76d0/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 1, 2001}}</ref> |
Three years later, Hanssen transferred to the FBI's Soviet analytical unit, responsible for studying, identifying, and capturing Soviet spies and intelligence operatives in the United States. Hanssen's section evaluated Soviet agents who volunteered to give intelligence to determine whether they were genuine or [[re-doubled agent]]s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=37–38}}</ref> In 1985, Hanssen was again transferred to the FBI's field office in New York City, where he continued to work in counterintelligence against the Soviets.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/robert-hanssen-business-cards-chalk-and-thumbtacks | title=Robert Hanssen Business Cards, Chalk, and Thumbtacks | access-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-date=March 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314200909/https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/robert-hanssen-business-cards-chalk-and-thumbtacks | url-status=live }}</ref> After the transfer, while on a business visit back to Washington, he resumed his espionage career.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McGahan |first1=Jason |title=New Stop on Washington's Spy Tour |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/03/01/new-stop-on-washingtons-spy-tour/270e7b2c-1d32-42eb-8b75-4226037e76d0/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 1, 2001}}</ref> |
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On October 1, 1985, Hanssen sent an anonymous letter to the [[KGB]] offering his services and asking for $100,000 in cash, {{Inflation|US|100000|1985|fmt=eq|r=-4}}.{{Inflation/fn|US}} In the letter, he gave the names of three KGB agents secretly working for the FBI: [[Boris Yuzhin]], Valery Martynov, and Sergei Motorin. Although Hanssen was unaware of it, Ames had already exposed all three agents earlier that year.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=50–51}}</ref> Yuzhin had returned to Moscow in 1982 and had been subject to an intensive investigation by the KGB |
On October 1, 1985, Hanssen sent an anonymous letter to the [[KGB]] offering his services and asking for $100,000 in cash, {{Inflation|US|100000|1985|fmt=eq|r=-4}}.{{Inflation/fn|US}} In the letter, he gave the names of three KGB agents secretly working for the FBI: [[Boris Yuzhin]], [[Valery Martynov]], and Sergei Motorin. Although Hanssen was unaware of it, Ames had already exposed all three agents earlier that year.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=50–51}}</ref> Yuzhin had returned to Moscow in 1982 and had been subject to an intensive investigation by the KGB because he had lost a concealed camera in the Soviet consulate in San Francisco, but he was not arrested until exposed by Ames and Hanssen.<ref>Lynch, Christopher, The C.I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle Dog Ear Publishing 2010</ref> Martynov and Motorin were recalled to Moscow, where they were arrested, charged, tried, and convicted of espionage against the Soviet government. Martynov and Motorin were executed via gunshot to the back of the head; Yuzhin was imprisoned for six years before he was released by a general amnesty granted political prisoners and he subsequently immigrated to the U.S.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=56–57}}</ref> Because the FBI blamed Ames for the leak, Hanssen was neither suspected nor investigated. The October 1 letter began a long, active espionage period for Hanssen.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://irp.fas.org/ops/ci/hanssen_indict.html | title=USA v. Robert Philip Hanssen: Indictment | access-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-date=October 6, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006225718/https://irp.fas.org/ops/ci/hanssen_indict.html | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Hanssen was recalled yet again to Washington, D.C., in 1987. He was tasked with studying all known and rumored penetrations of the FBI to find the man who had betrayed Martynov and Motorin; this meant, in effect, that he was charged with searching for himself. Hanssen ensured that he did not reveal himself with his study, but in addition, he gave the entire study—including the list of all Soviets who had contacted the FBI about FBI moles—to the KGB in 1988.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=3–4, 67–68, 82–83}}</ref> That same year, Hanssen, according to a government report, committed a "serious security breach" by revealing secret information to a Soviet [[defector]] during a debriefing. The agents working for him reported this breach to a supervisor, but no action was taken.<ref name="oig" /> |
Hanssen was recalled yet again to Washington, D.C., in 1987. He was tasked with studying all known and rumored penetrations of the FBI to find the man who had betrayed Martynov and Motorin; this meant, in effect, that he was charged with searching for himself. Hanssen ensured that he did not reveal himself with his study, but in addition, he gave the entire study—including the list of all Soviets who had contacted the FBI about FBI moles—to the KGB in 1988.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=3–4, 67–68, 82–83}}</ref> That same year, Hanssen, according to a government report, committed a "serious security breach" by revealing secret information to a Soviet [[defector]] during a debriefing. The agents working for him reported this breach to a supervisor, but no action was taken.<ref name="oig" /> |
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In 1989, Hanssen compromised the FBI investigation of [[Felix Bloch (diplomatic officer)|Felix Bloch]], a [[United States Department of State|Department of State]] official who was suspected of espionage. Hanssen warned the KGB that Bloch was being investigated, causing the KGB to end contact with him abruptly. The FBI could not produce any good evidence, and as a result, Bloch was never charged with a crime, although the State Department later terminated his employment and denied his pension. The failure of the Bloch investigation and the FBI's investigation of how the KGB learned that they were investigating Bloch caused the mole hunt that eventually resulted in |
In 1989, Hanssen compromised the FBI investigation of [[Felix Bloch (diplomatic officer)|Felix Bloch]], a [[United States Department of State|Department of State]] official who was suspected of espionage. Hanssen warned the KGB that Bloch was being investigated, causing the KGB to end contact with him abruptly. The FBI could not produce any good evidence, and as a result, Bloch was never charged with a crime, although the State Department later terminated his employment and denied his pension. The failure of the Bloch investigation and the FBI's investigation of how the KGB learned that they were investigating Bloch caused the mole hunt that eventually resulted in Hanssen's arrest.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=111–119}}</ref> |
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Later that year, Hanssen gave extensive information about U.S. planning for [[measurement and signature intelligence]] (MASINT), a general term for intelligence collected by a variety of electronic means, such as [[radar]], spy satellites, and signal intercepts.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cherkashin|Feifer|2005|p=246}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=95}}</ref> When the Soviets began construction on a [[Embassy of Russia in Washington, D.C.|new embassy]] |
Later that year, Hanssen gave the KGB extensive information about U.S. planning for [[measurement and signature intelligence]] (MASINT), a general term for intelligence collected by a variety of electronic means, such as [[radar]], spy satellites, and signal intercepts.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cherkashin|Feifer|2005|p=246}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=95}}</ref> When the Soviets began construction on a [[Embassy of Russia in Washington, D.C.|new embassy]] in 1977, the FBI dug a tunnel beneath their decoding room. The FBI planned to use it for eavesdropping but never did for fear of being caught. Hanssen disclosed this information to the Soviets in September 1989 and received a $55,000 payment the next month, {{Inflation|US|55000|1989|fmt=eq|r=-4}}.{{Inflation/fn|US}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=98–110}}</ref> On two occasions, Hanssen gave the Soviets a complete list of American [[double agent]]s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=159}}</ref> |
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In 1990, Hanssen's brother-in-law, Mark Wauck, who was also an FBI employee, recommended to the FBI that Hanssen be investigated for espionage because his sister, Hanssen's wife, told him that her sister, Jeanne Beglis, had found a pile of cash on a dresser in the Hanssens' house. Bonnie had previously told her brother that Hanssen once talked about retiring in Poland, then part of the [[Eastern Bloc]]. Wauck also knew that the FBI was hunting for a mole and spoke with his supervisor, who took no action.<ref name="oig" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=120–128}}.</ref> |
In 1990, Hanssen's brother-in-law, Mark Wauck, who was also an FBI employee, recommended to the FBI that Hanssen be investigated for espionage because his sister, Hanssen's wife, told him that her sister, Jeanne Beglis, had found a pile of cash on a dresser in the Hanssens' house. Bonnie had previously told her brother that Hanssen once talked about retiring in Poland, then part of the [[Eastern Bloc]]. Wauck also knew that the FBI was hunting for a mole and spoke with his supervisor, who took no action.<ref name="oig" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=120–128}}.</ref> |
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=== Later FBI career, continued espionage activities (1992–2001) === |
=== Later FBI career, continued espionage activities (1992–2001) === |
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When the [[Collapse of the Soviet Union|USSR disbanded]] in December 1991, Hanssen, possibly worried that he could be exposed during the ensuing political upheaval, ended communications with his handlers for a time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=141}}</ref> The following year, after the [[Russian Federation]] assumed control of the defunct Soviet spy agencies, Hanssen made a risky approach to the [[GRU (Russian Federation)|GRU]], with whom he had not been in contact |
When the [[Collapse of the Soviet Union|USSR disbanded]] in December 1991, Hanssen, possibly worried that he could be exposed during the ensuing political upheaval, ended communications with his handlers for a time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=141}}</ref> The following year, after the [[Russian Federation]] assumed control of the defunct Soviet spy agencies, Hanssen made a risky approach to the [[GRU (Russian Federation)|GRU]], with whom he had not been in contact for ten months. He went to the Russian embassy in person and physically approached a GRU officer in the parking garage. Hanssen, carrying a package of documents, identified himself by his Soviet [[code name]], "Ramon Garcia", and described himself as a "disaffected FBI agent" who was offering his services as a spy. The Russian officer, who evidently did not recognize the code name, drove away. The Russians then filed an official protest with the [[U.S State Department]], believing Hanssen to be a triple agent. Despite having shown his face, disclosing his code name, and revealing his FBI affiliation, Hanssen escaped arrest when the FBI's investigation into the incident did not advance.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=160}}</ref> |
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Hanssen continued to take risks in 1993 when he hacked into the computer of a fellow FBI agent, Ray Mislock, printed out a classified document from Mislock's computer and took the document to Mislock, saying, "You didn't believe me that the system was insecure." Hanssen's superiors were not amused and began an investigation. In the end, officials believed his claim that he was merely demonstrating flaws in the FBI's security system. Mislock has since theorized that Hanssen probably went onto his computer to see if his superiors were investigating him for espionage and invented the document story to cover his tracks.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=160–161}}</ref> |
Hanssen continued to take risks in 1993 when he hacked into the computer of a fellow FBI agent, Ray Mislock, printed out a classified document from Mislock's computer and took the document to Mislock, saying, "You didn't believe me that the system was insecure." Hanssen's superiors were not amused and began an investigation. In the end, officials believed his claim that he was merely demonstrating flaws in the FBI's security system. Mislock has since theorized that Hanssen probably went onto his computer to see if his superiors were investigating him for espionage and invented the document story to cover his tracks.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=160–161}}</ref> |
