On working with the Russians
People think of espionage as this sort of very, very, very glamorous — you know, with fast cars and exotic drinks and great food and in faraway locations — but the reality is, it's more like sales. The real gold of any intelligence agency is a spy, is a human asset ... so these intelligence agencies here in the United States and abroad, they go and knock on doors and they cold-call people. And say they take 20 — maybe one is in something that is both worthwhile, is willing, and is able to deliver information.
You know, with the FBI it's so rare that you get a senior person ... which Oleg, my handler, was. ... He was my spy handler. He was the person who the Russians had appointed to run me as a spy. They knew that just having access was a great start, that this is someone who's gonna come back. We know that it's not gonna be one shot and he's gone. We have a chance to reel him in, so they knew that there was a unique opportunity here, and it was just me convincing them that I was able to deliver the Russians to kind of grow the relationship.
On convincing the Russians he was the "real deal"
It wasn't so much about politics or "I hate the United States" and stuff. It was "Hey, I'm this young kid who's into material things and I wanna make money and you know what? I'm smarter than the rest of the people out there, and i can fool them. I can't get caught." So the Russians' end game was to develop a long term asset, which was me, you know, someone who was gonna operate in five, 10, 15 years. They knew that I was applying to the military and, you know, they assumed that I was gonna have access to more and more information.
On why he wanted to be a spy
After September 11th, I really, you know, I felt a need to do something more than working in technology and I was sort of devastated when I applied to this program as an intelligence offer in the Navy, did not get in — so the first motivation was the Navy. And then when I started doing it the challenge of kind of going head to head with Oleg, it became a challenge of trying to outsmart, outmaneuver Oleg and the Russians and that became sort of a major incentive on its own — it was a real rush to take these guys on.
Read an excerpt of How to Catch a Russian Spy
On how he's regarded in Russia
Look, if anyone wants to send me there I can promise it'll be cheap 'cause you just have to pay airfare one way ... room and board is included. ... I mean it's unfortunate, but I don't think Putin's gonna be — you know, Anna Chapman got over there and he gave her a medal. I don't think that's gonna be the same with me.
double agent
intelligence
FBI