American Spy Cases: Post Era of World World War - Case Study Example

Routine background checks revealed nothing negative concerning his past and were subsequently cleared to serve at the agency. However, psychological assessment placed Ames in a lower quadrant of individuals likely to have successful careers in the agency. Having furthered his studies, the CIA trained Ames on how to recruit and manage assets to become an operations officer.

This served to revise earlier indications of a failed career having proved resourceful, intelligent, and mature as an asset trainee. For this reason, Ames gradually rose in rank to gain access to sensitive information through his clearance. Ames's assignments included handling counterintelligence for Soviet operations, which he headed and gained access to intelligence regarding Soviet assets worldwide. Armed with vast knowledge of Soviet operations, Ames hatched an elaborate plan to derive financial benefits from the Soviets (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 1994).

It is believed that financial difficulties following divorce proceedings that threatened to bankrupt him precipitated his contemplation of espionage. Ames established a cover with which he traded sensitive information with the Soviets in exchange for money. Notably, Ames's motivation for espionage took a turn when he acted to cripple the CIA’s operations by revealing the identities of Russian intelligence officers in collaboration with friendly nations. Just like Ames, Robert Hanssen is indicated as a vastly industrious individual who rose in ranks and was on the promotional track for most of his career.

Hanssen held various positions in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that provided access to vital information during his career. He specialized in Soviet counterintelligence, which facilitated contact with the Soviet’s KGB and subsequent espionage activities (Office of the Inspector General, 2003). Hanssen’s espionage activities began a few years after joining the bureau where traded military secrets and compromised the identity of human resources leading to their capture and execution.

It is believed that Hanssen gave classified information to the KGB detailing technological advancements in weapons, nuclear strategies, and ongoing counterintelligence cases. Three phases characterize Hanssen's involvement in espionage, each of which offered a set of new intelligence to the KGB and continued until his arrest in 2001. All the while, his motivation remained monetary benefits since he faced enormous financial deficits. This prompted Hanssen to establish contact with the KGB and its successor periodically to cover his continually outstripped income.

Hanssen’s success in espionage is believed to be occasioned by security measures implemented to protect himself from detection for over 20 years. He relied on poor internal security in the bureau and knowledge of counterintelligence practices to evade detection. Over the years, Jonathan Pollard’s case has generated enormous commentary owing to the countries involved in the debacle. Pollard was accused of spying on for a friendly country (Israel) and was consequently abandoned, leaving him at the mercy of the US justice system (Zelizer, 2001).