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IT personnel from the National Security Division's IIS Unit were sent to investigate Hanssen's desktop computer after a reported failure. NSD chief Johnnie Sullivan ordered the computer impounded after it seemed to have been tampered with. A digital investigation found that an attempted hacking had occurred using a [[password cracking]] program installed by Hanssen, which caused a security alert and lockup. After confirmation by the FBI CART Unit, Sullivan filed a report with the Office of Professional Responsibility requesting the further investigation of Hanssen's attempted hack. Hanssen claimed he was trying to connect a color printer to his computer but needed the password cracker to bypass the administrative password. The FBI believed his story, and Hanssen was merely given a warning.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=188}}</ref> |
IT personnel from the National Security Division's IIS Unit were sent to investigate Hanssen's desktop computer after a reported failure. NSD chief Johnnie Sullivan ordered the computer impounded after it seemed to have been tampered with. A digital investigation found that an attempted hacking had occurred using a [[password cracking]] program installed by Hanssen, which caused a security alert and lockup. After confirmation by the FBI CART Unit, Sullivan filed a report with the Office of Professional Responsibility requesting the further investigation of Hanssen's attempted hack. Hanssen claimed he was trying to connect a color printer to his computer but needed the password cracker to bypass the administrative password. The FBI believed his story, and Hanssen was merely given a warning.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=188}}</ref> |
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During the same period, Hanssen searched the FBI's internal computer case record to see if he was being investigated. He was indiscreet enough to type his name into FBI search engines. Finding nothing, Hanssen decided to resume his spy career after eight years without contact with the Russians. He established contact with the [[Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)|SVR]] ( |
During the same period, Hanssen searched the FBI's internal computer case record to see if he was being investigated. He was indiscreet enough to type his name into FBI search engines. Finding nothing, Hanssen decided to resume his spy career after eight years without contact with the Russians. He established contact with the [[Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)|SVR]] (a successor to the Soviet-era KGB) during the autumn of 1999. He continued to perform incriminating searches of FBI files for his name and address.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=190–192}}</ref> |
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== Investigation and arrest == |
== Investigation and arrest == |
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By 1998, using FBI [[criminal profiling]] techniques, the pursuers suspected an innocent man: [[Brian Kelley (CIA officer)|Brian Kelley]], a CIA operative involved in the Bloch investigation. The CIA and FBI searched his house, tapped his telephone, and surveilled him, following him and his family everywhere. In November 1998, they had a man with a foreign accent come to Kelley's door, warn him that the FBI knew he was a spy, and tell him to show up at a [[Washington Metro|Metro]] station the next day to escape. Kelley instead reported the incident to the FBI. In 1999, the FBI even interrogated Kelley, his ex-wife, two sisters, and three children. All denied everything. He was eventually placed on administrative leave, where he remained, [[falsely accused]] until after Hanssen was arrested.<ref name="oig" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=205–213}}</ref> |
By 1998, using FBI [[criminal profiling]] techniques, the pursuers suspected an innocent man: [[Brian Kelley (CIA officer)|Brian Kelley]], a CIA operative involved in the Bloch investigation. The CIA and FBI searched his house, tapped his telephone, and surveilled him, following him and his family everywhere. In November 1998, they had a man with a foreign accent come to Kelley's door, warn him that the FBI knew he was a spy, and tell him to show up at a [[Washington Metro|Metro]] station the next day to escape. Kelley instead reported the incident to the FBI. In 1999, the FBI even interrogated Kelley, his ex-wife, two sisters, and three children. All denied everything. He was eventually placed on administrative leave, where he remained, [[falsely accused]] until after Hanssen was arrested.<ref name="oig" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=205–213}}</ref> |
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FBI investigators later made progress during an operation where they paid disaffected Russian intelligence officers to deliver information on moles. They paid $7 million to KGB agent Alexandr Shcherbakov<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stein |first1=Jeff |title=Riddle Resolved: Who Dimed Out American Traitor and Super-Spy, Robert Hanssen? |date=November 1, 2018 |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-dimed-out-american-traitor-super-spy-robert-hanssen-1196080 |website=Newsweek.com |publisher=Newsweek |access-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101161003/https://www.newsweek.com/who-dimed-out-american-traitor-super-spy-robert-hanssen-1196080 |url-status=live}}</ref> who had access to a file on "B". While it did not contain Hanssen's name, among the information was an audiotape of a July 21, 1986, conversation between "B" and KGB agent Aleksander Fefelov.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7152496 |title=Robert Hanssen: A Brief History |date=February 4, 2007 |access-date=April 8, 2018 |archive-date=April 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408210210/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7152496 |url-status=live}}</ref> FBI agent Michael Waguespack thought the voice was familiar, but could not remember who it was. Rifling through the rest of the files, they found notes of the mole using a quote from [[George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army]] about "the purple-pissing Japanese".<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=140}}</ref> FBI analyst Bob King remembered Hanssen using that same quote. Waguespack listened to the tape again and recognized the voice as |
FBI investigators later made progress during an operation where they paid disaffected Russian intelligence officers to deliver information on moles. They paid $7 million to KGB agent Alexandr Shcherbakov<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stein |first1=Jeff |title=Riddle Resolved: Who Dimed Out American Traitor and Super-Spy, Robert Hanssen? |date=November 1, 2018 |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-dimed-out-american-traitor-super-spy-robert-hanssen-1196080 |website=Newsweek.com |publisher=Newsweek |access-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101161003/https://www.newsweek.com/who-dimed-out-american-traitor-super-spy-robert-hanssen-1196080 |url-status=live}}</ref> who had access to a file on "B". While it did not contain Hanssen's name, among the information was an audiotape of a July 21, 1986, conversation between "B" and KGB agent Aleksander Fefelov.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7152496 |title=Robert Hanssen: A Brief History |date=February 4, 2007 |access-date=April 8, 2018 |archive-date=April 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408210210/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7152496 |url-status=live}}</ref> FBI agent Michael Waguespack thought the voice was familiar, but could not remember who it was. Rifling through the rest of the files, they found notes of the mole using a quote from [[George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army]] about "the purple-pissing Japanese".<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=140}}</ref> FBI analyst Bob King remembered Hanssen using that same quote. Waguespack listened to the tape again and recognized the voice as Hanssen's. With the mole finally identified, locations, dates, and cases were matched with Hanssen's activities during the period. Two fingerprints collected from a trash bag in the file were analyzed and proved to be Hanssen's.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=218–228}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Cherkashin|Feifer|2005|p=251}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Schiller|2004|p=260}}</ref> |
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[[File:Robert Hanssen mugshot.jpg|thumb|[[Mug shot]], taken on the day of his arrest]] |
[[File:Robert Hanssen mugshot.jpg|thumb|[[Mug shot]], taken on the day of his arrest]] |
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The FBI surveilled Hanssen and soon discovered he was again in contact with the Russians. To bring him back to FBI headquarters, where he could be closely monitored and kept away from sensitive data, they promoted him in December 2000. They gave him a new job supervising FBI computer security. In January 2001, Hanssen was given an office and an assistant, [[Eric O'Neill]], who |
The FBI surveilled Hanssen and soon discovered he was again in contact with the Russians. To bring him back to FBI headquarters, where he could be closely monitored and kept away from sensitive data, they promoted him in December 2000. They gave him a new job supervising FBI computer security. In January 2001, Hanssen was given an office and an assistant, [[Eric O'Neill]], who was actually a young FBI surveillance specialist who had been assigned to watch Hanssen. O'Neill ascertained that Hanssen was using a [[Palm III]] [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]] to store his information. When O'Neill was able to briefly obtain Hanssen's PDA and have agents download and decode its encrypted contents, the FBI acquired their conclusive evidence.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Fresh Air]] |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7094972 |title=Eric O'Neill and Billy Ray Discuss 'Breach' |date=January 31, 2007 |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=October 26, 2019 |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402104340/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7094972 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123776 |title=20/20 Report on Eric O'Neill |date=December 27, 2002 |access-date=January 31, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220072155/https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123776 |archive-date=February 20, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[CNN]] |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0310/01/acd.00.html |title=Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees: Uproar Over CIA Operative; Iraq Weapons Hunt: Congress to be Briefed |date=October 1, 2003 |access-date=January 31, 2007 |archive-date=February 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210083607/http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0310/01/acd.00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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During his final days with the FBI, Hanssen began to suspect something was wrong. In early February 2001, he asked his friend at a computer technology company for a job. He also believed he heard noises on his car radio that indicated it was bugged, although the FBI was later unable to reproduce the noises Hanssen claimed to have heard. In the last letter he wrote to the Russians, which was found by the FBI when he was arrested, Hanssen said that he had been promoted to a " |
During his final days with the FBI, Hanssen began to suspect something was wrong. In early February 2001, he asked his friend at a computer technology company for a job. He also believed he heard noises on his car radio that indicated it was bugged, although the FBI was later unable to reproduce the noises Hanssen claimed to have heard. In the last letter he wrote to the Russians, which was found by the FBI when he was arrested, Hanssen said that he had been promoted to a "do-nothing job ... outside of regular access to information" and that "Something has aroused the sleeping tiger".<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=236–239}}</ref> |
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However, Hanssen's suspicions did not stop him from making one more [[dead drop]]. After leaving a friend at an airport on February 18, 2001, Hanssen drove to Virginia's [[Foxstone Park]]. He placed a white piece of tape on a park sign |
