David A. Vise - The Bureau and the Mole. The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI...

Critical Acclaim for The Bureau and the Mole:

The most compelling, serious account of Hanssens life and betrayals.

Chicago Tribune

An eminently readable account.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Vise, an acclaimed reporter knows theres more to the story than Hanssens sad, tortured life, and goes looking for it to see how the FBI could have allowed a master spy to operate in its midst for so long. [He also] captures the struggle of Louis Freeh to bring reform and accountability to the agency that has had far too many embarrassments in recent years.

The Boston Globe

A chilling portrait of a man who betrayed his country simply to see if he could Vises research and reporting are first-rate and his sources are excellent.

Publishers Weekly

The story comes straight out of a Cold War spy novel [a] dramatic account.

Booklist

Vise cracks the code on a stellar FBI agent turned Russian informant. Dont wait for the film, due out from Jerry Bruckheimer.

Library Journal

THE BUREAU AND THE MOLE

Also by the author
Eagle on the Street

(with Steve Coll)

The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History

DAVID A. VISE

Copyright 2002 by David A. Vise

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

The map on page X copyright Mark Malseed.

Published simultaneously in Canada
Printed in the United States of America

FIRST GROVE PRESS EDITION

PHOTO CREDITSPage 233: Howard Hanssen with young Bob (personal photograph); Robert Philip Hanssen and Jack Hoschouer (1962 Taft High School Yearbook). Page 234: Hanssen at dental school (personal photograph); Bonnie Hanssen (personal photograph); Russian embassy (Susan Biddle/The Washington Post). Page 235: Priscilla Galey (personal photograph); Louis Freeh with President Clinton (Frank Johnston/The Washington Post). Page 236: Aldrich Ames (Frank Johnston/The Washington Post); Viktor Cherkashin (Pete Earley); Vladimir Kryuchkov (FBI file photo). Page 237: Dmitri Polyakov (Pete Earley); Valery Martynov and Sergei Motorin (FBI file photos); Hanssen in dark suit (personal photograph). Page 238: Freeh with Janet Reno (Robert A. Reeder/The Washington Post); FBI stakeout house (Mark Malseed); FBI SIOC (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post). Page 239: Bridge in Foxstone Park and Foxstone Park sign (Mark Malseed); Cash and black garbage bag (FBI file photos). Page 240: Hanssen at sentencing (Arthur Lien, illustrator); Freeh with John Ashcroft and George Tenet (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vise, David A.

The bureau and the mole : the unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the most dangerous double agent in FBI history / David A. Vise.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-5558-4755-5

1. Hanssen, Robert. 2. SpiesRussia (Federation)Biography. 3. Intelligence agentsUnited StatesBiography. 4. United States. Federal Bureau of InvestigationBiography. I. Title.

UB271.R92 H372 2002

327.1247073092dc21

2001053872

DESIGN BY LAURA HAMMOND HOUGH

Grove Press
841 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

To our daughters, Lisa, Allison, and Jennifer
And especially to Lori

Mark Malseed and Matthew Obernauer were my partners in virtually every aspect of this book. Together, they gave new meaning to the title research assistant, tackling reporting, writing, and editing with extraordinary dedication and care. They displayed a tremendous commitment to fairness and accuracy and transformed the supposedly lonely task of writing a book into a high-energy collaboration imbued with a shared sense of mission.

Mark, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University, is a computer maven whose sophisticated use of technology led us to many important discoveries. He is a detail-oriented journalist of the first order who made an invaluable contribution through his literary skills, organizational abilities, and iconoclastic approach.

A graduate of Yale University in 2000, Matt brought the passion and relentlessness of an old-fashioned gumshoe reporterand the intelligence and ear of a well-read wordsmithto this endeavor. Through his friendly demeanor, talent for brainstorming, and reporting skill, he made an immense contribution.

I have been fortunate to work with Mark and Matt as we pierced the veil of secrecy that kept Bob Hanssens spying and the FBIs role hidden from the public. I will forever be grateful to them for helping me shine some light on this mysterious, global tale of character and intrigue.

David A. Vise

All correspondence between FBI Special Agent Robert P. Hanssen and his handlers in the KGB and Russian intelligence appears in this book as originally written. Letters have not been edited for clarity or for errors in spelling and grammar. The same is true of the stories, e-mails, and texts authored by Hanssen and others. In some cases, letters and other items have been excerpted or shortened. In addition, I have included brief explanatory notes in some passages where references are made to names, organizations, or events that are not widely known; these notes are enclosed within brackets.

D.A.V.

He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service.

No one who practices deceit
can hold a post in my court.

No one who speaks falsely
can be among my advisors.

Psalm 101

Selected by FBI Director Louis Freeh to begin
A Report to the American People on the Work of the FBI, 19931998

On the morning of February 18, 2001, FBI Special Agent Bob Hanssen woke up, got out of bed, ate breakfast, and followed his regular Sunday morning routine. Accompanied by his wife and children, Hanssen drove out to St. Catherine of Siena Church in Great Falls, Virginia. There were numerous Roman Catholic churches closer to the Hanssens home in Vienna, but they had a special reason for traversing the rolling hills of the Washington, D.C., suburbs to attend St. Catherines. Various high-ranking government officials also attended the church, including FBI Director Louis Freeh. They were all drawn to it, according to its pastor, Father Franklyn Martin McAfee, because of its traditional approach. The Hanssens also relished the churchs close ties to Opus Dei, an elite and influential movement within the Catholic Church, and delighted in praying alongside some of the most powerful people in Washington. More members of Opus Dei attended St. Catherines than any other church in the region. And several of its parishioners sent their boys to The Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, an Opus Dei academy where both Freeh and Hanssen enrolled their sons and had crossed paths recently.