Robert Hanssen
FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence for 22 years.
Robert Philip Hanssen was an American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services intermittently from 1979 to 2001. His espionage was described by the United States Department of Justice as 'possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history.' He sold about six thousand classified documents detailing U.S. nuclear war strategies, military weapons technologies, and counterintelligence programs, and compromised the names of KGB agents working secretly for the U.S., some of whom were executed.
- born
- April 18, 1944
- died
- June 5, 2023
- field
- Espionage, Counterintelligence
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Spying for Soviet and Russian intelligence while an FBI agent
Lore & Background
Hanssen was born in Chicago to a Lutheran family. He graduated from Knox College with a chemistry degree, then earned an MBA from Northwestern University. After brief stints in accounting and as a Chicago police internal affairs investigator, he joined the FBI in 1976. He married Bernadette Wauck, a Roman Catholic, and converted to Catholicism. In 1979, three years after joining the FBI, he approached the Soviet GRU to offer his services, beginning his first espionage cycle until 1981. He restarted in 1985 and continued until 1991, then reestablished communications in 1999 until his arrest. Throughout, he remained anonymous to his handlers.
Reader's Guide
Robert Hanssen's significance lies in the extraordinary damage he inflicted on U.S. national security over 22 years. He sold about six thousand classified documents to the KGB, including U.S. nuclear war strategies, military weapons developments, and counterintelligence programs. He compromised the names of KGB agents working for the U.S., some of whom were executed. He also revealed a multimillion-dollar eavesdropping tunnel built by the FBI under the Soviet Embassy. His espionage overlapped with that of CIA mole Aldrich Ames, and both were run by the same KGB officer, Victor Cherkashin. After Ames's arrest in 1994, some breaches remained unsolved until Hanssen was identified through fingerprint and voice analysis after the FBI paid $7 million for a file on an anonymous mole. Hanssen was arrested in 2001, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of espionage, and received 15 life sentences. He died in 2023 at ADX Florence.
Did You Know?
- Hanssen spied intermittently from 1979 to 2001, with a break from 1991 to 1999.
- He sold classified documents for more than $1.4 million in cash, diamonds, and Rolex watches.
- He compromised the names of KGB agents Boris Yuzhin, Valery Martinov, and Sergei Motorin; Martinov and Motorin were executed.
- Hanssen was tasked with searching for himself while investigating FBI penetrations in 1987.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Robert Hanssen?
Robert Philip Hanssen was an American FBI agent who committed espionage on behalf of Soviet and later Russian intelligence services from 1979 until his arrest in 2001. He is widely regarded as one of the most damaging domestic spies in American history.
How long did Robert Hanssen spy for the Soviets?
Hanssen conducted his espionage activities intermittently over a span of roughly 22 years, from 1979 to 2001. During that period he passed along approximately six thousand classified documents to his foreign handlers.
What did Robert Hanssen steal and sell to foreign intelligence?
He provided Soviet and Russian agencies with classified materials covering U.S. nuclear strategy, weapons technology, and counterintelligence operations. He also revealed the identities of KGB officers secretly working as U.S. assets, leading to some of their execution.
How did the U.S. government characterize Hanssen's betrayal?
The Department of Justice labeled his espionage as possibly the worst intelligence disaster in American history. The scale of the damage stemmed from the sheer volume of top-secret material he exfiltrated and the lives lost when undercover officers were exposed.
When did Robert Hanssen die?
Robert Hanssen passed away on June 5, 2023, at the age of 79. He had been serving a life sentence in federal prison following his 2001 conviction for espionage.
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