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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Spy Tour: Retracing Robert Hanssen's Steps

Aired February 19, 2002 - 05:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You know when you visit our nation's capital, there are a number of tours you can take. You know about the tour showing how the government works. But did you know about the spy tour? You can actually see where spies carried out their secret missions.

CNN's David Ensor took the tour to learn more about the man who may be America's most dangerous spy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The man who U.S. officials say may have done more damage to this country than any other spy spent the anniversary of his arrest in the Alexandria Detention Center. His wife probably visited Robert Hanssen. She always does on Mondays.

On a bus tour retracing the steps of Hanssen's treachery, author David Vise said the convicted spy has been failing lie detector tests during his interrogation about what he gave to the Russians.

DAVID VISE, AUTHOR: Hanssen became very upset and he actually punched the polygrapher in the face. And the polygrapher hit him back and they got into a scuffle and a number of security guards had to come in and separate the two men.

ENSOR: Since the plea bargain promising Hanssen life in prison instead of death depends on his full cooperation, he is, apparently, taking real risks. Vise also says Osama bin Laden may now be benefiting from secrets that Hanssen gave Moscow about a software system used by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement.

VISE: An individual Russian, not the Russian government, but an individual Russian, according to U.S. intelligence, later sold that software to the al Qaeda terrorist network for $2 million. That software ultimately made its way to Osama bin Laden and U.S. intelligence believes it facilitated and has facilitated bin Laden's ability to evade monitoring by the United States.

DAVID MAJOR, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Bob walks across the street, goes down into this location here and retrieves $50,000. That was his first payment as a spy.

ENSOR: Robert Hanssen's treachery may have started, say former FBI colleagues, because, with a family of six children, he needed the money. But he soon became addicted to betrayal.

PAUL MOORE, FORMER FBI INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It's not about the money. Once he's involved in it, it's about the intrigue and it's about coming out to these things and slipping package under there. He's actually acting the role of a spy instead of just reading about the spy stuff, which is what we did at FBI headquarters.

ENSOR: Our tour did not include the sites of Hanssen's personal treachery, the strip joint where he found the stripper on whom he spent $80,000 of the Russians' money or the house where he allowed a friend through a surveillance camera to watch his wife and himself having sex. We were shown the last place Hanssen went to drop off secrets for the Russians one year ago. Little did he know on this last walk he was watched by heavily armed FBI men.

VISE: People wanted to blow his head off, wishing he would go for his weapon. And instead they slapped the cuffs on him. And he looks at them and says, "What took you so long?" A question that still haunts the FBI to this very day.

ENSOR: David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Want to know more about the spies of the Washington tour? Well, there's a Web site you can go to, www.spytour.com. Really interesting. I'm actually reading a book about Robert Hanssen.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's what you said.

COSTELLO: It's very, he was a strange, strange man.

MYERS: Well...

COSTELLO: And he didn't spend any of the money for fun things, either. He spent it...

MYERS: Well, $80,000 at a strip club.

COSTELLO: Yes, but he was trying to reform the prostitute and make her a better person.

MYERS: Oh.

COSTELLO: He wanted her to find religion. She found drugs. Yes, sad story.

MYERS: Unfortunately you're reading it. Just give me the Cliff notes when you're done.

COSTELLO: Okay.

MYERS: That'll save me some time.

COSTELLO: Okay.

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