in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968; Northwestern University, M.B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems, 1971. Hansen even followed in his father's footsteps and opened up his own bakery. By the time O'Neill slipped into the car on that fateful Sunday morning in 2001, an FBI operation was already underway to . Robert P. Hanssen, the former F.B.I. Regrettably, I stand here today both saddened and outraged. Meanwhile, the FBI had discovered medical tape and chalk Hanssens tools for signaling the Russians in the car, along with classified documents that had no business being there. McNamara, Robert. Pressed to explain what he was doing, she said, he acknowledged that he was dealing with the Russians. At least three Russian agents he identified had been executed, and it was suspected that he compromised dozens of intelligence operations. For instance, a piece of adhesive tape placed on a sign in a park in Virginia would indicate that a package had been placed in a "dead drop" location, which was usually under a small footbridge in the park. I always liked writing privately in journals, but writing publicly is new. Take your pick. But in 1999, while assigned as an FBI liaison with the State Department, he once again began selling American secrets. On Feb. 18, 2001, Hanssen left a package presumably full of classified documents wrapped in trash bags underneath a bridge in Foxstone Park, then placed a piece of tape at a nearby location, indicating the drop had been made. He betrayed his children. This story has been shared 106,031 times. in Chemistry, 1966; Attended Northwestern University Dental School, 1966-1968;. January 12, 2001 - Hanssen is reassigned from counterintelligence to an obscure office at FBI headquarters. Authorities said they are convinced that Bonnie Hanssen--unlike the wives of several other notorious U.S. spies who helped their husbands--was not involved in Hanssens spying. The level of support and expertise from Acting Deputy Attorney General Robert Mueller, Counsel for Intelligence Policy Frances Fragos Townsend, U.S. Attorney Helen Fahey and Assistant United States Attorney Randy Bellows is superb. May 10, 2002. At the time, he was assigned to counterintelligence in the F.B.I. This is particularly timely as we move to the next generation of automation to support the FBIs information infrastructure. The evidence against him was overwhelming, and to avoid the death penalty, Hanssen confessed and agreed to be debriefed by American intelligence officials. Robert Hanssen is a former FBI agent notorious for committing treason and selling state secrets to the Soviets (later the Russians). Brookner said that the only time Bonnie Hanssen harbored any suspicions about her husbands activities came around 1979 or 1980, when they lived in Scarsdale, N.Y. She walked in on him and he covered up some papers, so she got suspicious, Brookner said. She said that her husband is ''doing about as well as can be expected,'' and that ''he is very relieved that I have the pension. This story has been shared 123,032 times. We particularly appreciate the unhesitating leadership and support of Attorney General Ashcroft from the moment he took office. He looked the quintessential suburban dad, devoted to his wife and six kids, working a government job to. Michelle Karr. Ms. Brookner, who arranged the interview, insisted that Mrs. Hanssen not be questioned about revelations concerning her husband's sexual obsessions. A feature film called "Breach" was released in 2007. Caught off guard, he grabbed his guns but not his PalmPilot. As a result of these assignments within the FBI, Hanssen gained access to some of the most sensitive and highly classified information in the United States Government. The information he delivered compromised numerous human sources, counterintelligence techniques, investigations, dozens of classified U.S. government documents, and technical operations of extraordinary importance and value. Should I get him to confess?. Why is it so important to take [that] car? Hanssen demanded to know. Interestingly, Hansen got married twice. Out of all the lingering scandals in Washington,. As alleged, he did so using a variety of sophisticated means of communication, encryption, and dead drops. Children: Lisa, Greg, Mark, John "Jack," Sue and Jane. 's New York field office. During his sessions with investigators, Hanssen claimed his motivation had always been financial. Literally, Hanssens colleagues and coworkers at the FBI conducted this investigation and did so quietly, securely and without hesitation. A Warner Bros. Spy tells, for the first time, the full, authoritative story of how FBI agent Robert Hanssen, code name grayday, spied for Russia for twenty-two years in what has been called the "worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history"-and how he was finally caught in an incredible gambit by U.S. Instead, he ultimately became the most damaging spy in. As difficult as this moment is for the FBI and for the country, I am immensely proud of the men and women who conducted this investigation. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose Americas First Cyber Spy, My boss records all the conversations in our office, China's secret police are actively hunting people on US soil, Cuomo mocks Biden over China spy balloon debacle, Biden, DOJ scrapping FBI China initiative led to more spying: security experts. Before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet for the cooperation and assistance of his agency in this investigation. After graduating from a public high school, Hanssen attended Knox College in Illinois, studying chemistry and Russian. Spy's Wife Speaks, After Taking a Lie Test, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/us/spy-s-wife-speaks-after-taking-a-lie-test.html. Id say insanely loyal, Hanssen wrote. Since he held key counterintelligence positions, he had authorized access to classified information. In her statement, Bonnie Hanssen thanked government officials for allowing her to retain the pension and for recognizing that she and the children clearly are innocent victims.. robert hanssen childrenjennifer nicholson mark norfleet 27 februari, 2023 . When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed. ONeill, 46, left the FBI in May 2001. Today, Mrs. Hanssen is teaching at a Catholic school in suburban Virginia and is living in the house she shared with her husband and their six children. Moron! 