However, Hanssen's suspicions did not stop him from making one more [[dead drop]]. After leaving a friend at an airport on February 18, 2001, Hanssen drove to Virginia's [[Foxstone Park]]. He placed a white piece of tape on a park sign to signal his Russian contacts that there was information at the dead drop site. He then followed his usual routine, taking a sealed garbage bag of classified material and taping it to the bottom side of a wooden footbridge over a creek. When FBI agents observed this incriminating act, they rushed in to arrest Hanssen.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=7–8}}</ref> Upon being arrested, Hanssen asked, "What took you so long?" The FBI waited two more days to see if any of Hanssen's SVR handlers would show up at Foxstone Park. When they failed to appear, the [[United States Justice Department]] announced Hanssen's arrest on February 20.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=246–247}}</ref> |
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=== Guilty plea and imprisonment === |
=== Guilty plea and imprisonment === |
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[[File:Florence ADMAX.jpg|thumb|[[United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX]], where he was incarcerated]] |
[[File:Florence ADMAX.jpg|thumb|[[United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX]], where he was incarcerated]] |
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Represented by Washington, D.C., lawyer [[Plato Cacheris]], Hanssen negotiated a [[plea bargain]] that enabled him to avoid the death penalty in exchange for cooperating with authorities.<ref name="transcript" /> On July 6, 2001, he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage, one count of attempted espionage, and one of [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to commit espionage in the [[U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia]].<ref name="transcript" /><ref name="usdoj.gov" /> On May 10, 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to 15 consecutive sentences of [[Life imprisonment|life in prison]] without the possibility of parole. "I apologize for my behavior. I am shamed by it," Hanssen told [[U.S. District Court|U.S. District]] Judge [[Claude M. Hilton|Claude Hilton]]. "I have opened the door for [[:wikt:calumny|calumny]] against my totally innocent wife and children. I have hurt so many deeply."<ref>{{Cite news |
Represented by Washington, D.C., lawyer [[Plato Cacheris]], Hanssen negotiated a [[plea bargain]] that enabled him to avoid the death penalty in exchange for cooperating with authorities.<ref name="transcript" /> On July 6, 2001, he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage, one count of attempted espionage, and one of [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to commit espionage in the [[U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia]].<ref name="transcript" /><ref name="usdoj.gov" /> On May 10, 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to 15 consecutive sentences of [[Life imprisonment|life in prison]] without the possibility of parole. "I apologize for my behavior. I am shamed by it," Hanssen told [[U.S. District Court|U.S. District]] Judge [[Claude M. Hilton|Claude Hilton]]. "I have opened the door for [[:wikt:calumny|calumny]] against my totally innocent wife and children. I have hurt so many deeply."<ref>{{Cite news| title = FBI Spy Robert Hanssen Gets Life Sentence | publisher = [[FoxNews.com]] | date = May 10, 2002| url = https://www.foxnews.com/story/fbi-spy-robert-hanssen-gets-life-sentence/ | access-date = December 23, 2013| archive-date = March 3, 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150303214929/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/05/10/fbi-spy-robert-hanssen-gets-life-sentenc-678637401/| url-status = live }}</ref> |
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| title = FBI Spy Robert Hanssen Gets Life Sentence |
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| publisher = [[FoxNews.com]] |
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| date = May 10, 2002 |
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| url = https://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/05/10/fbi-spy-robert-hanssen-gets-life-sentenc-678637401/ |
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| access-date = December 23, 2013 |
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| archive-date = March 3, 2015 |
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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150303214929/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/05/10/fbi-spy-robert-hanssen-gets-life-sentenc-678637401/ |
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| url-status = live |
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}}</ref> |
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[[File:Robert Hanssen imprisoned.jpg|thumb|In his cell at ADX Florence]] |
[[File:Robert Hanssen imprisoned.jpg|thumb|In his cell at ADX Florence]] |
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Hanssen was [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] prisoner #48551-083. From July 17, 2002, until his death, he served his sentence at the [[ADX Florence]], a federal [[supermax prison]] near [[Florence, Colorado|Florence]], Colorado, in [[solitary confinement]] for 23 hours a day.<ref>Laura Sullivan, [[National Public Radio]] [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5579901 ''Timeline: Solitary Confinement in US Prisons''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715064457/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5579901 |date=July 15, 2018}} July 26, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2007.</ref><ref>"[http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=48551-083&x=411&y=291 Robert Philip Hanssen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614050540/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=48551-083&x=411&y=291 |date=June 14, 2009}}." [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]. Retrieved January 5, 2010.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Hanssen, one of America's most notorious spies, dies in prison |url=https://abc7chicago.com/amp/robert-hanssen-spy-adx-florence-russia-death/13347988/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |website=[[WLS-TV]]}}</ref> |
Hanssen was [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] prisoner #48551-083. From July 17, 2002, until his death, he served his sentence at the [[ADX Florence]], a federal [[supermax prison]] near [[Florence, Colorado|Florence]], Colorado, in [[solitary confinement]] for 23 hours a day.<ref>Laura Sullivan, [[National Public Radio]] [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5579901 ''Timeline: Solitary Confinement in US Prisons''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715064457/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5579901 |date=July 15, 2018}} July 26, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2007.</ref><ref>"[http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=48551-083&x=411&y=291 Robert Philip Hanssen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614050540/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=48551-083&x=411&y=291 |date=June 14, 2009}}." [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]. Retrieved January 5, 2010.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Hanssen, one of America's most notorious spies, dies in prison |url=https://abc7chicago.com/amp/robert-hanssen-spy-adx-florence-russia-death/13347988/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |website=[[WLS-TV]]}}</ref> |
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Hanssen never told the KGB or GRU his identity and refused to meet them personally, except for the abortive 1993 contact in the Russian embassy parking garage. The FBI believes that the Russians never knew the name of their source.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=75}}</ref> Going by the alias "Ramon" or "Ramon Garcia",<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=165}}</ref> Hanssen exchanged intelligence and payments through an old-fashioned dead drop system in which he and his KGB handlers left packages in public, unobtrusive places.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=54}}</ref> He refused to use the dead drop sites that his handler, [[Victor Cherkashin]], suggested and instead chose his own. He also designated a code to be used when dates were exchanged. Six was to be added to the month, day, and time of a designated drop, so that, for example, a drop scheduled for January 6 at 1:00{{nbs}}p.m. would be written as July 12 at 7:00{{nbs}}p.m.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cherkashin|Feifer|2005|p=230}}</ref> |
Hanssen never told the KGB or GRU his identity and refused to meet them personally, except for the abortive 1993 contact in the Russian embassy parking garage. The FBI believes that the Russians never knew the name of their source.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=75}}</ref> Going by the alias "Ramon" or "Ramon Garcia",<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=165}}</ref> Hanssen exchanged intelligence and payments through an old-fashioned dead drop system in which he and his KGB handlers left packages in public, unobtrusive places.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=54}}</ref> He refused to use the dead drop sites that his handler, [[Victor Cherkashin]], suggested and instead chose his own. He also designated a code to be used when dates were exchanged. Six was to be added to the month, day, and time of a designated drop, so that, for example, a drop scheduled for January 6 at 1:00{{nbs}}p.m. would be written as July 12 at 7:00{{nbs}}p.m.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cherkashin|Feifer|2005|p=230}}</ref> |
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Despite these efforts at caution and security, Hanssen |
Despite these efforts at caution and security, Hanssen was sometimes reckless. He once said in a letter to the KGB that it should emulate the management style of [[Mayor of Chicago]] [[Richard J. Daley]]—a comment that easily could have led an investigator to look at people from Chicago.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=137}}</ref> Hanssen took the risk of recommending to his handlers that they try to recruit his closest friend, a colonel in the [[United States Army]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=138}}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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According to ''[[USA Today]]'', those who knew the Hanssens described them as a close family. They attended [[mass (liturgy)|Mass]] weekly and were very active in [[Opus Dei]]. Hanssen's three sons attended [[The Heights School (Maryland)|The Heights School]] in [[Potomac, Maryland|Potomac]], Maryland, an all-boys [[College-preparatory school|preparatory school]].<ref>CI Centre {{cite web |url=http://cicentre.com/Documents/DOC_Quotes_Robert_Hanssen_Case.htm |title=Quotes about the Robert Hanssen Case |access-date=February 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204000128/http://www.cicentre.com/Documents/DOC_Quotes_Robert_Hanssen_Case.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2007}}. Retrieved February 20, 2007</ref> His three daughters attended [[Oakcrest School]] for Girls in Vienna, Virginia, an independent Roman Catholic school. Both schools are associated with Opus Dei. Hanssen's wife, Bonnie, retired from teaching theology at Oakcrest in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oakcrest.org/academics/academic-program?deptId=30947 |title=Faculty and Staff Directory for Oakcrest School for Girls |access-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806135918/https://www.oakcrest.org/academics/academic-program?deptId=30947 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
According to ''[[USA Today]]'', those who knew the Hanssens described them as a close family. They attended [[mass (liturgy)|Mass]] weekly and were very active in [[Opus Dei]]. Hanssen's three sons attended [[The Heights School (Maryland)|The Heights School]] in [[Potomac, Maryland|Potomac]], Maryland, an all-boys [[College-preparatory school|preparatory school]].<ref>CI Centre {{cite web |url=http://cicentre.com/Documents/DOC_Quotes_Robert_Hanssen_Case.htm |title=Quotes about the Robert Hanssen Case |access-date=February 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204000128/http://www.cicentre.com/Documents/DOC_Quotes_Robert_Hanssen_Case.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2007}}. Retrieved February 20, 2007</ref> His three daughters attended [[Oakcrest School]] for Girls in Vienna, Virginia, an independent Roman Catholic school. Both schools are associated with Opus Dei. Hanssen's wife, Bonnie, retired from teaching theology at Oakcrest in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oakcrest.org/academics/academic-program?deptId=30947 |title=Faculty and Staff Directory for Oakcrest School for Girls |access-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806135918/https://www.oakcrest.org/academics/academic-program?deptId=30947 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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A priest at Oakcrest said Hanssen had regularly attended a 6:30 a.m. daily Mass for over a decade.<ref>{{Harvnb|Shannon|Blackman|2002|p=86}}</ref> Opus Dei member [[C. John McCloskey]] said he also occasionally attended the daily noontime Mass at the Catholic Information Center in downtown Washington, D.C.. After being imprisoned, Hanssen claimed he periodically admitted his espionage to priests in [[Confession (religion)#Catholicism|confession]]. He urged fellow Catholics in the FBI to attend Mass more often and denounced the Russians as "godless", even |
