ID:

440

Date:

2001-07-29

Headline:

FBI Spied on Americans

Reporter's name:

Delay/denial:

No

Lawsuit:

No

Fees:

No

Media outlet:

CBS News

City:

Washington, DC

Summary:

According to documents obtained via FOIA from the Department of Justice, FBI agent-turned-spy Robert Hanssen not only spied for the Soviet Union, but also oversaw a surveillance program for the FBI which monitored American citizens to investigate the influence of Soviet propaganda.

Notes:

CBS News' "Eye on America" broke the story; the Center for Investigative Reporting explained that the Department of Justice had taken sixteen years to respond to the FOIA request central to the story (http://www.centerforinvestigativereporting.org/articles/fbispiedonamericans). The FOIA request elicited nearly 3,000 documents (See 7/31/01, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/31/eveningnews/main304276.shtml)

Keywords:

FBI, Hanssen, Robert Hanssen, Soviet Union, Soviet, propaganda, Barney Frank

URL:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/29/eveningnews/main303895.shtml

Agencies:

DOJ
FBI

States:

CA
DC
MA
NE

Categories:

civil rights
FBI
intelligence
national security