HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019630.jpg
1.71 MB
Extraction Summary
6
People
4
Organizations
4
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / congressional exhibit
File Size:
1.71 MB
Summary
This document is page 142 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein, stamped as a House Oversight Committee exhibit. It analyzes Edward Snowden's flight to Russia, comparing it to Cold War spies like Kim Philby to suggest a potential prior intelligence connection. The text disputes Snowden's claim that he was 'trapped' in Russia, detailing how the State Department attempted to facilitate his return to the U.S. to face felony charges, including a specific detail about a typographical error regarding his middle name (James vs. Joseph) in communications with Hong Kong authorities.
People (6)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Subject of investigation |
Accused of stealing state secrets; fled to Hong Kong and Russia.
|
| Guy Burgess | British Spy |
Cold War spy who fled to Moscow.
|
| Donald Maclean | British Spy |
Cold War spy who fled to Moscow.
|
| Kim Philby | British Spy |
Cold War spy who fled to Moscow; author of 'My Silent War'.
|
| Editor of The Nation | Journalist |
Person to whom Snowden gave a quote about being exiled.
|
| Edward Jay Epstein | Author |
Implicit author of the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (indicated by filename 'Epst_' and book title).
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Justice |
Lodged criminal charges against Snowden.
|
|
| State Department |
Managed passport validation and advised foreign governments regarding Snowden.
|
|
| The Nation |
Publication whose editor spoke with Snowden.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Government body associated with the document production stamp (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT).
|
Timeline (2 events)
2013-06-16
State Department informed Hong Kong authorities of charges.
Hong Kong
State Department
Hong Kong Authorities
2013-06-21
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Destination of Snowden and Cold War spies.
|
|
|
Specific city where spies fled.
|
|
|
Country seeking Snowden's return.
|
|
|
Location where Snowden was present when charges were communicated.
|
Relationships (2)
Criminal charges filed; passport revoked.
Fled to Moscow; memoir confirmed prior connection.
Key Quotes (5)
"Whenever an intelligence worker steals sensitive compartmented information of interest to a foreign adversary and then defects to that adversary, it raises at least the specter of state-sponsored espionage."Source
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Quote #1
"I'm in exile. My government revoked my passport intentionally to leave me exiled"Source
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Quote #2
"chose to keep me in Russia."Source
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Quote #3
"should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him to the United States."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019630.jpg
Quote #4
"Only a typographical error in spelling out Snowden's middle name—James instead of Joseph—in the criminal"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019630.jpg
Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,530 characters)
142 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
Russia by design or by accident. Whenever an intelligence worker
steals sensitive compartmented information of interest to a foreign
adversary and then defects to that adversary, it raises at least the
specter of state-sponsored espionage. It is a commonly accepted pre-
sumption in counterintelligence that a spy, fearing arrest, flees to
a country that has some reason to offer him protection. When the
British spies Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and Kim Philby fled to
Moscow during the Cold War, the presumption was that they had a
prior intelligence connection with Russia. Philby confirmed that in
his 1968 memoir, My Silent War. So in the case of Snowden, coun-
terintelligence had to consider the possibility that his theft of state
secrets and his arrival in Moscow might not be totally coincidental.
steals sensitive compartmented information of interest to a foreign
adversary and then defects to that adversary, it raises at least the
specter of state-sponsored espionage. It is a commonly accepted pre-
sumption in counterintelligence that a spy, fearing arrest, flees to
a country that has some reason to offer him protection. When the
British spies Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and Kim Philby fled to
Moscow during the Cold War, the presumption was that they had a
prior intelligence connection with Russia. Philby confirmed that in
his 1968 memoir, My Silent War. So in the case of Snowden, coun-
terintelligence had to consider the possibility that his theft of state
secrets and his arrival in Moscow might not be totally coincidental.
Snowden blamed high officials in the U.S. government who pur-
posely "trapped him" in Russia. He told the editor of The Nation,
"I'm in exile. My government revoked my passport intentionally to
leave me exiled" and "chose to keep me in Russia." He repeated that
assertion over a dozen times, but as we've seen, it had no basis in
fact. Whenever criminal charges are lodged against a U.S. citizen by
the Department of Justice, the State Department, in accordance with
the U.S. code of justice, marks in the electronic passport validation
advisory system that that person's passport is valid only for return
to the United States. After criminal charges were publicly filed
against Snowden on June 21, it advised foreign governments that
because Snowden was wanted on felony charges, he "should not be
allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is
necessary to return him to the United States." Rather than "exiling"
Snowden, the government acted to facilitate his return home. With
his passport, he could have flown home from either Hong Kong or
Moscow, where he, like any other person accused of a felony, would
face the charges against him. Snowden's unfounded claims suggested
to investigators that he had something to hide about his arrival in
Russia.
posely "trapped him" in Russia. He told the editor of The Nation,
"I'm in exile. My government revoked my passport intentionally to
leave me exiled" and "chose to keep me in Russia." He repeated that
assertion over a dozen times, but as we've seen, it had no basis in
fact. Whenever criminal charges are lodged against a U.S. citizen by
the Department of Justice, the State Department, in accordance with
the U.S. code of justice, marks in the electronic passport validation
advisory system that that person's passport is valid only for return
to the United States. After criminal charges were publicly filed
against Snowden on June 21, it advised foreign governments that
because Snowden was wanted on felony charges, he "should not be
allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is
necessary to return him to the United States." Rather than "exiling"
Snowden, the government acted to facilitate his return home. With
his passport, he could have flown home from either Hong Kong or
Moscow, where he, like any other person accused of a felony, would
face the charges against him. Snowden's unfounded claims suggested
to investigators that he had something to hide about his arrival in
Russia.
The counterintelligence investigation had access to State Depart-
ment records showing that its representatives in Hong Kong had
informed authorities there on June 16 that there were criminal
charges against Snowden. Only a typographical error in spelling out
Snowden's middle name—James instead of Joseph—in the criminal
ment records showing that its representatives in Hong Kong had
informed authorities there on June 16 that there were criminal
charges against Snowden. Only a typographical error in spelling out
Snowden's middle name—James instead of Joseph—in the criminal
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 142 9/29/16 5:51 PM
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