A priest at Oakcrest said Hanssen had regularly attended a 6:30 a.m. daily Mass for over a decade.<ref>{{Harvnb|Shannon|Blackman|2002|p=86}}</ref> Opus Dei member [[C. John McCloskey]] said he also occasionally attended the daily noontime Mass at the Catholic Information Center in downtown Washington, D.C.. After being imprisoned, Hanssen claimed he periodically admitted his espionage to priests in [[Confession (religion)#Catholicism|confession]]. He urged fellow Catholics in the FBI to attend Mass more often and denounced the Russians as "godless", even as he was spying for them.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=85–89}}</ref> |
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At Hanssen's suggestion, and without his wife's knowledge, a friend named Jack Hoschouer, a retired Army officer, would sometimes [[candaulism|watch the Hanssens having sex]] through a bedroom window. Hanssen then began to videotape his sexual encounters secretly and shared the videotapes with Hoschouer. Later, he hid a video camera in the bedroom connected via a [[closed-circuit television]] line so that Hoschouer could observe the Hanssens from |
At Hanssen's suggestion, and without his wife's knowledge, a friend named Jack Hoschouer, a retired Army officer, would sometimes [[candaulism|watch the Hanssens having sex]] through a bedroom window. Hanssen then began to videotape his sexual encounters secretly and shared the videotapes with Hoschouer. Later, he hid a video camera in the bedroom connected via a [[closed-circuit television]] line so that Hoschouer could observe the Hanssens from the Hanssens' guest bedroom.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|pp=252–253}}</ref> He also explicitly described the sexual details of his marriage in Internet chat rooms, giving information sufficient for those who knew them to recognize the couple.<ref>[[CNN]], American Morning with Paula Zahn [http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/08/ltm.08.html Look at FBI Spy Robert Hannsen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828114231/http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/08/ltm.08.html |date=August 28, 2011}} January 8, 2002. Retrieved January 31, 2007.</ref> |
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Hanssen frequently visited D.C. [[strip club]]s and spent a great deal of time with a Washington [[stripper]] named Priscilla Sue Galey. She went with Hanssen on visits to Hong Kong and the FBI training facility in [[Quantico, Virginia]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=149}}</ref> Hanssen gave her money, jewels, and a used [[Mercedes-Benz]] but ended contact with her before his arrest when she began abusing drugs and engaging in prostitution. Galey claims that although she offered to have sex with him, Hanssen declined, saying he was trying to convert her to Catholicism.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041114093843/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/05/22/hanssen.stripper/ Ex-stripper describes her time with accused spy] CNN. Retrieved December 11, 2006.</ref> |
Hanssen frequently visited D.C. [[strip club]]s and spent a great deal of time with a Washington [[stripper]] named Priscilla Sue Galey. She went with Hanssen on visits to Hong Kong and the FBI training facility in [[Quantico, Virginia]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=149}}</ref> Hanssen gave her money, jewels, and a used [[Mercedes-Benz]] but ended contact with her before his arrest when she began abusing drugs and engaging in prostitution. Galey claims that although she offered to have sex with him, Hanssen declined, saying he was trying to convert her to Catholicism.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041114093843/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/05/22/hanssen.stripper/ Ex-stripper describes her time with accused spy] CNN. Retrieved December 11, 2006.</ref> |
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=== Death === |
=== Death === |
||
On June 5, 2023, Hanssen was found unresponsive in his prison cell and was pronounced dead after unsuccessful efforts to revive him. Hanssen |
On June 5, 2023, Hanssen was found unresponsive in his prison cell and was pronounced dead after unsuccessful efforts to revive him. His autopsy listed the cause of death as [[colon cancer]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Tabachnik |first=Sam |title=Robert Hanssen, FBI agent who spied for Russia, died of natural causes at Colorado's Supermax, coroner rules |newspaper=[[The Denver Post]] |date=2023-07-19 |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2023/07/19/robert-hanssen-fbi-agent-autopsy-report/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |archive-date=January 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127121808/https://www.denverpost.com/2023/07/19/robert-hanssen-fbi-agent-autopsy-report/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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==In the media== |
==In the media== |
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The Hanssen spy case was told in [[David Wise (journalist)|David Wise]]'s book ''[[Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America]]'', published by Random House in 2002. The investigation was further covered in [[Eric O'Neill]]'s memoir ''[[Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy]]'', published by [[Penguin Random House]] in the spring of 2019.<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Neill |first=Eric |title=Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy |year=2019 |isbn=9780525573524 |edition=First |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]] |location=New York |oclc=1047648178}}</ref> |
The Hanssen spy case was told in [[David Wise (journalist)|David Wise]]'s book ''[[Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America]]'', published by Random House in 2002. The investigation was further covered in [[Eric O'Neill]]'s memoir ''[[Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy]]'', published by [[Penguin Random House]] in the spring of 2019.<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Neill |first=Eric |title=Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy |year=2019 |isbn=9780525573524 |edition=First |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]] |location=New York |oclc=1047648178}}</ref> |
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Hanssen was the subject of a 2002 made-for-television movie, ''[[Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story]]'', with a teleplay by [[Norman Mailer]] and starring [[William Hurt]] as Hanssen. Hanssen's jailers allowed him to watch the movie, but he was so angered by it that he turned it off.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=302}}</ref> O'Neill's role in the capture of Robert Hanssen was dramatized in the 2007 movie ''[[Breach (2007 film)|Breach]]'', in which [[Chris Cooper]] played the role of Hanssen and [[Ryan Phillippe]] played O'Neill.<ref>{{ |
Hanssen was the subject of a 2002 made-for-television movie, ''[[Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story]]'', with a teleplay by [[Norman Mailer]] and starring [[William Hurt]] as Hanssen. Hanssen's jailers allowed him to watch the movie, but he was so angered by it that he turned it off.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wise|2003|p=302}}</ref> O'Neill's role in the capture of Robert Hanssen was dramatized in the 2007 movie ''[[Breach (2007 film)|Breach]]'', in which [[Chris Cooper]] played the role of Hanssen and [[Ryan Phillippe]] played O'Neill.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |date=2007-02-09 |title=Breach |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/breach-1200510499/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=October 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006105533/https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/breach-1200510499/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2007 documentary ''[[Superspy: The Man Who Betrayed the West]]'' describes the hunt to trap Hanssen.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://atlanticproductions.tv/productions/superspy-the-man-who-betrayed-the-west |title=Superspy: The Man Who Betrayed the West |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129114324/http://atlanticproductions.tv/productions/superspy-the-man-who-betrayed-the-west/ |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Hanssen was mentioned in chapter 5 of [[Dan Brown]]'s book ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' as the most noted Opus Dei member to non-members. His sexual deviancy and espionage conviction hurt the organization's reputation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Dan |title=The Da Vinci Code |date=March 31, 2009 |chapter=Chapter 5 |isbn=978-0307474278 |page=36|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}</ref> The U.S. Court TV (now [[TruTV]]) television series ''Mugshots'' released an episode on the Robert Hanssen case titled "Robert Hanssen – Hanssen and the KGB".<ref>{{cite web |title=Mugshots: Robert Hanssen – Hanssen and the KGB |url=http://filmrise.com/mugshots-robert-hanssen-hanssen-and-the-kgb/ |website=FilmRise |access-date=November 8, 2017 |date=December 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212217/http://filmrise.com/mugshots-robert-hanssen-hanssen-and-the-kgb/ |archive-date=October 6, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ronald Kessler]]'s book ''The Secrets of the FBI,'' briefly covers the case in chapter 15, "Catching Hanssen", chapter 16, "Breach", and chapter 17, "Unexplained Cash", based in part on interviews with Michael Rochford, who directed the FBI team that located the former KGB source that pointed to Hanssen after Rochford initially wrongly assumed CIA officer Brian Kelley was the master spy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kessler |first1=Ronald |title=The Secrets of the FBI |date=2011 |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]] |isbn=978-0-307-71971-3 |edition=Electronic |chapter=Ch. 15, 16, 17}}</ref> Hanssen's story was featured in episode 4, under the name of "Perfect Traitor", of [[Smithsonian Channel]]'s series ''Spy Wars'', which aired at the end of 2019 and was narrated by [[Damian Lewis]], and features [[Eric O'Neill]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/details/series/1006391 |title=Smithsonian Channel: It's Brighter Here |website=[[Smithsonian Channel]] |access-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814053801/https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/details/series/1006391 |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as being mentioned in the seventh episode of [[The History Channel]] series ''America's Book of Secrets'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/news/robert-hanssen-american-traitor |title=How Robert Hanssen Spied for the Soviets |date=June 5, 2023 |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128170110/https://www.history.com/news/robert-hanssen-american-traitor |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as in the fifth episode of [[Netflix]] series ''Spycraft''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://noir4usa.org/the-mole-and-me/ |title=The Mole and Me |date=March 2021 |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331032110/https://noir4usa.org/the-mole-and-me/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and was the subject of the 2021 documentary ''A Spy in the FBI''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reelz.com/show/a-spy-in-the-fbi/ |title=A Spy in the FBI |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321104926/https://www.reelz.com/show/a-spy-in-the-fbi/ |url-status=live}}</ref> He was also the subject of the [[CBS News]] podcast detailing his life and espionage, ''Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen |
