U.S. FRUSTRATED IN EFFORTS TO COUNTER SOVIET SPYING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302240020-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: June 16, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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APPEARER .1
ON PAGE
NEW YORK TINTS
16 June 1985
U.S. Frustrated in Efforts
To Counter Soviet Spying
The following article is based on reporting by Joel Brinkley and Leslie H.
Gelb and was written by Mr. Gelb.
Special to no New York Times
MOW Democrat who is vice chairman
of the Senate Intelligence Committee,
said: "How many other cases like this
are there sitting out there? We have to
assume the other Soviet intelligence
agents are out there doing something,
and we aren't catching them."
Although American intelligence offi-
cials agree that the K.G.B. has ex-
panded and improved its operations in
this country, there is debate over
WASHINGTON. June 15 ? American
counterespionage forces are finding
themselves understaffed and over-
whelmed in trying to combat increas-
ingly advanced and diversified Soviet
intelligence operations in the United
States, according to senior Govern-
ment officials.
The officials, who deal with intelli-
gence matters, said the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation had identified 500
to 800 agents Of the K.G.B.. the Soviet 1 whether the Soviet intelligence service
, intelligence and internal security agen- is now a formidable force or merely a
I cy, among the nearly 2000, Soviet offi- competent one.
cials living in the United States. Edward J. O'Malley, director of the
F B.I 's intelligence division, said,
In addition, the Senate Intelligence ?:-. ? . . .
(Jur objective is to know everything
Committee has identified at least 200. any-
, given intelligence officer is doing
K.G.B. agents among the 800 members : in the U.S. at all times." At the same
of the Soviet delegation to the United time, Mr. O'Malley acknowledged, "I
Nations, cannot say we can follow every Soviet
The number of agents the F.B.I. has , 24 hours a day," although he asserted
assigned to monitor these soviet agents i that the bureau, by using electronic
and hundreds of others who may be ht. I surveillance and "certain other legal
volved in espionage is classified, but techniques." was "in a good Pushkin to
Reagan Administration and Congres-
sional officials estimated the number
at 300 to 400.
Counterintelligence experts say four
agents are required to cover one sus-
pect day and night. "We don't even
have a man-to-man defense," William
J. Casey, Director of Central Intelli-
gence, said in an interview.
liIn interviews, officials from the
.B.I? the Central Intelligence Agen-
y
, the State Department and. other
Government agencies and riremberr of
Congress said these problems helped, Ur
explain how John A. Walker jr.,
charged with leading an espionage
ring, might have passed vital secrets to
Soviet agents for. nearly 20 years with-
out being detected.
Calls for Improvement Made
Because of the charges against Mr.
Walker, members of Congress and
others are calling for significant im-
provements in American counterespi-
onage capabilities. This week the Sen-
ate and House Intelligence Committees
, and the information subcommitee of
the House Government Operations
Committee began investigations of
those issues.
severely hurt their intelligence-gather-
ing activities."
The officials agreed that the situa-
tion would be worse if Congress had not
insisted on increasing the number of
American counterintelligence agents
over the last several years, despite op-
position from the bureau and the Jus-
tice Department.
Intelligence sources have attributed
this opposition to bureaucratic con-
cerns and to the difficulty of finding
qualified agents.
Expansion of Soviet Forces
While the Government has debated
the number of counterintelligence
agents it needs, the Soviet Union has
Improved and expanded its intelligence
operations here, senior officials said.
Over the last decade, intelligence of-
ficials said, Moscow has more than
doubled the number of intelligence offi-
cers assigned to the United States while
at the same time broadening their
operations to focus on American tech-
nology and military industries.
In the past Soviet officers worked
chiefly in only four or five major cities,
including New York, Washington and
San Francisco. But Mr. O'Malley said
they now operate nationwide.
In addition, past and present intelli-
Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Ver- gence officials say the quality of
K.G.B. agents has significantly im-
proved since the days when American
officers said they could easily spot
former senior intelligence official.