1991 - Breaks off relations with the KGB. With two children already out of school, the pension money will help Bonnie Hanssen support two children who are in college and two more still in high school, Brookner said. Hanssen was the son of a police officer. The Spy Who Loved Spying A good spy needs a good cover, and Hanssen had one of the best. But from the vantage of the media, "happens to be" applies only to Pollard: Hanssen is fast-becoming known as "the Catholic spy.". Still, he was not identified as a spy. That fall, Mr. Hanssen was transferred back to New York as a supervisor in charge of a counterintelligence squad. Timeline. Because of these coordinated efforts, the FBI was able to secure original Russian documentation of an American spy who appeared to the FBI to be Hanssen a premise that was soon to be confirmed when Hanssen was identified by the FBI as having clandestinely communicated with Russian intelligence officers. The FBI believed this was his signal site where the Russians would signal when they were ready to receive his intel. A Justice Department spokesman, citing the inspector general's continuing review of the Hanssen case, refused to comment. four in a bed contestant dies. Judge Webster is uniquely qualified as a former FBI Director, CIA Director and Director of Central Intelligence to undertake this review. FBI and CIA personnel who debriefed Hanssen about his 21 years as a spy for Moscow found him a prickly, uncooperative character and won't be sorry to see him pulling hard time in a distant lock-up. and finally hopped out of the car, determined to walk back to the office. She said she told the bureau the same thing immediately after her husband's arrest last year. Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 18, 1944 to a family of German and Polish origins. As Hanssen grew up, his father was reportedly verbally abusive to him, often ranting that he would never succeed in life. She agreed to describe the results, Ms. Brookner said, because they exonerated Mrs. Hanssen. At their very first meeting, ONeill reached out his hand and began to introduce himself. Who were Robert Hansen's wives and children? They were finishing just as Hanssen texted that he was on his way back. It is alleged that Hanssen provided to the former Soviet Union and subsequently to Russia substantial volumes of highly classified information that he acquired during the course of his job responsibilities in counterintelligence. Undated file photo released by the FBI February 20, 2001 shows a package recovered at the 'Lewis' drop site containing $50,000 cash allegedly left by Russians for FBI Agent Robert Philip Hanssen. By the time Hanssen and ONeill returned to the office, things seemed normal. Hanssen refused. He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of espionage plus two related counts and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. If he gave the money from the Soviets to charity, and promised not to spy again, he would have the priest's blessing not to report the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. So ONeill was torn when he got his next assignment: Wed like you to make [Hanssen] angry, Alleman said, hoping the suspected operatives reaction would deepen the psychological profile of him. His assistant, Eric ONeill, was tasked with keeping investigators apprised of Hanssens movements. There is insanity in all the answers.. In the early 1980s, Hanssen was transferred to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. To his colleagues in the bureau he seemed to be a model agent. 1980 - Begins working for the counterintelligence unit, focusing on the Soviet Union. After being released, he met his second wife, Darla Henrichsen, and the pair got married in 1963. Realizing the importance of the material, the United States paid $7 million for it. Through Attorney General John Ashcroft, I would like to thank the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Hanssen would later claim that his goal was simply to make some extra money, as living in New York City was putting a financial squeeze on his growing family. As they took him into custody, Hanssen turned to one and said, What took you so long?. Mrs. Hanssen said she demanded that her husband go with her to see their Roman Catholic priest to confess. The Justice Department's inspector general has been examining the F.B.I. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Assistant Eric O'Neill (right) tells in his new book how he helped. But while agents moved and searched Hanssens car, he unexpectedly cut the meeting short, stalking out and leaving ONeill no time to notify Alleman. Director Jenny Chung Writer Jenny Chung Stars Bob Aguilar Jim Babel Jeff Barber 2023 Cable News Network. Two were executed. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Hanssen, a disgruntled senior FBI computer geek who spied intermittently for the Russians from 1979 until his arrest following a dead drop in the snowy woods of Virginia in 2001, produced. agent in Chicago. ', Before I could blink, [Hanssen] had the lapels of my sport coat twisted in his fists and curled me up to eye level, leaving my toes tipping for balance on the floor. He turned off the highway onto a side street, trying to persuade Hanssen that it was faster even though, as he writes, anyone who has lived in the DC area for two weeks could call bullst.. In return, he received large sums of money and other remuneration. At one point Hanssen spoke to a Russian agent over a pay phone, but they generally relied on placing signals in public places. In that case, Hanssen would immediately know why no one stole cars from the FBI garage and there was no telling how the almost certainly armed Hanssen would react. Sunday night the FBI arrested Robert Philip Hanssen who has been charged with committing espionage. Breaking her five-month silence, the wife of FBI spy Robert Philip Hanssen said Thursday that she deeply regrets the damage her husband has caused the United States and believes it is appropriate that he spend the rest of his life in prison. Follow. Heart Of Darkness. He was arrested while in the process of using a dead drop to clandestinely provide numerous classified documents to his Russian handler. His most notorious attack was when he planted three pipe bombs filled with nails in the main square of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, killing 44-year-old Alice Hawthorne, causing a fatal heart attack for 40-year-old Melih Uzunyol, and injuring over a hundred others. Please be aware how deeply Mrs. Hanssen regrets the damage that her husband, Robert Hanssen, has caused to our country and to their family, the statement said. The wildest part? Today, Mrs. Hanssen is teaching at a Catholic school in suburban Virginia and is living in the house she shared with her husband and their six children. Source: Netflix Article continues below advertisement When the news media reported that alleged spy Robert Hanssen was a member of Opus Dei back in 2001, many wondered how Hanssen could provide sensitive information to communists, when Opus Dei has always seemed to be so vehemently opposed to communism. He was sentenced to life in prison. Two and a half years ago, the FBI arrested Robert Hanssen, a 22-year veteran of the bureau, for selling secrets to Russia. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He began to make small payments over several years to a charity affiliated with Mother Teresa's Catholic organization, moving the family close to bankruptcy, Mrs. Hanssen told the Justice Department investigators. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. Another government official confirmed that Mrs. Hanssen was given a polygraph test and said she had passed it. 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