Hanssen was mentioned in chapter 5 of [[Dan Brown]]'s book ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' as the most noted Opus Dei member to non-members. His sexual deviancy and espionage conviction hurt the organization's reputation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Dan |title=The Da Vinci Code |date=March 31, 2009 |chapter=Chapter 5 |isbn=978-0307474278 |page=36|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}</ref> The U.S. Court TV (now [[TruTV]]) television series ''Mugshots'' released an episode on the Robert Hanssen case titled "Robert Hanssen – Hanssen and the KGB".<ref>{{cite web |title=Mugshots: Robert Hanssen – Hanssen and the KGB |url=http://filmrise.com/mugshots-robert-hanssen-hanssen-and-the-kgb/ |website=FilmRise |access-date=November 8, 2017 |date=December 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212217/http://filmrise.com/mugshots-robert-hanssen-hanssen-and-the-kgb/ |archive-date=October 6, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ronald Kessler]]'s book ''The Secrets of the FBI,'' briefly covers the case in chapter 15, "Catching Hanssen", chapter 16, "Breach", and chapter 17, "Unexplained Cash", based in part on interviews with Michael Rochford, who directed the FBI team that located the former KGB source that pointed to Hanssen after Rochford initially wrongly assumed CIA officer Brian Kelley was the master spy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kessler |first1=Ronald |title=The Secrets of the FBI |date=2011 |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]] |isbn=978-0-307-71971-3 |edition=Electronic |chapter=Ch. 15, 16, 17}}</ref> Hanssen's story was featured in episode 4, under the name of "Perfect Traitor", of [[Smithsonian Channel]]'s series ''Spy Wars'', which aired at the end of 2019 and was narrated by [[Damian Lewis]], and features [[Eric O'Neill]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/details/series/1006391 |title=Smithsonian Channel: It's Brighter Here |website=[[Smithsonian Channel]] |access-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814053801/https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/details/series/1006391 |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as being mentioned in the seventh episode of [[The History Channel]] series ''America's Book of Secrets'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/news/robert-hanssen-american-traitor |title=How Robert Hanssen Spied for the Soviets |date=June 5, 2023 |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128170110/https://www.history.com/news/robert-hanssen-american-traitor |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as in the fifth episode of [[Netflix]] series ''Spycraft''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://noir4usa.org/the-mole-and-me/ |title=The Mole and Me |date=March 2021 |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331032110/https://noir4usa.org/the-mole-and-me/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and was the subject of the 2021 documentary ''A Spy in the FBI''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reelz.com/show/a-spy-in-the-fbi/ |title=A Spy in the FBI |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321104926/https://www.reelz.com/show/a-spy-in-the-fbi/ |url-status=live}}</ref> He was also the subject of the [[CBS News]] podcast detailing his life and espionage, ''Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agent of Betrayal Podcast – The Double Life of Robert Hanssen |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/agent-of-betrayal/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=[[CBS News]] |language=en-US |archive-date=December 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230005637/https://www.cbsnews.com/agent-of-betrayal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== Citations == |
== Citations == |
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{{Refbegin}} |
{{Refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Cherkashin |first1=Victor |author-link=Victor Cherkashin |last2=Feifer |first2=Gregory |title=Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer – The True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames |publisher=Basic Books |year=2005 |isbn=0-465-00969-7}} |
* {{cite book |last1=Cherkashin |first1=Victor |author-link=Victor Cherkashin |last2=Feifer |first2=Gregory |title=Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer – The True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames |publisher=Basic Books |year=2005 |isbn=0-465-00969-7}} |
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* {{cite web |last=Fine |first=Glenn A. |author-link=Glenn Fine |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General |title=A Review of the FBI's Performance in Deterring, Detecting, and Investigating the Espionage Activities of Robert Philip Hanssen |year=2003 |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/index.htm |access-date=April 7, 2005 |archive-date=February 8, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208154959/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/index.htm |url-status=live}}; [http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/final.pdf PDF Version] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416191324/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/final.pdf |date=April 16, 2005}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151009130338/https://oig.justice.gov/special/0308/final.pdf Archive]) |
* {{cite web |last=Fine |first=Glenn A. |author-link=Glenn Fine |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General |title=A Review of the FBI's Performance in Deterring, Detecting, and Investigating the Espionage Activities of Robert Philip Hanssen |year=2003 |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/index.htm |access-date=April 7, 2005 |archive-date=February 8, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208154959/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/index.htm |url-status=live }}; [http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/final.pdf PDF Version] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416191324/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0308/final.pdf |date=April 16, 2005 }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151009130338/https://oig.justice.gov/special/0308/final.pdf Archive]) |
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* {{cite book |last=Havill |first=Adrian |author-link=Adrian Havill |title=The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold: The Secret Life of FBI Double Agent Robert Hanssen |publisher=St. Martin's Paperbacks |year=2002 |isbn=0-312-98629-7}} |
* {{cite book |last=Havill |first=Adrian |author-link=Adrian Havill |title=The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold: The Secret Life of FBI Double Agent Robert Hanssen |publisher=St. Martin's Paperbacks |year=2002 |isbn=0-312-98629-7}} |
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* {{cite book |last=Lynch |first=Christopher |title=The C. I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle |publisher=Dog Ear Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-60844-739-8}} |
* {{cite book |last=Lynch |first=Christopher |title=The C. I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle |publisher=Dog Ear Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-60844-739-8}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Russo |first1=Gus |author-link=Gus Russo |last2=Dezenhall |first2=Eric |title=Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War |publisher=[[Hachette Book Group|Twelve]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-1538761311 |author2-link=Eric Dezenhall}} |
* {{cite book |last1=Russo |first1=Gus |author-link=Gus Russo |last2=Dezenhall |first2=Eric |title=Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War |publisher=[[Hachette Book Group|Twelve]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-1538761311 |author2-link=Eric Dezenhall}} |
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* {{cite book |last=Schiller |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Schiller |title=Into The Mirror: The Life Of Master Spy Robert P. Hanssen |publisher=Diane Pub Co. |year=2004 |isbn=0-7567-7435-7}} |
* {{cite book |last=Schiller |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Schiller |title=Into The Mirror: The Life Of Master Spy Robert P. Hanssen |publisher=Diane Pub Co. |year=2004 |isbn=0-7567-7435-7}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Shannon |first1=Elaine |author-link1=Elaine Shannon |last2=Blackman |first2=Ann |author-link2=Ann Blackman |title=The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Damaging FBI Agent in U.S. History |publisher=Little, Brown and Co. |year=2002 |isbn=0-316-71821-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/spynextdoorextra00shan}} |
* {{cite book |last1=Shannon |first1=Elaine |author-link1=Elaine Shannon |last2=Blackman |first2=Ann |author-link2=Ann Blackman |title=The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Damaging FBI Agent in U.S. History |publisher=Little, Brown and Co. |year=2002 |isbn=0-316-71821-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/spynextdoorextra00shan }} |
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* {{cite book |last=Vise |first=David A. |author-link=David A. Vise |title=The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History |publisher=Grove Publishers |year=2001 |isbn=0-641-57998-5}} |
* {{cite book |last=Vise |first=David A. |author-link=David A. Vise |title=The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History |publisher=Grove Publishers |year=2001 |isbn=0-641-57998-5}} |
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* {{cite news |last=Vise |first=David A. |title=From Russia With Love |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/2002/01/06/from-russia-with-love/b28c2127-65e5-43f3-8a9a-0e75ab851cb3/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 6, 2002}} |
* {{cite news |last=Vise |first=David A. |title=From Russia With Love |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/2002/01/06/from-russia-with-love/b28c2127-65e5-43f3-8a9a-0e75ab851cb3/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 6, 2002 |access-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201233920/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/2002/01/06/from-russia-with-love/b28c2127-65e5-43f3-8a9a-0e75ab851cb3/ |url-status=live }} |
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* {{cite book |last=Wise |first=David |author-link=David Wise (journalist) |title=[[Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America]] |publisher=Random House Publishers |year=2003 |isbn=0-375-75894-1}} |
* {{cite book |last=Wise |first=David |author-link=David Wise (journalist) |title=[[Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America]] |publisher=Random House Publishers |year=2003 |isbn=0-375-75894-1}} |
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{{Refend}} |
{{Refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commonscategory}} |
{{Commonscategory}} |
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* [ |
* [https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/robert-hanssen Robert Philip Hanssen Espionage Case] – FBI |
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* [https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/hanssen-affidavit.pdf FBI application for arrest warrant for Hanssen]<!--Old URL:https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/robert-hanssen/affidavit.pdf--> |
* [https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/hanssen-affidavit.pdf FBI application for arrest warrant for Hanssen]<!--Old URL:https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/robert-hanssen/affidavit.pdf--> |
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* {{cite podcast |
* {{cite podcast |
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[[Category:American people convicted of spying for Russia]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Colorado]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Double agents]] |
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[[Category:Espionage in the United States]] |
[[Category:Espionage in the United States]] |
Latest revision as of 12:41, 26 November 2024
Robert Hanssen | |
---|---|
Born | Robert Philip Hanssen April 18, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | June 5, 2023 ADX Florence, Fremont County, Colorado, U.S. | (aged 79)
Alma mater | |
Occupation | FBI agent (1976–2001) |
Criminal charge(s) | [1] (Espionage Act) | and
Criminal penalty | 15 consecutive life sentences without parole |
Spouse |
Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck
(m. 1968) |
Children | 6 |
Espionage activity | |
Country | United States |
Allegiance |
|
Agency | FBI |
Service years |
|
Codename |
|
Robert Philip Hanssen (April 18, 1944 – June 5, 2023) was an American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001. His espionage was described by the Department of Justice as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history".[2]
In 1979, three years after joining the FBI, Hanssen approached the Soviet Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) to offer his services, beginning his first espionage cycle, lasting until 1981. He restarted his espionage activities in 1985 and continued until 1991, when he ended communications during the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing he would be exposed. Hanssen restarted communications the next year and continued until his arrest. Throughout his spying, he remained anonymous to the Russians.