Still, Administration officials acknowl-
edge that there is a continuing and per-
haps irresolvable debate over the ex-
tent of K.G.B. capabilities and opera-
tions in this country.
Most intelligence officials say they
believe that American intelligence
operations are better than those of the
K.G.B. but that the K.G.B. does not re- ,
quire as much skill to operate effec-
tively in-America's open society.
Shoitctiltings in U.S. Operation
Interviews with numerous current
and former intelligence officers, along
with members of Congress and other
Government officials, also brought to
light these points:
The F.B.I. can regularly monitor
only the known Soviet intelligence offi-
cers, giving scant attention to sus-
pected officers, and surveillance of
even the known agents ends when their
lights are turned out in the evening and
they are presumed to be sleeping.
American officials believe a large
number of Soviet agents have slipped
into the United Stateis illegally and are
living and working here and reporting
directly to Moscow. With rare excep-
tions, Federal officials say they do not
know who or where they are.
elle F.B.I. faces another potentially
large problem in that about 1,000 Soviet
emigitts, many naturalized American
citizens, work in military industries
and have access to classified informa-
tion. The F.B.I. assumes these people
are loyal Americans, but because most
of them still have families in the Soviet
Union the bureau believes they are vul-
nerable targets for the K.G.B.
!Soviet officers place special em-
phasis on trying to recruit American
agents, but most Americans who spy
for the Soviet Union are volunteers, not
recruits, bureau officials say. Soviet
officers also use Americans who can be
unknowingly tricked into revealing se-
crets.
!Intelligence officials agree that
Soviet officers have become increas-
ingly talented at the psychological
manipulation of American agents, to
Insure that once they begin sP)4118 they
do not stop.
AS was true with the arrest of Mr.
Walker, most espionage arrests are a
result of chance. Federal agents
learned of Mr. Walker's alleged activi-
ties only after his wife decided to turn
him in.
ntinued
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Debate Over Soviet Capacities
In the F.B.I. and especially in the
C.I.A., two schools of thought exist re-
garding the effectiveness of "the other
shop,' as agents call the K.G.B.
James J. Angleton, former head of
C.I.A. counterintelligence, contends
that the K.G.B. is highly skilled and
has penetrated top levels of Govern-
ment and the C.I.A. itself. He and some
other officials in the agency believe the
Soviet presence is now almost impossi-
ble to counter.
The other school argues that the
K.G.B. has substantially improved its
capacities but can still be countered.
'They're not so great, and they're
probably like we are, some good, some
bad,' a former senior C.I.A. official
said.
Mr. O'Malley said: "The K.G.B. is
now very good, well trained. They are
very good at detecting surveillance."
But he added, "They are not 10 feet
tall." Since Mr. Angleton's departure
in the mid-1970's, this view has become
dominant.
William Hood, a former C.I.A. agent,
said, "It is hard for an intelligence
service to be much better than the soci-
ety it represents, and Soviet society is
low in productivity and spirit and high
in alcoholism.
But he added, "The K.G.B. is also
their elite."
Reliance on Electronic Tools
In the last several years, Soviet intel-
ligence officers have substantially in-
creased their reliance on electronic in-
telligence gathering, a field in which
the United States capacities are be-
lieved to be more advanced, officials
say.
Soviet devices in Cuba monitor
American telephone and other com-
munications along much of the East
Coast. And the new Soviet Embassy in
Washington, on a hill near the highest
point in the city, is believed to be
equipped with advanced electronic sur-
veillance equipment.
"These techniques have substan-
tially devalued classical espionage," a
former American agent said.
Nonetheless, several officials said,
as the arrest of Mr. Walker showed,
human agents remain critically impor-
tant.
"The Soviets place a great deal of
emphasis on recruiting Americans,"
Mr. O'Malley said.
