Is U.S. Counterintelligence Up to the Task of Protecting America’s Secrets? Some Final Thoughts

Inside the government’s increased efforts to keep China and Russia from undermining the nation’s spy networks.

CIA turncoat Jerry Chun Shing Lee sentenced to 19 years

My article is now out - see below. Some final thoughts —

Counterintelligence is laborious, time-consuming, detailed and risk-prone work. It is carried out by dedicated professionals with the investigative skills of Poirot and search instincts of a prized truffle hog. CI is not where one goes for fast-track promotions to the top, nor is it considered sexy work by intelligence pros. That status is reserved for counterterrorism operatives and front line agent recruiters. Nonetheless, we have our counterintel community to thank for busting all manner of espionage threats against us, from moles like the CIA’s Aldrich Ames and FBI’s Robert Hanssen to Russian hacking. CI professionals are sentinels of our national security.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with and knowing many CI officers over the years, from those who deploy cutting edge technology to ferret out listening devices to officials who do background checks and investigations. All are patriotic Americans dedicated to defending our nation from foreign adversaries.

Years ago, I was handed the classified CI report on a former State Department employee, a senior Foreign Service officer, who, by overwhelming evidence, spied for Russia. A methodical investigation by Diplomatic Security and FBI special agents revealed a damning chronology of the man’s covert meetings in European cities with Russian agents, including photos of him passing documents.

But the suspect got off without being charged to live a life of obscurity performing lowly jobs. Why? Because, as frequently happens, the government was unwilling to hand over to a judge and trial lawyers the classified evidence that I had the privilege of reading. There’s often a fine balance between justice and the interests of national security. That said, at their request, we re-wrote the all-important employee performance evaluations the suspect had written on those he supervised - this time under another senior officer’s signature.

I, myself, was the target of some ham-handed attempts while serving overseas of hostile intelligence services probing for vulnerabilities, including honey traps. Perhaps I’ll entertain you with those tales at a later date.

Meanwhile, at long last, my extensively researched article, “Is U.S. Counterintelligence Up to the Task of Protecting America’s Secrets?” is out! Read it here in Washington Monthly. To my surprise and delight, the State Department censors posed no objections following a fairly quick review. They sent the following:

Good morning Jim,

Our office has completed its review of your piece on counterintelligence and has no objections to its release in full.

We also ask that you include the following disclaimer: “The opinions and characterizations in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government.”

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Wow.

That’s quite a change from their treatment of my book, The Foreign Circus, when they went on a redaction spree:

Anyway, back to my piece in Washington Monthly.

From my interviews with intelligence professionals and in-depth research, I’ve come away with two key conclusions: a) for years now, it’s been open season on U.S. official secrets. From Wikileaks to Snowden to brazen and successful mega-hacks by Russia, China and others to an apparently growing parade of top secret-cleared Americans willing and eager to sell out their country for a song. The vaults have been nearly cleaned out of many of our most sensitive, closely held information (including, incidentally, my own classified cables and my personnel records); and b) after four years of negligence and herky-jerky countermeasures under the Trump administration, the Biden White House is scrambling to close the gaps and reinforce existing systems. But is it enough, effective and timely?

The jury’s out. Check this space again a year from now for a reassessment.

Oh. Lest I forget —

The opinions and characterizations in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent official positions of the U.S. government.