1756 Robert Hanssen master spy and the police state

Yesterday was a wow work day plus. I worked hard throughout Monday achieving more in a day than for several months. The intention is for a repeat tomorrow when rain is expected to predominate. These are likely to be the only two days of such activity during the rest of the month.

The most important event of the day was the Panorama programme which explained the latest Police strategy to deal with extremism and anti democratic activity in the technological environment. At one level the approach is totalitarian and 1984 with a strong dose of animal farm moral gymnastics. There is a strong element of Labour Party kow towing to officialdom and need to be in control which is common among those who lack the confidence of inherited power, wealth and its cultural heritage. There is nothing socialist, Christian or pro working people about the political leadership being demonstrated. This is one valid viewpoint. There are others though just as valid

Earlier I watched a three hour two part made for television film about the life of Robert Hanssen, the most dangerous and successful spy in American history who passed 6000 pages of the highest level secrets to the Russians over a period of two decades. He was responsible for the death of three Russians working for the United States and the information he passed could have led to the destruction of the United States and its government in a major confrontation with the Russians.

While this is film drama, it covers all the essential facts of his life. That Hanssen was not identified as a major security risk and watched day and night until long after the Soviets had broken up and Russia decided to join international capital and corporatism and demonstrates the naivety and incompetence of the FBI and CIA during most of the 20th century in terms of US national security. They allowed their nation to be run by gangsters, religious fanatics, racial bigots and the international corporations and they failed in the basics of protecting themselves and their people. They forgot the basic rule of government who guards the guardians!

Not that the British have had any cause for self satisfaction as we have had our fair share of people within the service working as agents form the Russian government. Our problems related to class, public schools and the Gentleman’s club and the old boy network. It is just that one expected the USA to be better organised and professional.

Hassen had all in the ingredients in his background and personality which should have rung alarm bells. He did not have a loving relationship with either parent although little is recorded about his mother or his Chicago Policeman father. He was of Polish-Danish and German background thus lacking in cultural national identity. He was bright studying chemistry and Russian, switching careers from dentistry to business and taking an MBA, started out as an accountant in a private firm but then was taken up by the police Department as an internal affairs investigator. Whether he was properly appraised at this point as a creative is unknown but he became known for his forensic accounting and at the age of 22 was taken in to the FBI where his strengths as an analyst quickly became recognised. He had great skills in joining up the dots and seeing what was there in a way which most people cannot, one of the great characteristics of the creative. I know that in the UK by the 1970’s, possibly before, and elsewhere in the world paper assessments and observation assessments systems had been developed to a high level of accuracy which should have flagged up that while he was useful as a creative in any team and at the highest levels, he was also suspect in terms of loyalty and personal behaviour and open to being bought by the highest bidder.

The crucial development event of Hassen into a traitor was his marriage to Bonnie Wauck of a staunch traditional Catholic family. He converted to the faith and became a zealot joining the Opus Dei extremists with their anti gay, anti birth control and abortion, anti communist and anti atheist positions. It was not just a case of supporting the Republican Party but hating democrats and their approach to policies and the role of government. Hanssen was no sleeper or closet Catholic fascist. He was open in his extreme viewpoints which should have alerted his employers that this was someone who need to be watched as well as used.

He was quickly promoted to the counter intelligence division based in New York. Hanssen became an exceptionally clever and effective spy using his religious fanataticism and his right wing bigotry to convince colleagues he was an alround good patriotic guy,

He appears to have had little difficulty in reconciling his beliefs and opinions with providing the Russian with low level information for money to support his increasing family with three children when he moved to six. When his wife found out about his activities she insisted they discuss the situation with the parish priest and he expressed sorrow, vowed to God to stop the activity and to repay the money gained at a rate of 500 dollars a month over two years i.e. 12000 dollars. In the film he is said to have argued that with the implosion of the Soviet from of government in the 1980’s there was risk of rash actions which threatened the personal security of his family so by giving the Russian information he was helping to maintain an equilibrium.

He quickly ratted on this commitment and commenced to provide the Russians religious and marital commitments and convinced the Russians that he could provide high level information for large sums of cash, estimated at about one and half million dollars. Why the security agencies do not have the power to monitor the financial records of their senior operatives is puzzling .

