Epstein Secrets

en a massive breach. Thousands of secret files bearing on com- munications intelligence had been stolen from a heavily guarded regional base in Oahu, Hawaii. The suspect was Edward Snowden, a twenty-nine-year-old civil- ian analyst at that base, who had fled to Hong Kong before the breach was discovered.

ndations for his work. He was threatened with a punitive investigation unless he agreed to quietly resign from the CIA. “It was not a stellar career” Drumheller, the former CIA station chief, told me in 2014. Snowden blamed his career-ending “derog” on an “e-mail spat” with a superior. From Moscow, he wrote

not believe an investigative book should be written without the author visiting the crime scene and other pertinent ven- ues, I undertook research in Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, and Moscow. Where possible, I flew the same flights that Snowden did. I am grate- ful to Ena and Ines Talakic for their assistance

Through the Cracks.” 26 explained the discrepancy: Former CIA officer who requested anonymity, inter- view with author. 26 “It was not a stellar”: Drumheller, interviews with author. 26 “e-mail spat”: Snowden was interviewed via the Internet by Risen, “Snowden Says He Took No Secret Files to Russia.” 26

workers, such as Ames, it is plausible that it spotted Snowden through his Internet rants against U.S. surveillance. Even if it had missed Snowden in Hawaii, a disgruntled ex-civilian employee at the NSA would have received its full attention after he contacted Russian officials in Hong Kong. While the ta

m and from seizing him. Tyler Drumheller, a former CIA station chief, told me that Snowden was correct in his assessment of that Hong Kong advantage. Drumheller said that Hong Kong was “home court” for the Chinese intelligence services. It played a: dominant role” in running the police, airport passport contr