In recent years, current and former
intelligence officials say, the K.G.B.
has refined its recruiting technigues in
this country. Today agents use guile
and psychological manipulation more
often than in the past, when they might
have relied on blackmail.
Adm. Stansfield Turner, the Director
of Central Intelligence in the Carter
Administration, said. "They appeal to
financial motives, to greed and to this
macho, '007' appeal that makes some
people think they want to be spies."
In court this week, James W. Miller,
a former F.B.I. agent accused of
spying for the Soviet Union, testified
that he was acting out what he called
"a James Bond kind of fantasy" in
becoming sexually involved with a
Russian woman who is also accused of
being a Soviet spy.
Mr. O'Malley said Soviet officers
tried to befriend American targets,
find their weaknesses and then use
their vulnerabilities to turn them into
spies.
In addition, Soviet officers use a
technique in which they try to use un-
witting Americans to gain access to se-
crets.
For example, in Washi ent-
ly, an intelligence officf?a
K.G.B. agent used this "false flag"
technique. He approached the wife of
an American naval officer who was
about to take a post abroad as an em-
bassy attach?The Soviet agent told
the woman that he was with the United
States Navy and that the Navy wanted
her to report on what was going on in
the embassy without telling her hus-
band. She told her husband anyway,
and the Soviet attempt failed.
Recruiting Efforts by Walker
Robert T. Crowley, a former senior
C.I.A. official, said he believed Mr.
Walker might have recruited unwitting
agents in the Norfolk Police Depart-
ment.
Pamela K. Carroll, Mr. Walker's
close companion, was dismissed this
week from her job in the Norfolk Police
Department after an internal investi-
gation. She purportedly ran automobile
license-plate checks for Mr. Walker
using the department's computer. She
has maintained that she did not know
Mr. Walker may have been spying.
Another Norfolk police officer, Jack
Bernard, an-year veteran of the force,
resigned rather then take a lie-detector
test on possible connections with Mr.
Walker, a senior city official said. Mr.
Bernard worked in the department's
central files division and had access to
city, state and Federal police records
nationwide.
? City officials said at least six other
Norfolk police officers were under in-
vestigation.
Mr. Crowley said Mr. Walker's con-
nections with the Norfolk Police De-
partment might have given Soviet in-
telligence officers "access to police
files all over the country."
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Techniques for Recmitrie
The C.I.A. has actpdred K.G.Basidlde Soviet Malegetehndieteeshedt
manuals that offer a cartoon-like view lateniadonal Madams end that toast a.
job at the State
Deportment.
of the typical American: vend.
greedY, a Product of decedent= "He INS looldng lice tit yeses down
laic society. But intelligence
agree that money is often but not _al- mitalleogniad'omthe? wain?, BoyceraladamidPsaid. Ph*
waYe the PrimouY motivation tor Once an Ameriain first commits el-
' americans to spy. pionage, Soviet agents act on the vtd-
K.G.B. officers working in the United nerekffity to kiac,kmag and may at-
States "recruit vety hard, look for vol. tempt to keep the agent welting with
notabilities. and test people," Mr. threat& .
Girlie sntater C.I.A. official said Soviet "Thalparfor the "awn in the ill.
officers looked for "the vulnerable per- IIljrics," said David A.
' sonality, someone filied with arvy, re- a former C.I.A. official. "You
asatment, ego, a grudge." don't eava so many candidate, that you
Mor. and man% another former am Mart to let them go. This isn't the
C.I.A. officer said, recruits are "people. aor liootto?" '
who think society has given them a raw Mr-. Croak". who - Uwe a C.I.A.
deal."nalitent *punt director for ospra-
But while the K.G.B. tries hard to re. lbw *Ma he retired in 1900, said
andt, F.B.I. and C.I.A officials agree ' blIttieliiii add hefift _1114et the first
that meet Americas' who spy for Mos-
cow are people who appear at the door amitad.
