On this Day in 2001: The Robert Hanssen Case
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Yesterday, I was reminded on LinkedIn that yesterday in 2001, the State Department notified the Russian government that four of its diplomats were considered persona non-grata and immediately jetted from the country (National Counterintelligence and Security Center, 2022). This is an older piece I wrote on Robert Hanssen, in particular.
During the transition period from the Soviet Union into the Russian Federation, an FBI agent, Robert Hanssen was handing over top secret, and code word clearance intelligence to the Russian authorities at the KGB and its successor, the SVR (FBI, 2017). Hanssen was using drop spots around the Washington, DC area from 1987 to 1991. After the Soviet Union fell, Hanssen backed off his acts of espionage. In 1999, Hanssen felt comfortable enough to relay information to a different set of agents put in place by the newly elected Russian President, Vladimir Putin (FBI, 2017). During this second string of conveying information, Hanssen was careless. The FBI knew that an agent was relaying classified information to the Russians.
The FBI preceded to offer a former KGB agent, $7 million for information about who the insider was (Johnston, 2002). Though he could not provide a name, a former KGB agent gave up fingerprints that were located on the outside of bags in which documents were delivered. Surveillance of Hanssen began and he was caught taking classified information out of his office. As Hanssen made his last drop in Vienna, Virginia, he was surrounded by multiple FBI agents and taken into custody (FBI, 2017). The arrest was made on February 18, 2001. Rather than the death penalty, Hanssen made a deal to detail his actions and why he betrayed the country and agency (FBI, 2017). Claims were made that he was providing for his family because he was passed over for promotion.
Purpose & Motives
Hanssen’s motivation for dissemination of classified information was purely financial in nature. He accumulated over $600,000 from his acts and was promised up to $800,000 upon the continuation of his activities (Ragavan, Glasser & Barnett, 2003). Hanssen had financial problems as he was at the top of the FBI pay scale, yet was highly in debt due to mortgages and private school for his children (Defense Human Resources Activity, 2003). Decades passed as Hanssen sent highly classified information to Russian agents. In this respect, the FBI failed to catch on to these movements, especially when he was tasked with finding the mole who was himself (Defense Human Resources Activity, 2003). The FBI, CIA, and law enforcement failed to work effectively with each other. It was only after decades, missteps, false accusations of other agents, and countless blame that Hanssen was successfully captured. Had cohesion between the agencies been collaborative, the damage to the intelligence community and national security would be minimal.
Failures & Lessons
Questions were raised in 2003 regarding how Hanssen could give classified information to the Russian government for so long. In previous years, he was cited for security breaches and in the 1980s, Hanssen mishandled classified information (Lichtblau, 2003), which did not raise flags within the FBI. As a result of flying under the radar, he was able to give up some of the US’ most classified information including nuclear secrets and intelligence sharing tactics. Despite these infractions on his record, Hanssen was successfully able to reach promotions (Lichtblau, 2003). Fatal errors were made. Loopholes such as the lack of oversight and insufficient polygraph examinations may have been to blame. It is noteworthy that due to the Robert Hanssen case, the FBI now polygraphs its employees upon hiring (PR Newswire, 2013). While it is taken for granted today, this was also a flaw in the FBI procedures among hiring new personnel and agents. Hanssen gave the names of over fifty agents who were recruited within Russia, and delivered information regarding flaws in US communications satellites (PBS Newshour, 2002), in addition to giving out technological secrets about US capabilities.
The FBI underwent damage control as Hanssen was arrested. Questions were raised regarding how he could have been continuing to disseminate information to a foreign entity for over fifteen years. A blue-ribbon commission was set up at the FBI to determine what happened and how to catch other moles within the agency (McGeary, 2001). As a result of this commission, the FBI set up a counterespionage division within counterintelligence in order to monitor suspicious activity within the agency and with outside contacts (Office of the Inspector General, 2007). An internal database was also developed to collect financial information on employees, polygraph test results, and background check data in order to successfully track suspicious activity (Office of the Inspector General, 2007). Written and practiced procedures needed to be developed to prevent FBI moles from being allowed to act in the first place.
Conclusion
The Robert Hanssen case is an example of one of the highest caliber espionage acts in United States’ history. As a double agent, he was successfully able to pass along classified information to Russia for decades. A lack of oversight at the IC, and hubris within the organization allowed such national security damage to be conducted for this period of time. Had it not been for pure chance of Hanssen leaving a trail that the FBI was able to follow, chances are he would have continued his actions for the foreseeable future. In this pre-9/11 era, the recommendations in transforming the intelligence community had not yet been put in place or conceived. However, a reliance on the blue-ribbon report from the Office of the Inspector General did make various recommendations such as databases of employment information that can be shared, requiring all employees to be polygraphed upon employment, and financial background checks to negate the opportunities for coercion or cooperation with a foreign entity.
References
Defense Human Resources Activity. (2003). Hanssen: Deep inner conflicts. DHRA. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from [www.dhra.mil/perserec/...](http://www.dhra.mil/perserec/osg/spystory/hanssen.htm)
FBI (2017). Robert Hanssen. Famous Cases & Criminals. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from [www.fbi.gov/history/f...](https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/robert-hanssen)
Johnston, D. (2002). FBI paid $7 million for file on American spying for Russia. New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from [www.nytimes.com/2002/10/1...](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/18/us/fbi-paid-7-) million-for-file-on-american-spying-for-russia.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FHanssen%2C%20Robert%20Philip&actio n=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version= latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=collection
Lichtblau, E. (2003). FBI failed to act on spy despite signals, report says. New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from [www.nytimes.com/2003/08/1...](http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/15/us/fbi-failed-to-act-) on-spy-despite-signals-report-says.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FHanssen%2C%20Robert%20Philip&action =click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=l atest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection.
McGeary, J. (2001). The FBI spy it took 15 years to discover one of the most damaging cases of espionage in U.S. history. An inside look at the secret life, and final capture, of Robert Hanssen. Time. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from [content.time.com/time/worl...](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2047748,00.html)
Ragavan, C., Glasser, J., & Barnett, M. (2003). The Traitors. U.S. News & World Report,134(3), 66. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
Office of the Inspector General (2007). A review of the FBI’s progress in responding to recommendations in the office of the inspector general report on Robert Hanssen. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from [oig.justice.gov/special/s...](https://oig.justice.gov/special/s0710/final.pdf#?)
PBS Newshour. (2002). Damage assessment: Convicted spy Robert Hanssen. Retrieved June 21, 2017, from [www.pbs.org/newshour/...](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law-jan-june02-hanssen_5-10/)
PR Newswire (2013, October 2). Witness to history: The investigation of Robert Hanssen. PR Newswire US. Retrieved June 15, 2017.