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David A. Vise

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The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History Kindle Edition

by David A. Vise (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 401 ratings

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The New York Times–bestselling “first-rate spy thriller” of the FBI agent who sold top-secret information to the Russians for more than twenty years (Entertainment Weekly).

Drawing from a wide variety of sources in the FBI, the Justice Department, the White House, and the intelligence community, Pulitzer Prize–winning author David A. Vise tells the story of how FBI counterintelligence agent Robert Philip Hanssen employed the very sources and methods his own nation had entrusted to him in a devious game of deceit—simply because he had something to prove. Vise also interweaves the narrative of how FBI director Louis J. Freeh led the government’s desperate search for its betrayer among its own ranks, from the false leads, to the near misses, to its ultimate, shocking conclusion. Fascinating, gripping, and provocative, The Bureau and the Mole is a harrowing tale of how one man’s treachery rocked a fraternity built on fidelity, bravery, and integrity—and how the dedicated perseverance of another brought him to justice.

“Absorbing . . . Vise’s account of Mr. Hanssen’s road to becoming a double agent is fascinating.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By the time fellow FBI agents arrested Robert Hanssen in February 2001, he'd been spying for the Russians off and on for two decades. Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post scribe Vise attempts to explain why Hanssen did it and how he got away with it in this comprehensive account. Hanssen, says Vise, was a highly intelligent but socially inept loner who felt "overlooked and underappreciated" by his colleagues at the Bureau. Determined to prove he was better than them and eager to profit from his superiority Hanssen decided to begin passing classified documents to his KGB counterparts in exchange for diamonds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also revealed the names of at least nine U.S. spies working in the KGB, several of whom were subsequently executed. But the FBI, Vise writes, was so blind to its own vulnerabilities that it ignored the warning signs even when Hanssen's brother-in-law (also an FBI agent) reported that Hanssen was hiding huge sums of cash at home. Vise adheres to a plain newspaper style in his account, which steals some of the excitement from Hanssen's dramatic spy craft; he also includes long, needless digressions on the career of FBI Director Louis Freeh. But Vise's research and reporting are first-rate and his sources (Hanssen's wife, mother and best friend, as well as other FBI agents and ex-KGB operatives) are excellent. This is a chilling portrait of a man who betrayed his country simply to see if he could. (Jan.) Forecast: This is one of a trio of books on Hanssen, including The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold (Forecasts, Oct. 1), one of which came in too late for review (see note, The Spy Next Door, page 59). The market may be too crowded for Atlantic's optimistic 50,000-copy first printing.

From Library Journal

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Washington Post, Vise cracks the code on a stellar FBI agent turned Russian informant. Sounds good, so don't wait for the film, due out from Jerry Bruckheimer.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The story seems to come straight out of a cold-war spy novel. In February 2001, FBI special agent Bob Hanssen was arrested as a double agent for Russian intelligence in what turned out to be the biggest sellout of U.S. national security secrets in the long history of the bureau. Why would someone spy on his own country? Vise, a Pulitzer Prize winner who broke the Hanssen story in the Washington Post, details how Hanssen did it and how he got caught but also offers a credible psychological profile. Hanssen grew up at the mercy of an abusive father who completely stripped his son of confidence and self-respect. As an FBI agent, Hanssen acted out the results of his boyhood abuse by fanning a growing resentment for the bureau. "His 'rage' at the FBI erupted each time he was passed over for promotion," the author reveals. "He fought back by attempting grand, daring feats of espionage. He failed to recognize that his progress at the FBI was inhibited by his [difficult] personality." This dramatic account--one more indictment of the FBI's record of late--is certain to be requested at the circulation desk. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

'' . . . brisk, well-documented...a penetrating study of the villain and a gripping summary of the appalling evidence against him.'' --Wall Street Journal, Jan 8, 2002

About the Author

David A. Vise is the bestselling author of four books. He spent over twenty years at the Washington Post, where he won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for a four-part series on the Securities and Exchange Commission during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The award-winning series became the basis for Eagle on the Street (1991), coauthored with Steve Coll. Vise’s other books include New York Times bestseller The Bureau and the Mole (2001) and national bestseller The Google Story (2005), which was published in more than two dozen languages. He currently serves as a senior advisor to New Mountain Capital, a New York–based private equity firm.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0074A6HK6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atlantic Monthly Press; First Trade Paper edition (December 1, 2007)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2007
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3470 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #152,232 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #11 in Forensic Science (Kindle Store)
- #25 in Biographies of Espionage
- #39 in Forensic Science Law

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4.3 out of 5

401 global ratings

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P. Schneider

A very well written description of double agents and spies

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2024

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It is hard to believe that spies have harmed the United States. This book spells it out and makes you wonder why the FBI was so easily fooled by Robert Hansen.

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021

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What an awful mentally unstable parody of a human being. The story portends the final decadence and politicization of the F. B .I. and other agencies. Hanssen is a personification of the leadership in the department which has been proved to be highly political, pretentious and inept. It seems the last of the good guys have left the station.

4 people found this helpful

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Justforfun

Couldn't stop reading

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2023

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Very fast paced and great story. I could have done without the last two chapters.. Seemed like author thought he needed to put in graphic details to sell the book. Wasn't necessary..

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Hammarhead

The Bureau & the Mole: Unlikely Pair

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2019

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The pairing for some readers of THE spy & the head of the FBI relates how the spy & the director who was in charge when the spy was unmasked.

3 people found this helpful

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bob

Great book!

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2021

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I had a great time reading this book, but I have one issue why did you include the Clinton's here? I mean it's just totally unrelated.

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2019

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Fascinating book about the Hanssen spy case, as well as the triumphs and embarrassments the FBI went through during that time. I found the emails in the end of the book particularly revealing about Hanssen and the Clinton administration.

5 people found this helpful

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Timothy Toy

Bad guys exist

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021

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Very interesting. I really liked the detailed situations. Hanssen displayed classic signs that were obviously missed because no one looked at the entire person or spoke to each other about him.

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2007

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A frightening look into the mind and works of a socially inadequate FBI Agent who betrayed the American people, trading their safety over cash and diamond. The most disturbing fact was his fantasy of retiring from the FBI and move to Moscow and train future spies. The author did an excellent job in telling the lives of a deceitful Hanssen and of a dedicated Director Freeh.

Undoubtedly written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist.

Check also: They Spy who Stayed out in the Cold.
Cold Eyes

4 people found this helpful

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Technophobic

Highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2018

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I really enjoyed this book! I saw the film "Breach" and wanted to find out more about the events it was based on. This book didn't disappoint! It is written in a very readable way and really expands on the lives and characters of the main players in this extraordinary story.

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