ot a Soviet =bag or catenate. dila% II an Iimeriam apedieeitet diarist
Bee-
- In sell American seselat. officer snaring leasille, the Rum-
' WM visatil
'It's the walkpla nada gat laws den "peas
their Ow rpok"__11g. lidel atilL. elgt =6anstlew to
Hoed an the brieftp la hes reafirelp' briar sumedues nr, *bona
Mr. Casey said, ? "It's my gum that
Walker was a recruit." Aftit''' tbs. liel?011404'-?1,11aterley
a v, ..iw,
Whether a walk-in or a recruit, dace .seig, tgaggekkg degek,nsetwaggeggt
an American begins spying for the mat depallsrAggedgam Map about
Soviet Union it is unlikely he will thni it me wen dijajfamef enem war 7
easy to retire. If lite mestlerettelldetWhaftdloviet_
'There Is Na Exit !rem It'officer hew, . Crowley genownen,
In testimony before Congress in him but the Soviet
the American will=
April, Christopher J. Boyce, who was lot about the American "se, they can
convicted in UM of passing classified complicate his life if they wattao." He
toformatIon about American satellites I added, "It's a trained guy .against an
to Soviet
xit officers, said, "There is no 1 amateur."
e from it."
Mr. Boyce described a Me meeting
in which be told his Soviet contact he
was going to retire. "I told Boris I Was
going back to school," Mr. BOyce said.
Rethought it was a great idea." He
_
How Soviet Union Manages Its Spies
Americans who agma ta spy for the said."
Russians are by Sometimes, an intelligence_ official
Soviet anomie In moeopw711=genoe said, a Soviet officer might tell, an
officials said. Soviet oaken in the American agent, "MY =Peelers want
United States 4o little without advs.= you to know that your fxrforthence is
approval, falling off, but we are holding out hope
Every hlitiative with an Aderisen that it will improve?'
spy is carefully. dammed sed Is. But if an American agent'provides
beamed in advance, the officials INKy valuable Wron, he
adding that it was not =usual for tbe ofritalAra 'twee:46d. .7 ',J. . 2...ch, a
R.G.B. to sende second manta a mish former Army wart .? Who ad-
slat to Monitor the activities. of the'millet isle& thatbetad been a Soviet
first. tcy, ids awarded the rank of colonel in
In the United States, a K.G.B. offIcat tfte Soria Adult _ _
.managing cases will advise the *dor hited=roilitiais said &filet of&
officer who is the contact far an Persof- Zgo to, an Anima:frit:1;e MelfgA,minyi-g
Joan sigma, " 'You're Wag this ma*
rout too lo,' tr, Itousight to "top =It essay to keep the agent moti-
wing that Credit card,'. Mr. Crowley batnot amp' to penvide inde-
said. - pundinee: Sanittities dlit .telf? the
Officers at K.G.B. headquarters in America* liwitpiW. of his eartgage are
Moscow mess the material American being dewsad In a Swig be ac-
spies provide and than send back ni. count.,_ -
quests "saying 'we need a little mond ff the American belkeina he is about
this, a little less of that ? can you get to be audded. hie Soviet contact "will
us this?" Mr. Crowielf said. Ovehhttit fahaposajatt and a ticket to
Soviet officers "want actual dots. Weeleett , " Mt- Crowley said. If the
masts," Mr.. Crowley said, adding:-. America he does not
"They are insatiable in that reepact. MOW LO Mr.
They want the actual paper; they deist "Then they have fulifiRed
want your interpretatiess of whet it tion, and there the ead rit
,.. _
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Measures for Countering Espionage
The F.B.I.'s foreign counterintelli-
gence office is responsible for stopping
Soviet espionage in the United States,
while the C.I.A. is charged with coun-
tering it abroad.
The F.B.I. places Soviet officials who
live in this country into five categories,
Administration and Congressional offi-
cials said.
