The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold

by Adrian Havill

Robert Philip Hansen thought he was smarter than the system. For decades, the quirky but respected counterintelligence expert, religious family man, and father of six, sold top secret information to agents of the Soviet Union and Russia. A self-taught computer expert, Hansen often encrypted his stolen files on wafer-thin disks. The data-some 6000 pages of highly classified documents-revealed precious nuclear secrets, outlined American espionage initiatives, and named names of agents-spies who covertly worked for both sides.

Soviet government leaders, and their successors in the Russian Federation, used the stolen information to undermine U.S. policies and to eliminate spies in their own ranks. Moscow did not allow their moles the luxury of a defense: at least two men named by Hanssen were executed; a third languished for years in a Siberian hard labor camp.

For more than twenty years, Bob Hanssen was the perfect spy. He personally collected at least $600,000 from his Russian handlers while another $800,000 was deposited in his name at a Moscow bank. Along with the cash came Rolex watches and cut diamonds. The money financed both his children's education at schools run by the elite and ultra-conservative Catholic organization, Opus Dei, and an inexplicably strange fling with a former Ohio "stripper of the year."

But he didn't just do it for the money; he did it for the thrill and for a mysterious third reason rooted in religious mysticism. He lacked the people skills to play office politics, and it seemed the aging FBI analyst faced a disappointing career mired in middle management. Instead, he chose to become one of the most dangerous spies in America's history. And no one suspected him until just weeks before his arrest.

Robert Philip Hanssen thought he was smarter than the system. And until February 18, 2001, he was right. That's when federal agents surrounded him while he was attempting to complete an exchange with his handlers at a Virginia park. When the G-men captured their mark, they catapulted the once innocuous bureaucrat onto the front pages of every newspaper in America. The most notorious spy since the Rosenbergs had finally become a victim of his own undoing.

Now, drawing on more than 100 interviews with Bob Hanssen's friends, colleagues, coworkers, and family members, and confidential sources, best-selling author Adrian Havill tells the entire story you haven't read as only he can. The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold tells not only how he did it, but why.

Genres: Biography, True Crime, History, Nonfiction, Espionage

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Adrian Havill is a writer born in Bournemouth, England.
He began his writing career in 1962 for US News and World Report.
In 1984, he began writing biographies of subjects as diverse as O.J. Simpson and Jack Kent Cooke.

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing read. Crammed with filler. I did not need to read a whole chapter on Opus Dei. The book read like a 200-page wikipedia entry rather than capturing the story of Hanssen. Maybe I have been spoiled by the epic work of MacIntyre. I note the book was published just a few months after Hanssen was sentenced, so details other than the bare bones were probably scant at that time. Disappointing.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Hanssen was one of the most cunning moles in US history, and to this day he is considered the greatest US security breach in history. Currently, Hanssen resides in a maximum security prison, allowed one hour a day out of his dark, windowless cell, and only got that sentence instead of the death pentalty becasue he agreed to talk to prosecutors, the CIA and the FBI about what he'd revealed to the KGB in his near 20-years as a double agent. Hanssen's life is a fascinating series of contradictions, from his devout Catholocism and devotion to Opus Dei to his courtship of strippers and the videos he made of he and his wife having sex. He gave the Russians our contingency of government plan, including where the President, Vice President and Congress would be taken in the event of a nuclear attack. Most of what he revealed to the KGB is still classified, and the extent of the damage he did to US security may never be known. What is known is that at least 3 moles on our side were executed as a result of information he gave the KGB, and countless agents were exposed and made useless by Hanssen's treachery. Unlike most moles, Hanssen's motivations remain a mystery, and best guesses place his drives to betray his country at the feet of his ego. A brilliant spy himself, and a brilliant FBI agent, he revealed the possibility of a mole himself and then wound up as the head of the task force created to catch himself. The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold is an outstanding documentation of the elaborate, unprecedented ruse set up by the FBI to catch him, and the great deceptive lengths that had to be taken in order to make sure he wasn't aware they were onto him. Anyone who loved the movie "Breach" should read this book. Hanssen is a fascinating and scary character, and this book only begins to shed light on the mystery of his twisted motivations.

NC

[Lennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I rented the movie, Breach, I had to go out and buy this book. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as the movie. The book is full of details and too much information and sometimes the original story line gets lost. For example, Robert Hanssen was involved with the Catholic religious group, Opus Dei, and a whole chapter was devoted to describing this elitist sect. In the end, I wish the author had kept it simple. Nonetheless, I think the topic of espionage is always worth reading about.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

not sure yet, sure it's good though

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Robert Hanssen, the FBI counter-intelligence specialist who sold secrets to the Soviets and then the Russians. For 15 years, Hanssen peddled the most vital secrets the US had, ultimately making about $500,000 for himself. He was arrested in 2001, having started his sales in 1985. The book reprints some of the communications between him and his Soviet handlers. Hanssen did his treason, while simultaneously maintaining a public face of an ultra-loyal american, devout church-goer, republican and family man. What did he do with his money? He used it to pay the tuition of his children to an expensive Catholic school. He had bizarre liaisons with strippers where he would pick them up, pay their expenses and attempt to convert them to Catholicism and an upstanding life. Much of the money was simply frittered away. Why did he do it? The book goes into a theory for such people called MICE, Money, Ideology, Compromise and Ego. The book argues that money was the most important motivation. His salary as an FBI agent was paltry, and some required moves between New York and Washington caused him to be in constant financial trouble. Plus he insisted that his children go to private school, all 6 of them. The second motivation was ego. His handlers were always praising him and stroking his ego, something he did not get from the FBI.The story painted is one of an utterly disgusting and despicable man, one who sold his country down the river for a few pieces of silver. If anyone deserved the death penalty, he did. John Ashcroft decided not to try for death though, and he will spend the rest of his life in a country club federal pen. If he is to get any real punishment for his actions, it will have to wait for the next life.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Robert Hanssen, a FBI agent who was selling information to the Soviet Union for years before he was arrested in 2001. He was a devout Catholic, member of Opus Dei and by all accounts a dedicated family man. It is shocking that the FBI could be so loose. This was an interesting read.

[R.Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better and paints a clearer picture of Robert Hanssen than the film Breach.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

See also: SPY: THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW THE FBI'S ROBERT HANSSEN BETRAYED AMERICA by David Wise, which came out a year later.

[Scott Toney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me. Very interesting topic. Didn't feel like there were enough details about the story and there is a ton of filler that was more distracting than informative.