Customer Reviews

Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'll keep it short. As a writer, I appreciate good writing -- clear, smooth, concise, accurate, with sources attributed and richly drawn, but never over-elaborated, portraits of the characters involved. Among these "characters" is Opus Dei, the arch-conservative Catholic cult group sanctioned by the Pope, of which Hanssen-the-killer-spy was an active and evangelical member.

"Spy" is, simply put, and not withstanding the enormously complicated story it tells, a very good read.

Author David Wise keeps to the facts -- a complex undertaking, which he accomplishes with extraordinary detail and literary grace. (Thank you, Mr. Wise.) He offers expert testimony regarding Hanssen's peculiar and convoluted value system without playing armchair psychologist, and sheds an astonishing light on the realm inhabited by spies, which is just as fraught with danger to life and limb as one might expect.

The book also suggests why the CIA and FBI were in such a flummox when the Cold War ended. Both were so deeply mired in the irrelevant ethos and practice of "Spy v. Spy" world that 9-11 must have felt like a kick in the chest by a Clydesdale. That much is evident from "Spy" and it is just as frightening as the murderous activities of moles like Robert Hanssen and Archer Ames.

"Spy" is a page turner -- so good, in fact, that I am now a David Wise fan.

Before the publication of this book, there had been four others to appear on the market, "The Spy Who Stayed out in the Cold," "The Bureau and the Mole," "The Spy Next Door," and "Into the Mirror." To put it bluntly, none of these books can hold a candle to David Wise's masterful telling of the Hanssen spy story, which is probably the most disgraceful and bizarre chapter in the FBI's long history. What sets Wise's account apart from its predecessors? The answer is diligent, long-term research and unparalleled access to people who knew Hanssen. The fact that the traitor gave his psychiatrist permission to be interviewed by Wise gives readers a window into Hanssen's soul that none of his competitors (who rushed their books to publication with almost indecent haste) were able to give. An added plus to Wise's book is that he gives a fairly comprehensive outline of the research he conducted for the book in his notes at the end. This is in stark contrast to his competitors' books which rest their flimsy conclusions on mostly anonymous sources and in the case of "Into the Mirror" the outright --and admitted by its authors-- fictionalization of Hanssen's life whenever it was convenient.

For me, the highlights of "Spy" are the chapters that discuss Hanssen's approach to religion, his twisted obsession with pornography and sex, the way the FBI and CIA procurred the entire file that the KGB maintained on Hanssen, and the psychological demons that drove Hanssen to inflict horrific damage on his country's national security. What is particularly shocking is that Hanssen's own brother-in-law (a fellow FBI agent) reported the spy's possession of large amounts of unexplained cash in 1990 to his superiors and the FBI brass did NOTHING about it. Hanssen could have been caught that year had someone in the FBI bureaucracy cared enough to follow through on the tip-off that they were handed on a silver platter. Even more disturbing is the allegation in the book that Hanssen wanted to have his best friend father a child by his wife so they could be a family of three. To paraphrase Wise, trying to understand someone who thinks and behaves the way Hanssen did is like taking a trip to the dark side of the moon.

To sum up, I would ignore all the other books about Hanssen and buy Wise's book. Reading it will make you want to cry not just because of what Hanssen did to all of us but because the FBI allowed him to inflict immeasurable harm on his country for so many years.

Robert Hanssen was in a league of his own. There wasn't another spy to compare him to, and not only for the amount of damage he did to compromise American intelligence to Russia. This was a man of several contradictions. It must have been hard for him to keep his respective roles straight. He was an agent for the FBI, a devoted family man, devout Catholic, obsessed with porn, spying for Russia, and became infatuated with a stripper to the extent that he took her on a trip to Hong Kong and bought her a Mercedes. He was the computer guru who appeared contemptious of other co-workers. It appears to me that he often employed the defense mechanism called reaction formation which means he took an attitude with others the opposite of which produced anxiety in himself. He not only betrayed his country by using his job for personal gain, but horribly betrayed his wife by sharing sexual photos of her to his friend. Hanssen justifies his spying by saying his first job at the FBI was in Scarsdale, New York, and the cost of living there with his minimal salary forced him into needing extra money. Hanssen spent over 20 years compromising America's secrets through approximately 18 drops of documents for the Russians. His Russian contact made sure to massage Hanssen's ego with flattery in communication with him. What the Russians paid for this information was a pittance compared to its value. A tunnel built under the Soviet embassy in Washington that cost hundreds of millions of dollars was for naught as he passed this on to the Russians. Three Soviets working for the FBI were named by Hanssen and were called back to Russia and executed. Apparently it didn't bother his conscience because he would always confess his spying along with his other sins to a Catholic priest. It doesn't appear right to me that he should be able to confess such law infractions and not be reported, but that's another story. This is the third book I've read on Robert Hanssen's life of espionage, and I feel this one is the best.

Wow. David Wise. Put that name on your favorite authors list. He is now on mine. In "Spy", he presents a comprehensive look into Robert Hanssen's life as a spy.

From A to Z, "Spy" looks at Hanssen's childhood, early years at the FBI, then dives right into his 20yr betrayal. There isn't a lot of fluff or forced drama only because it isn't needed. David takes what could have been just a boring spy case and turned it into something out of a Tom Clancy or Robert Ludnum novel. Seriously. There are parts of the book where I literally couldn't put it down. There is talk about tradecraft, dead drops, and leaving signals for his handlers. Great stuff!

One section -- where Hanssen is actually searching the FBI databases for his only name, street address, and other keywords to see if the FBI were on to him made me want to scream , "WTF are you doing, buddy. You are gonna get CAUGHT!". Another chapter involves Hanssen and various computer activites at FBI HQ. How he managed to get away with those. The chapters that led up to and go into his capture are nail-biters. Unforseen events surface that could wreck the arrest plan.