Hanssen sold about six thousand classified documents to the KGB that detailed U.S. strategies in the event of nuclear war, developments in military weapons technologies, and aspects of the U.S. counterintelligence program.[3] He was spying at the same time as Aldrich Ames in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Both Ames and Hanssen compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed for their betrayal. Hanssen also revealed a multimillion-dollar eavesdropping tunnel built by the FBI under the Soviet Embassy. After Ames's arrest in 1994, some of these intelligence breaches remained unsolved, and the search for another spy continued. The FBI paid $7 million to a KGB agent to obtain a file on an anonymous mole, whom the FBI later identified as Hanssen through fingerprint and voice analysis.
Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001, at Foxstone Park,[4] near his home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Vienna, Virginia, after leaving a package of classified materials at a dead drop site. He was charged with selling U.S. intelligence documents to the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia for more than $1.4 million in cash, diamonds and Rolex watches over twenty-two years.[5][6] To avoid the death penalty, Hanssen pleaded guilty to fourteen counts of espionage and one of conspiracy to commit espionage.[7][8] He was sentenced to fifteen life terms without the possibility of parole, and was incarcerated at ADX Florence until his death in 2023.[9]
Early life
[edit]Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a Lutheran family that lived in the Norwood Park neighborhood.[10] His father, Howard (died 1993),[11] a Chicago police officer, was allegedly emotionally abusive to Hanssen during his childhood.[3][12] Hanssen graduated from William Howard Taft High School in 1962 and attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1966.[13]
Hanssen applied for a cryptography job at the National Security Agency following his college graduation but was turned down due to budget constraints. He enrolled in dental school at Northwestern University,[14] but he switched his focus to business after three years.[15] Hanssen received an MBA in accounting and information systems in 1971 and took a job with an accounting firm. He quit after one year and joined the Chicago Police Department as an internal affairs investigator, specializing in forensic accounting. In January 1976, Hanssen left the Chicago police to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[3]
Hanssen met Bernadette "Bonnie" Wauck, a staunch Roman Catholic, while attending dental school at Northwestern. The couple married in 1968, and Hanssen converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism.[16]
Career and espionage
[edit]FBI career and first espionage activities (1976–1981)
[edit]Upon becoming a special agent on January 12, 1976, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI's field office in Gary, Indiana. In 1978, he and his growing family of three (eventually six) children relocated to New York City when the bureau transferred him to its field office there.[17] The next year, Hanssen was transferred to counterintelligence and given the task of compiling a database of Soviet intelligence for the FBI.[9]
In 1979, Hanssen approached the Soviet Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and offered his services. He never indicated any political or ideological motive for his actions, telling the FBI after he was caught that his only motivation was financial.[18] During his first espionage cycle, Hanssen provided a significant amount of information to the GRU, including details of the FBI's bugging activities and lists of suspected Soviet intelligence agents. His most important leak was the betrayal of Dmitri Polyakov, a CIA informant who passed enormous amounts of information to U.S. intelligence while rising to the rank of general in the Soviet Army. Following a second betrayal by CIA mole Aldrich Ames in 1985, Polyakov was arrested in 1986 and executed in 1988. Ames was officially blamed for giving Polyakov's name to the Soviets, while Hanssen's attempt was not revealed until after his 2001 capture.[19]
FBI counterintelligence unit, further espionage activities (1985–1991)
[edit]In 1981, Hanssen was transferred to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and relocated his family to the suburb of Vienna, Virginia. His new job in the FBI's budget office gave him access to information involving many different FBI operations. This included all the FBI activities related to wiretapping and electronic surveillance, which were Hanssen's responsibility. He became known in the FBI as an expert on computers.[20]
Three years later, Hanssen transferred to the FBI's Soviet analytical unit, responsible for studying, identifying, and capturing Soviet spies and intelligence operatives in the United States. Hanssen's section evaluated Soviet agents who volunteered to give intelligence to determine whether they were genuine or re-doubled agents.[21] In 1985, Hanssen was again transferred to the FBI's field office in New York City, where he continued to work in counterintelligence against the Soviets.[22] After the transfer, while on a business visit back to Washington, he resumed his espionage career.[23]
On October 1, 1985, Hanssen sent an anonymous letter to the KGB offering his services and asking for $100,000 in cash, equivalent to $280,000 in 2023.[24] In the letter, he gave the names of three KGB agents secretly working for the FBI: Boris Yuzhin, Valery Martynov, and Sergei Motorin. Although Hanssen was unaware of it, Ames had already exposed all three agents earlier that year.[25] Yuzhin had returned to Moscow in 1982 and had been subject to an intensive investigation by the KGB because he had lost a concealed camera in the Soviet consulate in San Francisco, but he was not arrested until exposed by Ames and Hanssen.[26] Martynov and Motorin were recalled to Moscow, where they were arrested, charged, tried, and convicted of espionage against the Soviet government. Martynov and Motorin were executed via gunshot to the back of the head; Yuzhin was imprisoned for six years before he was released by a general amnesty granted political prisoners and he subsequently immigrated to the U.S.[27] Because the FBI blamed Ames for the leak, Hanssen was neither suspected nor investigated. The October 1 letter began a long, active espionage period for Hanssen.[28]
Hanssen was recalled yet again to Washington, D.C., in 1987. He was tasked with studying all known and rumored penetrations of the FBI to find the man who had betrayed Martynov and Motorin; this meant, in effect, that he was charged with searching for himself. Hanssen ensured that he did not reveal himself with his study, but in addition, he gave the entire study—including the list of all Soviets who had contacted the FBI about FBI moles—to the KGB in 1988.[29] That same year, Hanssen, according to a government report, committed a "serious security breach" by revealing secret information to a Soviet defector during a debriefing. The agents working for him reported this breach to a supervisor, but no action was taken.[3]
In 1989, Hanssen compromised the FBI investigation of Felix Bloch, a Department of State official who was suspected of espionage. Hanssen warned the KGB that Bloch was being investigated, causing the KGB to end contact with him abruptly. The FBI could not produce any good evidence, and as a result, Bloch was never charged with a crime, although the State Department later terminated his employment and denied his pension. The failure of the Bloch investigation and the FBI's investigation of how the KGB learned that they were investigating Bloch caused the mole hunt that eventually resulted in Hanssen's arrest.[30]
Later that year, Hanssen gave the KGB extensive information about U.S. planning for measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT), a general term for intelligence collected by a variety of electronic means, such as radar, spy satellites, and signal intercepts.[31][32] When the Soviets began construction on a new embassy in 1977, the FBI dug a tunnel beneath their decoding room. The FBI planned to use it for eavesdropping but never did for fear of being caught. Hanssen disclosed this information to the Soviets in September 1989 and received a $55,000 payment the next month, equivalent to $140,000 in 2023.[24][33] On two occasions, Hanssen gave the Soviets a complete list of American double agents.[34]
In 1990, Hanssen's brother-in-law, Mark Wauck, who was also an FBI employee, recommended to the FBI that Hanssen be investigated for espionage because his sister, Hanssen's wife, told him that her sister, Jeanne Beglis, had found a pile of cash on a dresser in the Hanssens' house. Bonnie had previously told her brother that Hanssen once talked about retiring in Poland, then part of the Eastern Bloc. Wauck also knew that the FBI was hunting for a mole and spoke with his supervisor, who took no action.[3][35]
Later FBI career, continued espionage activities (1992–2001)
[edit]When the USSR disbanded in December 1991, Hanssen, possibly worried that he could be exposed during the ensuing political upheaval, ended communications with his handlers for a time.[36] The following year, after the Russian Federation assumed control of the defunct Soviet spy agencies, Hanssen made a risky approach to the GRU, with whom he had not been in contact for ten months. He went to the Russian embassy in person and physically approached a GRU officer in the parking garage. Hanssen, carrying a package of documents, identified himself by his Soviet code name, "Ramon Garcia", and described himself as a "disaffected FBI agent" who was offering his services as a spy. The Russian officer, who evidently did not recognize the code name, drove away. The Russians then filed an official protest with the U.S State Department, believing Hanssen to be a triple agent. Despite having shown his face, disclosing his code name, and revealing his FBI affiliation, Hanssen escaped arrest when the FBI's investigation into the incident did not advance.[37]
Hanssen continued to take risks in 1993 when he hacked into the computer of a fellow FBI agent, Ray Mislock, printed out a classified document from Mislock's computer and took the document to Mislock, saying, "You didn't believe me that the system was insecure." Hanssen's superiors were not amused and began an investigation. In the end, officials believed his claim that he was merely demonstrating flaws in the FBI's security system. Mislock has since theorized that Hanssen probably went onto his computer to see if his superiors were investigating him for espionage and invented the document story to cover his tracks.[38]
In 1994, Hanssen expressed interest in a transfer to the new National Counterintelligence Center, which coordinated counterintelligence activities. When told that he would have to take a lie detector test to join, Hanssen changed his mind.[39] Three years later, convicted FBI mole Earl Edwin Pitts told the FBI that he suspected Hanssen due to the Mislock incident. Pitts was the second FBI agent to mention Hanssen by name as a possible mole, but superiors were still unconvinced, and no action was taken.[40]
IT personnel from the National Security Division's IIS Unit were sent to investigate Hanssen's desktop computer after a reported failure. NSD chief Johnnie Sullivan ordered the computer impounded after it seemed to have been tampered with. A digital investigation found that an attempted hacking had occurred using a password cracking program installed by Hanssen, which caused a security alert and lockup. After confirmation by the FBI CART Unit, Sullivan filed a report with the Office of Professional Responsibility requesting the further investigation of Hanssen's attempted hack. Hanssen claimed he was trying to connect a color printer to his computer but needed the password cracker to bypass the administrative password. The FBI believed his story, and Hanssen was merely given a warning.[41]
