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The legacy of FBI agent and spy Robert Hanssen

NPR
Published June 9, 2023 at 7:40 AM CDT
FBI Agent Robert Hanssen, who was later convicted of espionage. Hanssen died in the U.S. Penitentiary Florence Administrative Maximum Facility (USP Florence ADMAX) in Colorado on June 5, 2023.(Courtesy of the FBI)
FBI Agent Robert Hanssen, who was later convicted of espionage. Hanssen died in the U.S. Penitentiary Florence Administrative Maximum Facility (USP Florence ADMAX) in Colorado on June 5, 2023.(Courtesy of the FBI)

Robert Hanssen, one of the most notorious spies in U.S. history, died in prison this week. Hanssen was an FBI agent, but for years, he turned over classified information to the Soviet Union.

Elaine Shannon, author of “The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Damaging FBI Agent in U.S. History,” about his life and the damage he caused to U.S. intelligence services.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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