Epstein Secrets

intelligence coups through the eyes, and mind-set, of their KGB handler might provide some historical context for the Snowden defection. So I invited Cherkashin to lunch at Gusto, a quiet Italian restaurant, located near the Chekhov Theater in Moscow. Cherkashin, a tall thin man with silver hair, showed up p

ontext for the Snowden defection. So I invited Cherkashin to lunch at Gusto, a quiet Italian restaurant, located near the Chekhov Theater in Moscow. Cherkashin, a tall thin man with silver hair, showed up promptly at 1:00 p.m., wearing an elegant gray suit and dark tie. He walked with a spry step. Because he

rs can often retrieve e-mails and docu- ments and can turn on the cameras and microphones of personal computers, tablets, and smart phones. By 2007, Paul Strassmann, a top U.S. defense expert on cyber espionage, reported that China had inserted “zombie” programs in some 700,000 computers in the United States, whi

cknowledges: Bamford, “Edward Snowden.” 154 “absence of evidence”: Carl Sagan, Cosmos (New York: Random House, 1980), 49. 154 “The greatest trick”: Cherkashin, interview with author. The quotation from The Usual Suspects was adopted by the movie from Charles Baudelaire’s observation “La plus belle des rus

th author. Cuarter 25 Through the Looking Glass 254 “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, Jun

st enterprise in China: Nir Kshetri, The Rapidly Transforming Chinese High- Technology Industry and Market (London: Chandos, 2008), 92. 233 By 2007, Paul Strassmann: “China Has .75M ‘Zombie Computers’ in U.S.,” UPI, Sept. 17, 2007. 234 cyber attack had harvested: David E. Sanger and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Hack

then cited the signature line from the movie Zhe Usual Suspects “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” Cherkashin thinly smiled and said “CIA denial [of moles] certainly helped.” HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020275 124 In view of such past successes of the Russian intellig

mous spy delivered 27 computer discs containing hundreds of secret documents revealing the sources and methods of American intelligence. According to Cherkashin, it was the largest haul of top secrets documents ever obtained by the KGB (although it was only a small fraction of the number of top secret NSA, De

Chinese controllers can retrieve emails, documents and turn on the cameras and microphones of personal computers, tablets and smart phones. By 2007, Paul Strassmann, a top US defense expert on cyber-espionage, reported that China had inserted “zombie” programs in some 700,000 computers in the US which could be us

201 “Tt was the information in his head that we wanted.” Cherkashin said that as KGB rarely got access to any NSA officer, it was worth the risk. So he was given $5,000 in cash and a plane ticket to Vienna, where he w

the NSA would have received its full attention after he contacted Russian officials in Hong Kong. While the tactics of the SVR may have changed since Cherkashin retired, its objectives remained the same. And the NSA remained its principal target. Nor is there any reason to doubt that it still measures success

China...”-- Nir Kshetri, The Rapidly Transforming Chinese High- Technology Industry and Market (Chandos Publishing, London) 2008. p.92 5. “By 2007, Paul Strassmann...”-- Staff, “China has .75M zombie computers' in U.S.,” UPI, September 17, 2007 6. “Cyber attack had harvested...”-- James Lewis, “Hackers May Have