During the same period, Hanssen searched the FBI's internal computer case record to see if he was being investigated. He was indiscreet enough to type his name into FBI search engines. Finding nothing, Hanssen decided to resume his spy career after eight years without contact with the Russians. He established contact with the SVR (a successor to the Soviet-era KGB) during the autumn of 1999. He continued to perform incriminating searches of FBI files for his name and address.[42]
Investigation and arrest
[edit]The existence of two Russian moles working in the U.S. security and intelligence establishment simultaneously—Ames at the CIA and Hanssen at the FBI—complicated counterintelligence efforts during the 1990s. Ames was arrested in 1994. His exposure explained many of the asset losses U.S. intelligence suffered during the 1980s, including the arrest and execution of Martynov and Motorin. However, two cases—the Bloch investigation and the embassy tunnel—remained unsolved. Ames had been stationed in Rome at the time of the Bloch investigation and could not have known about that case or the tunnel under the embassy, as he did not work for the FBI.[43][44]
The FBI and CIA formed a joint mole-hunting team in 1994 to find the suspected second intelligence leak. They created a list of all agents known to have access to cases that were compromised. The FBI's codename for the suspected spy was "Graysuit". Some promising suspects were cleared, and the mole hunt found other penetrations, such as CIA officer Harold James Nicholson, who was arrested in 1996. However, Hanssen escaped notice, likely because these efforts concentrated on CIA agents rather than FBI agents.[45]
By 1998, using FBI criminal profiling techniques, the pursuers suspected an innocent man: Brian Kelley, a CIA operative involved in the Bloch investigation. The CIA and FBI searched his house, tapped his telephone, and surveilled him, following him and his family everywhere. In November 1998, they had a man with a foreign accent come to Kelley's door, warn him that the FBI knew he was a spy, and tell him to show up at a Metro station the next day to escape. Kelley instead reported the incident to the FBI. In 1999, the FBI even interrogated Kelley, his ex-wife, two sisters, and three children. All denied everything. He was eventually placed on administrative leave, where he remained, falsely accused until after Hanssen was arrested.[3][46]
FBI investigators later made progress during an operation where they paid disaffected Russian intelligence officers to deliver information on moles. They paid $7 million to KGB agent Alexandr Shcherbakov[47] who had access to a file on "B". While it did not contain Hanssen's name, among the information was an audiotape of a July 21, 1986, conversation between "B" and KGB agent Aleksander Fefelov.[48] FBI agent Michael Waguespack thought the voice was familiar, but could not remember who it was. Rifling through the rest of the files, they found notes of the mole using a quote from George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army about "the purple-pissing Japanese".[49] FBI analyst Bob King remembered Hanssen using that same quote. Waguespack listened to the tape again and recognized the voice as Hanssen's. With the mole finally identified, locations, dates, and cases were matched with Hanssen's activities during the period. Two fingerprints collected from a trash bag in the file were analyzed and proved to be Hanssen's.[50][51][52]
The FBI surveilled Hanssen and soon discovered he was again in contact with the Russians. To bring him back to FBI headquarters, where he could be closely monitored and kept away from sensitive data, they promoted him in December 2000. They gave him a new job supervising FBI computer security. In January 2001, Hanssen was given an office and an assistant, Eric O'Neill, who was actually a young FBI surveillance specialist who had been assigned to watch Hanssen. O'Neill ascertained that Hanssen was using a Palm III PDA to store his information. When O'Neill was able to briefly obtain Hanssen's PDA and have agents download and decode its encrypted contents, the FBI acquired their conclusive evidence.[53][54][55]
During his final days with the FBI, Hanssen began to suspect something was wrong. In early February 2001, he asked his friend at a computer technology company for a job. He also believed he heard noises on his car radio that indicated it was bugged, although the FBI was later unable to reproduce the noises Hanssen claimed to have heard. In the last letter he wrote to the Russians, which was found by the FBI when he was arrested, Hanssen said that he had been promoted to a "do-nothing job ... outside of regular access to information" and that "Something has aroused the sleeping tiger".[56]
However, Hanssen's suspicions did not stop him from making one more dead drop. After leaving a friend at an airport on February 18, 2001, Hanssen drove to Virginia's Foxstone Park. He placed a white piece of tape on a park sign to signal his Russian contacts that there was information at the dead drop site. He then followed his usual routine, taking a sealed garbage bag of classified material and taping it to the bottom side of a wooden footbridge over a creek. When FBI agents observed this incriminating act, they rushed in to arrest Hanssen.[57] Upon being arrested, Hanssen asked, "What took you so long?" The FBI waited two more days to see if any of Hanssen's SVR handlers would show up at Foxstone Park. When they failed to appear, the United States Justice Department announced Hanssen's arrest on February 20.[58]
Guilty plea and imprisonment
[edit]Represented by Washington, D.C., lawyer Plato Cacheris, Hanssen negotiated a plea bargain that enabled him to avoid the death penalty in exchange for cooperating with authorities.[7] On July 6, 2001, he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage, one count of attempted espionage, and one of conspiracy to commit espionage in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.[7][8] On May 10, 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to 15 consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. "I apologize for my behavior. I am shamed by it," Hanssen told U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton. "I have opened the door for calumny against my totally innocent wife and children. I have hurt so many deeply."[59]
Hanssen was Federal Bureau of Prisons prisoner #48551-083. From July 17, 2002, until his death, he served his sentence at the ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado, in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.[60][61][62]
Modus operandi
[edit]Hanssen never told the KGB or GRU his identity and refused to meet them personally, except for the abortive 1993 contact in the Russian embassy parking garage. The FBI believes that the Russians never knew the name of their source.[63] Going by the alias "Ramon" or "Ramon Garcia",[64] Hanssen exchanged intelligence and payments through an old-fashioned dead drop system in which he and his KGB handlers left packages in public, unobtrusive places.[65] He refused to use the dead drop sites that his handler, Victor Cherkashin, suggested and instead chose his own. He also designated a code to be used when dates were exchanged. Six was to be added to the month, day, and time of a designated drop, so that, for example, a drop scheduled for January 6 at 1:00 p.m. would be written as July 12 at 7:00 p.m.[66]
Despite these efforts at caution and security, Hanssen was sometimes reckless. He once said in a letter to the KGB that it should emulate the management style of Mayor of Chicago Richard J. Daley—a comment that easily could have led an investigator to look at people from Chicago.[67] Hanssen took the risk of recommending to his handlers that they try to recruit his closest friend, a colonel in the United States Army.[68]
Personal life
[edit]According to USA Today, those who knew the Hanssens described them as a close family. They attended Mass weekly and were very active in Opus Dei. Hanssen's three sons attended The Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, an all-boys preparatory school.[69] His three daughters attended Oakcrest School for Girls in Vienna, Virginia, an independent Roman Catholic school. Both schools are associated with Opus Dei. Hanssen's wife, Bonnie, retired from teaching theology at Oakcrest in 2020.[70]
A priest at Oakcrest said Hanssen had regularly attended a 6:30 a.m. daily Mass for over a decade.[71] Opus Dei member C. John McCloskey said he also occasionally attended the daily noontime Mass at the Catholic Information Center in downtown Washington, D.C.. After being imprisoned, Hanssen claimed he periodically admitted his espionage to priests in confession. He urged fellow Catholics in the FBI to attend Mass more often and denounced the Russians as "godless", even as he was spying for them.[72]
At Hanssen's suggestion, and without his wife's knowledge, a friend named Jack Hoschouer, a retired Army officer, would sometimes watch the Hanssens having sex through a bedroom window. Hanssen then began to videotape his sexual encounters secretly and shared the videotapes with Hoschouer. Later, he hid a video camera in the bedroom connected via a closed-circuit television line so that Hoschouer could observe the Hanssens from the Hanssens' guest bedroom.[73] He also explicitly described the sexual details of his marriage in Internet chat rooms, giving information sufficient for those who knew them to recognize the couple.[74]
Hanssen frequently visited D.C. strip clubs and spent a great deal of time with a Washington stripper named Priscilla Sue Galey. She went with Hanssen on visits to Hong Kong and the FBI training facility in Quantico, Virginia.[75] Hanssen gave her money, jewels, and a used Mercedes-Benz but ended contact with her before his arrest when she began abusing drugs and engaging in prostitution. Galey claims that although she offered to have sex with him, Hanssen declined, saying he was trying to convert her to Catholicism.[76]
Death
[edit]On June 5, 2023, Hanssen was found unresponsive in his prison cell and was pronounced dead after unsuccessful efforts to revive him. His autopsy listed the cause of death as colon cancer.[77]
In the media
[edit]The Hanssen spy case was told in David Wise's book Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America, published by Random House in 2002. The investigation was further covered in Eric O'Neill's memoir Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy, published by Penguin Random House in the spring of 2019.[78]
Hanssen was the subject of a 2002 made-for-television movie, Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story, with a teleplay by Norman Mailer and starring William Hurt as Hanssen. Hanssen's jailers allowed him to watch the movie, but he was so angered by it that he turned it off.[79] O'Neill's role in the capture of Robert Hanssen was dramatized in the 2007 movie Breach, in which Chris Cooper played the role of Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe played O'Neill.[80] The 2007 documentary Superspy: The Man Who Betrayed the West describes the hunt to trap Hanssen.[81]
