FBI swarms with spies

The FBI leadership admits, foreign spies are probably still operating inside the Bureau even today. At least, FBI staff can not present any disproving information. Kenneth Senser, FBI Deputy Director spoke at an extraordinary session of the US Senate’s Judiciary Committee. He commented upon a special commission’s report on FBI internal security. PRAVDA.Ru already published, the commission had been founded after the catch of Russian spy Robert Hanssen. In Senser’s words, much has been done for internal security since that time. “Our chances to catch spies are greater now, but still, I am not sure all spies will be caught”, FBI deputy director for security problems comments. The FBI leadership is perfectly sure such spies do exist.

Mr.Senser himself was “borrowed” from CIA especially to amend the FBI internal security system. According to Senser’s provisional estimates, $78 million will be necessary to launch important activities for security system amending. William Webster, former FBI and CIA director, delivered a report before Senate members. It was he who had been at head of a special commission for investigation of FBI security problems. Mr. Webster was at head of the Bureau in 1979, when Hanssen’s “spy career” started. Well, Americans do know perfectly well whom to appoint heads of different commissions. Mr.Webster says the Hanssen case is “shocking”, however he is more shocked with “the easiness the spy reached classified documents.” Americans do not rule out that sophisticated foreign agents are acting against the USA, but they would like to minimize the risk.

William Webster thinks, majority of spies co-operate with “the enemy” on their free will, but still prefer to be paid for the work. Consequently, financial control over FBI officials is to be toughened. William Webster suggested a really interesting thing: he thinks the number of US spies in other countries is to be increased. The matter is, as confessed by the ex-head of CIA and FBI, almost all spies ever caught by the USA were given up by US agents operating in foreign intelligence services. So, the USA tries to compensate faults of internal security with successful work of US agents in other countries.

The Webster commission suggested several recommendations on amendment of the FBI internal security. For example, it is suggested to found one more department for security problems subject to Director Muller and create a centralized system of individual financial accountability. FBI staffers will be oftener put to Polygraph testing. Will the measures be a success? We remember, FBI leadership can not present any guarantees against spies.

Sergey Borisov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/12/39637.html