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RUSSIAN SPY HANDLERS
Eng-135 (Advanced Composition)
Prof. Fuller
American Moles and Russian Spy Handlers
Russians are notorious for their spying capabilities. It goes way back to the Czar?s when Russian?s would spy on each other. Russian Spies were well trained and are probably the best in the world. To prove this theory we will look a sampling from the 1940?s, to present. In this period is when the Russia?s obtained a lot of American secrets. The Russians knew the CIA would intensify its pursuit of Russian Spies, at the start of the Cold War, yet through the storm a few Americans just wanted to give Russians secrets in exchange for money. Dropping by Russian Embassies and offering to give the Russians important secrets in exchange for money seemed out of place for this era. Russians where very skeptical of persons that were just offering secrets but normally they (Russian Spies) didn?t pass up on any intelligence that may be useful. Who were these moles who stole American secrets and why? Who were there Spy handlers? What techniques or training did they employ? This is a study of two spies, John Walkers who stole naval intelligence, Hanssen who gave up CIA intelligence/CIA Infrastructure and double agents, and Klaus Fuchs who released the ultimate weapon.
AMERICAN MOLES
American moles, like John Walker, Robert Hanssen and Klaus Fuchs, put Russian Spy Handlers on edge, because these three moles weren?t recruited. They volunteered to travel down their own dark tunnel of deception and intrigue. These moles used all kinds of techniques, to assist in their dark path of passing information.
NAVAL MOLE
John Walker a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Navy, first contacted the Russians in 1968. He just walked into the Soviet Embassy in 1968 with some Key settings from a naval cipher machine. Walker at that time worked in was called the Atlantic Submarine forces and had daily access with the cipher machine called KL-47. This would be one of many military communications exposed by this American mole. Though the spy definition according to the ?Ultimate Spy? of a mole is one who works as an employee of one intelligence agency while working secretly with another intelligence agency. General Boris Solomatin oversaw John Walkers mole/spy operations. It is said General Solomatin was the youngest Deputy Director of the KGB. Solomatin worked with Yuri Andropov who would later become President. This shows that intelligence in Russian became a political powerhouse in Russia. In fact Walkers operation and other American operations could have catapulted Andropov political career. Let us not forget about Walker, he used the famous Minox Camera, a small slim camera used by all spy agencies. Walker used a roto reader to examine the KL-47 Cipher machine. Chief Warrant Officer Walker traveled to Vienna and Austria for training and instructions. This is where he was trained to how to use Minox Camera and Dead Drops. Dead Drops were used in a way as to actually meeting your handler or courier. I will explain dead drops a little later. Walker retired but recruited his son, brother and other co-workes to ensure his cash flow. Money was his fix and actually General Solomatin comments he didn?t hide this over small ideology references unlike many other spies he handled. At the time the Russian Navy was a leader in the seas but now knowing the location of every American Submarine for almost 17 years, made them invincible. .
INTELLIGENCE (FBI/CIA) MOLE
Robert Hanssen was handled by Victor Chesklyan and other handlers. Actually he was an American Mole twice, intrigued. Knowing what the other side is looking for to spot a spy is more useful knowing who was a spy. With Hanssen Russia got both, this former police officer and now intelligence agent/spy/mole. After 3 years in the bureau and wanting money and some call a ?trash for cash?, he went to place known to be a cover for the GRU (KGB of modern times). Hanssen?s assumed the indenty of ?Roman Garcia? and gave them information on one of Russia?s biggest moles. Hanssen was Russia?s most important mole, imagine two lines representing normally spying done by Russian and U.S. Well with Hanssen he gave information that raised the Russian line up and lowered the U.S. line at the same time. Hanssen gave up General Dmitri Polyakov a longtime mole in the GRU. Hanssen spying activities happened in three time periods. His first period ended after his wife found over $20,000 in their home. After accepting a position in Washington, in the Intelligence Division of the FBI a month later what did Hanssen do? In October of 1985, and under his same false identity he gave up three more moles to the Russians to gain there trust and there money again. Hanssen received $100,000 for this information. Hanssen now knows what mistakes were made by Russian agents and how they got exposed. After turning mole, Hanssen became his own handler and began to show Russians how real spying should be. Though a Palm III computer would eventually led to his arrest, Hanssen was good at financial counterintelligence. He wrote programs used by CIA and FBI used in tracking Russian suspected agents and organizations. During his career Hanssen received over 1.4 million dollars, in giving secrets to the Russians for 22 years. Given the many secrets and high position of this mole and the amount of years in service for Russia, Hansen and his spy handlers did an outstanding job.
ATOMIC MOLE
Fuchs worked at Los Alamos before the testing of the nuclear bomb, gave secrets to the Russians. This helped Russia have nuclear capabilities 4 years after the Americans. During this period of 1940?s 1970s, and 1980?s was by far the biggest period for Russian Intelligence. Comparing these operations to all others, from US to Germany to Israel, it helped Russia to become a real world leader.
CONCLUSION:
It is said that these three spy operations where the most important for Russia, Victor Cherskashin said Hanssen was the most important and in an interview with Alexander Feklisov, Fuchs was the most important. Both moles and Spy Handlers did there jobs for there country. Fuchs did it for communism the rest did it for money and for the intrigue. Russia Intelligence circle led the world hands down. Though they use their moles until they are trapped, getting the information is their goal. Did it lead to one becoming President, no one knows but the Russian Intelligence, the best in the world? .