Hanssen was mentioned in chapter 5 of Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code as the most noted Opus Dei member to non-members. His sexual deviancy and espionage conviction hurt the organization's reputation.[82] The U.S. Court TV (now TruTV) television series Mugshots released an episode on the Robert Hanssen case titled "Robert Hanssen – Hanssen and the KGB".[83] Ronald Kessler's book The Secrets of the FBI, briefly covers the case in chapter 15, "Catching Hanssen", chapter 16, "Breach", and chapter 17, "Unexplained Cash", based in part on interviews with Michael Rochford, who directed the FBI team that located the former KGB source that pointed to Hanssen after Rochford initially wrongly assumed CIA officer Brian Kelley was the master spy.[84] Hanssen's story was featured in episode 4, under the name of "Perfect Traitor", of Smithsonian Channel's series Spy Wars, which aired at the end of 2019 and was narrated by Damian Lewis, and features Eric O'Neill[85] as well as being mentioned in the seventh episode of The History Channel series America's Book of Secrets,[86] as well as in the fifth episode of Netflix series Spycraft[87] and was the subject of the 2021 documentary A Spy in the FBI.[88] He was also the subject of the CBS News podcast detailing his life and espionage, Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen.[89]
Citations
[edit]- ^ "USA v. Robert Philip Hanssen: Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint, Arrest Warrant and Search Warrant". fas.org. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ "A Review of FBI Security Programs (Webster Report)". Commission for Review of FBI Security Programs. United States Department of Justice. March 2002. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f U.S. Department of Justice "A Review of the FBI's Performance in Deterring, Detecting, and Investigating the Espionage Activities of Robert Philip Hanssen" Archived February 8, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, (Archive) August 14, 2003
- ^ Havill, Adrian. "His fate is sealed". crimelibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 8
- ^ "Secret Passage". Chicago Tribune. April 21, 2002. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Transcript of Hanssen Guilty Plea". July 6, 2001. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ^ a b Thompson Statement Regarding Hanssen Guilty Plea. United States Department of Justice (Report). July 6, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ^ a b "Robert Hanssen, former FBI agent convicted of spying for Russia, dead at 79". CBS News. June 5, 2023. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ Havill, Adrian. "The Spawning of A Spy Archived April 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." Robert Philip Hanssen: The Spy who Stayed out in the Cold. Crime Library. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ "Accused spy's mother wonders what went wrong". The Ledger. Sarasota, Florida. March 9, 2001. ISSN 0163-0288. OCLC 187953892. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023 – via Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 10
- ^ Baker, Peter (June 5, 2023). "Robert Hanssen, F.B.I. Agent Exposed as Spy for Moscow, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Adrian Havill, Court TV, Robert Philip Hanssen: The Spy who Stayed out in The Cold Archived February 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
- ^ Dolores Flaherty, Chicago Sunday-Times Hanssen, the spy with two faces 2003 November 23. Retrieved February 6, 2007
- ^ Risen, James (May 16, 2002). "Spy's Wife Speaks, After Taking a Lie Test". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 18–19
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 21
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 21–24
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 28–33
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 37–38
- ^ "Robert Hanssen Business Cards, Chalk, and Thumbtacks". Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ McGahan, Jason (March 1, 2001). "New Stop on Washington's Spy Tour". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 50–51
- ^ Lynch, Christopher, The C.I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle Dog Ear Publishing 2010
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 56–57
- ^ "USA v. Robert Philip Hanssen: Indictment". Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 3–4, 67–68, 82–83
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 111–119
- ^ Cherkashin & Feifer 2005, p. 246
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 95
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 98–110
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 159
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 120–128.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 141
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 160
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 160–161
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 176–177
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 181
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 188
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 190–192
- ^ "A Not-So-Secret Tunnel". CBS News. March 5, 2001. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 170
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 173
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 205–213
- ^ Stein, Jeff (November 1, 2018). "Riddle Resolved: Who Dimed Out American Traitor and Super-Spy, Robert Hanssen?". Newsweek.com. Newsweek. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Robert Hanssen: A Brief History". NPR. February 4, 2007. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 140
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 218–228
- ^ Cherkashin & Feifer 2005, p. 251
- ^ Schiller 2004, p. 260
- ^ "Eric O'Neill and Billy Ray Discuss 'Breach'". Fresh Air. NPR. January 31, 2007. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "20/20 Report on Eric O'Neill". ABC News. December 27, 2002. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
- ^ "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees: Uproar Over CIA Operative; Iraq Weapons Hunt: Congress to be Briefed". CNN. October 1, 2003. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 236–239
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 7–8
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 246–247
- ^ "FBI Spy Robert Hanssen Gets Life Sentence". FoxNews.com. May 10, 2002. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ Laura Sullivan, National Public Radio Timeline: Solitary Confinement in US Prisons Archived July 15, 2018, at the Wayback Machine July 26, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
- ^ "Robert Philip Hanssen Archived June 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ "Robert Hanssen, one of America's most notorious spies, dies in prison". WLS-TV. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 75
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 165
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 54
- ^ Cherkashin & Feifer 2005, p. 230
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 137
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 138
- ^ CI Centre "Quotes about the Robert Hanssen Case". Archived from the original on February 4, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2007.. Retrieved February 20, 2007
- ^ "Faculty and Staff Directory for Oakcrest School for Girls". Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ Shannon & Blackman 2002, p. 86
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 85–89
- ^ Wise 2003, pp. 252–253
- ^ CNN, American Morning with Paula Zahn Look at FBI Spy Robert Hannsen Archived August 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine January 8, 2002. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 149
- ^ Ex-stripper describes her time with accused spy CNN. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
- ^ Tabachnik, Sam (July 19, 2023). "Robert Hanssen, FBI agent who spied for Russia, died of natural causes at Colorado's Supermax, coroner rules". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ O'Neill, Eric (2019). Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy (First ed.). New York: Crown. ISBN 9780525573524. OCLC 1047648178.
- ^ Wise 2003, p. 302
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (February 9, 2007). "Breach". Variety. Archived from the original on October 6, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Superspy: The Man Who Betrayed the West". Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Dan (March 31, 2009). "Chapter 5". The Da Vinci Code. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-0307474278.
- ^ "Mugshots: Robert Hanssen – Hanssen and the KGB". FilmRise. December 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- ^ Kessler, Ronald (2011). "Ch. 15, 16, 17". The Secrets of the FBI (Electronic ed.). Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-71971-3.
- ^ "Smithsonian Channel: It's Brighter Here". Smithsonian Channel. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ "How Robert Hanssen Spied for the Soviets". June 5, 2023. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ "The Mole and Me". March 2021. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ "A Spy in the FBI". Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ "Agent of Betrayal Podcast – The Double Life of Robert Hanssen". CBS News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
References and further reading
[edit]- Cherkashin, Victor; Feifer, Gregory (2005). Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer – The True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-00969-7.
- Fine, Glenn A. (2003). "A Review of the FBI's Performance in Deterring, Detecting, and Investigating the Espionage Activities of Robert Philip Hanssen". U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved April 7, 2005.; PDF Version Archived April 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine (Archive)
- Havill, Adrian (2002). The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold: The Secret Life of FBI Double Agent Robert Hanssen. St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 0-312-98629-7.
- Lynch, Christopher (2010). The C. I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle. Dog Ear Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60844-739-8.
- O'Neill, Eric (2019). Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy. Crown. ISBN 978-0-525-57353-1.
- Russo, Gus; Dezenhall, Eric (2018). Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War. Twelve. ISBN 978-1538761311.
- Schiller, Lawrence (2004). Into The Mirror: The Life Of Master Spy Robert P. Hanssen. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 0-7567-7435-7.
- Shannon, Elaine; Blackman, Ann (2002). The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Damaging FBI Agent in U.S. History. Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-316-71821-1.
- Vise, David A. (2001). The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History. Grove Publishers. ISBN 0-641-57998-5.
- Vise, David A. (January 6, 2002). "From Russia With Love". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Wise, David (2003). Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America. Random House Publishers. ISBN 0-375-75894-1.
External links
[edit]- Robert Philip Hanssen Espionage Case – FBI
- FBI application for arrest warrant for Hanssen
- "The Movie Breach and Hollywood's Take on Espionage; Peter interviews Eric O'Neill, the FBI investigator who went undercover as Robert Hanssen's clerk during the final months before Hanssen was arrested for espionage". spymuseum.org (Podcast).
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "This FBI Agent Sold Secrets to the KGB for Years". Spy Wars with Damian Lewis: A Perfect Traitor. Smithsonian Channel. April 20, 2020.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Curator's Corner: Robert Hanssen – An Inside View with Eric O'Neill". International Spy Museum. April 27, 2020.
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