Lots of never-before-read details about Hanssen and the secrets he gave to the Soviets and then Russians. To read about the sheer magnitude of secrets Hanssen sold to the Russians blew my mind. The book shares the titles of some of the documents Hanssen gave up. Shocking material. Things that an FBI agent had no business having. One example, Hanssen revealed to the Russians some secrets from the NSA.

Oh, and the last two chapters delve into Hanssen's motivation for selling out his country. A Ph.D interviewed Hanseen during and after the trial. The book does a wonderful job of dissecting Hanssen's motivations and reasons.

Finally, I can't believe how compartmentialized Robert Hanssen was. By day, he is a religious, family man who hates the Soviet Union. By night, he's selling his soul and US secrets to the same Soviet Union.

A brilliant book by David Wise. Thank you!

After seeing Breach, I wanted to learn more about the Hanssen case, and this is the first book I found in the library. Robert Hanssen is a fascinating subject, and this book provided information that was missing or glossed over in the film. For example, money seems a major factor in his spying. I did not get that impression from the movie. Also, the movie portrays him as combative and confrontational, whereas the book depicts him as socially awkward, aloof, and a nerd.



While I respect the author's research, I am unimpressed by his writing. He does not tell the Hanssen story in an engaging way. Far too much time is spent describing the bit players. Do I really need to know that this FBI agent was "tall and affable" and this woman was "bright and articulate"? In my opinion, the book should have provided more speculation on Hanssen's motives. I also found the author's attempts at creativity and levity to be distracting and cliche. For example, note this sentence: "This time, he decided, he would play in the majors" (46). I also dislike the author's occasional moments of self-applause. For example, in a footnote he mentions that Hanssen thought the author is "the best espionage writer around" (271). Congratulations David, this pervert likes your work.



"Spy" gives a complete overview of the Hanssen case. I recommend it for its insight despite its literary flaws; however I suspect that more compelling books exist.

For the reader who can digest detail and enjoys real-life suspense. A very good book in a subject field that is full of boring background info and exciting moments of piecemeal detective work. This book delves into the part of the story that was not broadcast on the 6pm news. It shows how very human foibles can lead to very expensive and damaging results. This author writes well and researches his story even better. Check his other books and you won't be disappointed. I will likely read this one again.

David Wise is a top intelligence historian, and this is a book that has many intelligence operatives hopping mad, which is a good reason to read it. If they will cool off and read it they will learn something from it. Another reason to read it is that the book's leading figure is someone who could scarcely be extracted from even the the craftiest fiction in that it is doubtful that anyone could ever dream up Robert Hanssen and his many bizarre mind turns.

Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky probed the depths of madness and bizarre personality traits in their novels, and by doing his research and taking on Hanssen as he actually exists, this work falls into an intriguingly comparable category. Consider the fact that Hanssen, a devout Catholic who converted from Lutheranism after meeting his wife to be, was a member of the conservative Catholic lay group Opus Dei, of which he remained a member while he betrayed his country. Consider that this bizarre and tricky Svengali convinced his wife that he had given up spying after confessing his crime to a priest, who told him to cease his efforts and donate his profits obtained from the Russians for his acts of betrayal to Mother Theresa. It was not until he was finally caught that his wife realized that he had failed to follow the priest's instruction and had continued his life as a spy.

The Hanssen duplicity extended into the sexual realm, and with a twist reflective of the split personality involved. Hanssen became infatuated with a sexually alluring dancer at a strip club visited by FBI agents and members of the Washington intelligence establishment. He bought her a used Mercedes and took her on a trip to Hong Kong. To her total astonishment and acute frustration, he refused to consummate a sexual act with her despite her best efforts. Despite his fascination with her, the Opus Dei Catholic side remained.

A fascinating aspect of the book revolves around how Hanssen got away with his spying for better than two decades. Wise points out that he was aided by the fact that his own FBI colleagues believed that their esprit de corps discipline was so strong and loyalties so unflinching that one of their own would never stoop to such treachery. They strongly believed that the treason stemmed from someone in the CIA. One loyal CIA operative had his entire life disrupted and his career destroyed when he was thought to be the traitor giving secrets to the Soviet KGB.

This is one of those crackling page turners that takes hold of the reader early and carries him or her with the forceful energy of a bucking bronco to the final page.

David Wise truly gets to the heart of the matter on this subject. His sources and documentation are unrivaled in discovering the mystery of the man that was Robert Hanssen.

If your leaning one way or the other to buy this book, I would highly reccomend it. Wonderful read.

I have read four books on the Hanssen case and this is by far the best. It offers a well-researched story about all aspects of the Hanssen case and includes detailed information about the inside workings of the FBI and CIA. It also manages to be extremely thorough without focusing excessively on the more lurid aspects of Hanssen's betrayals. Wise gives a vivid picture of how espionage works, what the effects of Hanssen's spying were, and why Hanssen was able to remain undetected for so long. The only flaw, if one can call it that, is Wise's somewhat dry prose style and matter-of-fact approach to storytelling. Other books have more of the salacious details, such as the text of Hanssen's pornographic e-mails and descriptions of his relationship with a stripper, but if you only have time for one Hanssen book this is definitely the one.

If you think you can skip the book because you saw the movie. think again. The movie was fun and suspenseful but is a work of fiction concocted by Hollywood. It bears little resemblance to the characters, events and real-world suspense which David Wise brings to his readers. His exhaustive research and understanding of this cloak-and-dagger world is evident as this story of betrayal unfolds. Great read! You can't help but think the FBI would rather you see the movie and not read the book.