The ongoing probe into the activities of alleged Russian mole/FBI counterintelligence expert Robert Hanssen could be "way more dangerous to American security interests" than any secrets that may have been passed to Russian intelligence, according to official Russian sources.
Moscow is warning the U.S. that the investigation is "fostering an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust," and that "no secrets are worth risking crucial understanding and cooperation between the two superpowers."
The statements were reported by the Voice of Russia World Service, the official broadcasting service of the Russian government.
Moscow condemned what it termed the "recurring bouts of witch hunting and spy scandals" which are "doing precious little in normalizing relations" between Russia and the United States.
The Hanssen case is seen as a tool used by "some politicians and media in Washington rooting for a tougher stand in dealing with Russia," and to "keep the Americans always scared of the imaginary Russian threat."
The timing of the accusations against Hanssen, according to Moscow, was designed to correspond "exactly" to "when the Bush administration took over. ... It appears ... that Washington had simply been waiting for the right moment to bring out the case of Mr. Hanssen."
The official government broadcast compared the Hanssen case to the incident of Edmond Pope, the U.S. businessman accused of spying for the U.S. in Russia. Pope was convicted but quickly pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United States government was outraged at Pope's imprisonment, with then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright describing the incident as "outrageous." The U.S. Congress advocated economic measures against Russia if Pope were not released.
The Pope pardon was, according to the VOR broadcast, "an olive branch" offered to resolve the incident.
Imprisoned in a small cell with five other prisoners for over eight months, Pope was in declining health during his captivity and not allowed to see an American physician from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. He had a rare form of cancer, which at the time was in remission, but was susceptible to recurrence in times of extreme stress.
Pope's trial, held before a judge friendly to Russia's security services, resulted in Pope's conviction, though no witnesses were produced connecting Pope to the passing of classified information. Pope continually maintained that his company sought to acquire information already declassified and 10 years old.
The Pope incident resulted in a U.S. State Department travel warning issued to those seeking to do business in Russia.
The Hanssen case, however, is the result of investigations which may reach back as far as 1994. In that year, according to a UPI story released yesterday, the U.S. intelligence community was concerned that a high-level mole could be operating within its ranks.
Since Hanssen is a counterintelligence and computer expert, any probe would be difficult and delicate. He is acknowledged to have assisted in setting up one of the FBI's first computer networks at the agency's headquarters, according to the Washington Times. Hanssen, however, continues to maintain his innocence.
Observers acknowledge the potentially grave damage Hanssen could have inflicted upon the intelligence community, as well as the pressing need to assess the extent of damage actually done.
While decrying the attention given to the Hanssen spy case, Moscow does acknowledge that the Bush White House has stated that the Hanssen investigation and trial "should not be allowed to sour U.S.-Russian relations," and recalled the president's pledge to seek to maintain friendly relations with Russia.
Moscow ended its remarks on the Hanssen case and its influence upon U.S.-Russian relations with what some see as a provocative statement: "Russia hopes that this will be more than just a promise" of the smooth relations for which Bush has committed to strive.
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