The first category includes known in-
telligence officers who are actively en-
gaged in espionage. This is the only
group the F.B.I. monitors on a daily
basis, using physical and electronic
surveillance. Most of these people are
Soviet diplomats, embassy attaches
and journalists.
Ten years ago about 150 people were
placed in this category, but today there
are 500 to 600, the officials said.
The second category consists of sus-
pected intelligence agents, mostly dip-
lomats. Intelligence officials believe
all Soviet diplomats are potential intel-
ligence agents because they cannot
easily resist K.G.B. requests without
tear of reprisal. Members of this group
are not watched on a daily basis.
The third group consists of Soviet
Government officers with no evidence
of K.G.B. connections, and the fourth is
Soviet citizens who are not clearly at-
tached to their Government, like visi-
tors and academics.
"There is no program at all to get at
these people" in the fourth group, a
Congressional official said, even
though intelligence officials say visi-
tors are often coerced into performing
espionage work for the K.G.B.
Undercover Soviet Officers
The last group consists of undercover
Soviet officers who enter the country
illegally, take up residence as Amer-
ican citizens and try to blend into
American society.
These "illegals," report directly to
Moscow, intelligence officials say, and
try to find jobs that give them access to
sensitive information. The most fa-
mous of these was Col. Rudolf Abel, a
Soviet officer who ran a successful spy
network in the 1950's.
Admiral Turner, the former C.I.A.
Director, said, "I suspect there are a
sizable number of illegals in the United
States," although intelligence officals
say no one knows for sure.
For several years the Congressional
Intelligence committees have been
struggling to increase the number of
F.B.I. agents assigned to the counterin-
telligence office.
"For the last three or four-years, our
intelligence committee has increased
the F.C.I. manpower above what the
Administration asked for," said Sena-
tor Leah', the committee's vice chair-
man, referring to the foreign counter-
intelligence office. Still, he added,
"There are nowhere near enough
agents."
Resisting Increases in Staff
Several Congressional sources and
Administration officials said the F.B.I
has resisted increases mainly for bu-
reaucratic reasons. M one Congres-
sional source put it, "The F.B.I.does
not want the F.C.I. to become dispro-
portionately large within the F
and the Justice Department does not
want the F.B.I. to get bigger within the
Justice Department."
A former bureau agent said this was
part of the explanation. More impor-
tant, he said, "Itis simply hard to train
and get qualified agents as quickly as
Congress and we would want."
The bureau's counterintelligence job
is compounded because, in additgir
watching Soviet officials, it must track
Cuban, Bulgarian, East German and
other officers from Soviet bloc Coun-
tries who may be engaged in espio-
nage-
Most of the officials interviewed
agreed that increasing the number of
Counterintelligence officers would not
solve the problem by itself.
The real key to countering Soviet es-
pionage, they said, is penetrating the
Soviet establishment, particularly the
K.G.B.
"The heart of the matter is being in
side the other's shop;" Mr. Hood, the
former C.I.A. agent, said. "That's the
way to stop espionage."
The officials would not discuss how
successful American intelligence of fl
cers might have been at that, but, Mr.
Crowley said the job was extraordi-
narily difficult.
In this country, he said, Soviet diplo-
mats with access to classified materi-
als "live in compounds, and they're
locked up at night ? if they wan ti to go
to the supermarket, they go in cara-
vans, with guards."
"We just don't get many walk-ins
here," he added.
But, referring to espionage successes
by both sides, Mr. Casey said: "It hap-
pens both ways. It's pretty much the
luck of the draw."
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United Press International; Segnin/Difir?Allerrt,
Senator Patrkk J. Leahy, top -left
vice chairman of Senate Intelligence
Committee, contends that "we aren't
catching" Soviet agents. William J.
Casey, lower left, Director of Central
Intelligence, says there is no "man-
to-man defense" against espionage
suspects. Edward J. O'Malley of the
F.B.I. defended his organisation's
surveillance activities.
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