Epstein Secrets

ties, could do immense damage to Western intelligence. Indeed, he said as much once he got to Moscow. In respect to China alone, he told James Risen, the New York Times’ national security reporter, in October 2013 that he had had “access to every [NSA] target, every [NSA] active operation” that could turn out the NSA’

ews with Tyler Drumheller 6. “Snowden’s superior had suspected...”-- Eric Schmitt, “C.L.A. Warning on Snowden in ’09 Said to Slip Through the Cracks, New York Times, October 10, 2013 7. “The discrepancy was explained. ..”—Author’s interview with Source H. 8. “Snowden blamed his career-ending...”— Snowden was int

HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020421 270 14. “From the 127-page...”--David Larter and Andrew Tilghman, “Military clearance OPM data breach ‘absolute calamity' ,” Navy Times, June 18, 2015 15. “It is next to impossible...”--Bruce Schneier quoted in Homer Jenkins, “The Anti-Hero of Silk Road.” Wall Street Journal, June 3,

ously tapped into Soviet undersea cables in the Sea of Okhotsk, which connected a to the Soviet Pacific Fleet's mainland headquarters at Vladivostok. Pelton received another $30,000 from the KGB. “Did the information in his head proved valuable?” I asked. “As long as the NSA didn’t know the tap was comp

he residence of the Soviet ambassador to Austria. A KGB’s electronic communications expert, Anatoly Slavnov, was then sent to Vienna to supervise the Pelton debriefings. The debriefing sessions, which went on for 15 days, were from 8 AM to 6 PM. In them, Pelton managed to recall Project A, a joint NSA-CIA

and Harrison. October 10 | Snowden aided by ACLU legal team put together by Ben Wizner October 16 Snowden interviewed, via Internet, by James Risen (VY Times) November I Snowden joins the board of the Freedom of the Press Foundation November 3 Sarah Harrison departs from Moscow. December 21 Snowden meets

urse grab them.” The final recruitment I asked Cherkashin about was that of Ronald Pelton, the civilian employee of the NSA who had retired in 1979. Pelton had left the NSA without taking any classified documents with him. After retiring, he had financial difficulties, and he sought to get money from the

return. What interested me about the Pelton case was that Cherkashin proceeded to recruit Pelton even though he was no longer working at the NSA, and Pelton no longer had access to the NSA. In addition, since the FBI had 24 hour surveillance on the embassy, Pelton had almost certainly been photographed en

rust,” Cryptologic Almanac 50th Anniversary Series (NSA), Feb. 28, 2003. 220 Victor Norris Hamilton: “American Defector Is Found in Russian Prison,” New York Times, June 4, 1992. 220 He was found dead: Edward Jay Epstein, “The Spy Wars,” New York Times, Sept. 28, 1980. 222 Harold Nicholson: Elizabeth Farnswort

4 “There's definitely a deep state”: Vanden Heuvel and Cohen, “Snowden Speaks.” 255 according to Cherkashin: Cherkashin, interview with author. 258 Pelton had left the NSA: George E. Curry, “Ex-intelligence Expert Guilty of Espionage,” Chicago Tribune, June 6, 1986. CHAPTER 26 The Handler 261 “As for