Report Faults FBI Deficiencies for Hanssen Spy Case

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 15, 2003

Report Faults FBI Deficiencies for Hanssen Spy Case

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Significant deficiencies in the internal security program within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) played "a major role" in one of the most damaging espionage cases in US history, a Justice Department report released Thursday said.

Robert Hanssen had spied for the Soviet Union and Russia for 22 years without being detected "not because he was a master spy or because of any expert knowledge of espionage tradecraft," The Justice Department's inspector general Glenn A. Fine said in the summary of a classified 674-page report.

"Much of Hanssen's conduct while committing espionage was reckless," the report said, citing his indiscretions and security violations. Hanssen, a top FBI counterespionage official, conducted much of his espionage activities while on duty and even used some FBI equipment, the report said.

But the report said all his indiscretions were largely ignored and undocumented within the FBI. The bureau allowed him to remain in positions with access to highly sensitive counterintelligence information despite his security breaches, the report said.

Hanssen, who spied between 1979 and 2001, was sentenced to life in prison in May 2002 after pleading guilty. The report described him as "a mediocre agent" with strong technical abilities but weak managerial skills.

The report made 21 recommendations for the FBI, including creation of a centralized security program, more random polygraph tests, more extensive background investigations and a financial disclosure program.

The FBI said it has taken or will take steps as recommended by the inspector general to improve internal security.

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