Synopsis
The focus of this intriguing story is Robert Hanssen, an unassuming man here labeled "the most damaging FBI agent in U.S. history." Pretending to be a religious family man who hated communism, Hanssen used his top-secret clearance to gain information on the activities of FBI agents and double agents in Moscow secrets he leaked to the Soviets over the years for a total of $470,000. His betrayal is linked to the execution of at least three U.S. spies. Only a plea bargain saved him from a death sentence. Drawing on information gathered from more than 150 interviews with Hanssen's friends, neighbors, colleagues, lawyers, professors, classmates, roommates, psychiatrists, and priests, Time reporters Shannon and Blackman provide an in-depth analysis of a hypocritical man consumed with possessing power over others. Vise's The Bureau and the Mole provides greater context for Hanssen's eventual downfall.