The double life extended into other areas of his behaviour and relationships. He secretly video taped his sexual relationship with his wife and showed these to a close friend and later created closed circuit television so his friend could view his marital relationship. He would also discuss his sexual life and marital relationship with strangers on internet chat rooms in such a degree of openness that he could be identified. He also visited strip clubs with his friend and established a relationship with one young women taking her on field trip to Hong Kong and also on a visit to an FBI training facility. He gave her money, jewels and a used Mercedes car. However it was confirmed that their relationship was platonic despite her willingness of have sex with him. The young woman became a drug addict and a prostitute after his capture and imprisonment and her relationship became public. The film suggests she was a victim from start to finish. He was someone who divorced the potential impact of his actions on those closest to him, his family his work colleagues, his religion and his country. He did not need the money but became addicted to the excitement of his double life of cheating the system. He was showing them than they underestimated him and did not give him the respect and recognition he merited.

As the Soviet system of government began to break up there was some understanding that Russian actions indicated they had significant information about the USA positions and suspicion was first directed at the CIA although an appraisal of an FBI agent was undertaken by Hanssen who was sufficient of a professional to advise that such a possibility existed. The hierarchy rejected this arguing it could not happen with the FBI where was likely within the CIA. So much for integrated homeland security in that era.

Even when the CIA was caught the attention continued to focus on that service. The former soviet spymaster came to the USA in the new spirit of cooperation and eventually the file on the still unknown Hassen was handed over as part of other information and with the file was a voice recording which took time to clean and then identify. There were prints on the material which incriminated Hassen and also the use of phrases familiar to him. He was saved from the death penalty by making a full confession and was sentenced to life without parole in 2001 and spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement apart from statutory allowed visits from his wife and family. That he remained undetected and would have remained so had the Soviet union not broken up is an indictment of a system which failed to prevent 9/11.

I also listened late night staying up to midnight to Morrisey in his 2006 Eurockeennes Festival I like Morrissey with his tuneful and mournful statements about the realities of life. Missing was perhaps his most famous number, The first of the gang to die. Also not for a French audience was I did not sing I am dreaming of the time when being English Irish Blood and English Heart. He did sing Coma and Girlfriend in a coma

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In contrast I also listened to the performances of Giordano Luca who sang Verdi and Puccini who was voted the best singer by the public. He missed out because of technical brilliance and powerfully dramatic performances of the Russian Ekaterina Shcherbachenko,

However it was a great work day completing work on 33 new sets, except for photography. I did contact the repairers and was told it was still with them but when I explained about going away I was told it would be with me later in the week. I was also reassured it was covered by the agreement which expired at the weekend. It is my intention to renew once the repair has been undertaken and appears to be lasting.

As anticipated the weather was awful all day. This affected the collection of the rubbish not completed until the afternoon although the environmental box was cleared earlier. I did check the weather here until the weekend, at Headingley where Durham is playing Yorkshire and Nottingham where I travel next week. It will be good for the period Wednesday Saturday, so I might go over for the first dat at Headingley on Friday and then take the ferry for the Tynemouth Mouth of the Tyne festival day on Saturday. There will be a problem because the Tyne Tunnel is closed so those planning to take their cars will have to travel via Newcastle and may be tempted to use the ferry. There is a free bus service to Tynemouth from the ferry bus stop. I will return for the evening activity and fireworks in South Shields.

On Sunday when the weather is expected to be poor I will concentrate on preparations fro the trip which will now commence on Monday rather than Tuesday so I can attend the last day of the game with Yorkshire with an additional night‘ stay away fro £29.

All this week the BBC is showing a new series of Torchwood at 9 pm, a glorified Doctor Who without the Doctor and also produced in Wales. It was interesting thought and I will make it a date over the rest of the week except for Thursday when I am going to sage for a recreation of the music of Louis Armstrong.

I also watched part of the news which marked the return home of the two soldiers killed in Afghanistan at the weekend. The head of the British Army was present for the slow passing through the nearest town. I visited the town and went past Lyneham during my family history visit to Wiltshire in 2005. The reason for the additional publicity was that death of the most senior British Officer in combat since the Falklands. The news was shared by the information that a million people from overseas have entered a competition for rickets for the Michael Jackson Memorial service. To me he remained a child all is life never having a proper natural childhood being thrust on the stage with the Jackson Five and which brings me back to Robert Hanssen and to me. I had a restless night when I went to bed.