Robert Lipka
Encyclopedia
Robert Lipka is a former army clerk at the National Security Agency
(NSA) who, in 1997, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage
and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was arrested more than 30 years after his betrayal, as there is no statute of limitations
for espionage
.
as an intelligence analyst in 1964, when he was a 19 year old U.S. Army soldier. He worked in the central communications room from 1964–1967, where he was responsible for removing and disseminating highly classified documents throughout the agency. Despite his junior rank, Lipka held a high security clearance, and had access to a diverse array of highly classified documents.
.
According to his handler at the time, former KGB General Oleg Danilovich Kalugin, "the young soldier (Lipka) ... was involved in shredding and destroying NSA documents and could supply us with a wealth of material." He goes on to say that Lipka gave him "whatever he got his hands on, often having little idea what he was turning over." Lipka compromised daily and weekly top-secret reports to the White House, information on US troop movements throughout the world, and communications among NATO allies.
During the two years Lipka supplied the KGB top-secret information, he received payment of about $27,000 dollars. Kalugin claims that Lipka used the money he received, around $500 to $1,000 per package he delivered, to finance his college education. However, Lipka regularly complained that he deserved more money, and threatened to break contact if this demand was not met. In August 1967, Lipka made good on his threat, and left the NSA at the end of his military service in order to attend Millersville University of Pennsylvania
.
In order to discourage any attempts by the KGB to recontact him, Lipka sent a final message claiming that he had been a double agent
for US intelligence all along. According to Vasili Mitrokhin
, the KGB knew this was a lie because of the high importance of the classified documents Lipka provided. Both the residency and illegals (non diplomatic cover handlers) tried to renew contact with Lipka intermittently for at least another 11 years, though without success.
case, Lipka's ex-wife made accusations of his treason to the FBI. In 1993, armed with these accusations, revelations from Kalugin's memoir, and information from a separate investigation implicating Lipka, the FBI decided to use a false flag
operation to catch him. FBI agent Dmitri Droujinsky contacted Lipka, posing as a GRU officer based in Washington named "Sergei Nikitin." Lipka told Nikitin that he was still owed money, and over the course of four meetings, "Nikitin" gave Lipka $10,000.
After a lengthy investigation, Lipka admitted to having been a spy while at the NSA, and in February 1996 he was arrested at his home in Millersville, PA, and charged with handing classified documents to the Soviet Union. As there is no statute of limitations in espionage cases, it did not matter that Lipka had ceased spying for the Soviet Union three decades before his arrest.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Lipka was released on December 8, 2006.
likely lead to Lipka's change of heart.
Lipka was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, and fined $10,000. In addition, he was ordered to repay the $10,000 he had received from "Sergei Nikitin" in the FBI's false flag
operation.
for either the KGB
or the SVR
, include:
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
(NSA) who, in 1997, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was arrested more than 30 years after his betrayal, as there is no statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
for espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
Early career
Robert Lipka was assigned to the National Security AgencyNational Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
as an intelligence analyst in 1964, when he was a 19 year old U.S. Army soldier. He worked in the central communications room from 1964–1967, where he was responsible for removing and disseminating highly classified documents throughout the agency. Despite his junior rank, Lipka held a high security clearance, and had access to a diverse array of highly classified documents.
Espionage
In September 1965, Lipka presented himself to the Soviet Embassy on 16th Street, as a walk-in or volunteer spy. He announced that he was responsible for shredding highly classified documents, and over the next two years he made contact with the residency around fifty times, using a variety of skilled tradecraftTradecraft
Tradecraft is a general term that denotes a skill acquired through experience in a trade.The term is also used within the intelligence community as a collective word for the techniques used in modern espionage...
.
According to his handler at the time, former KGB General Oleg Danilovich Kalugin, "the young soldier (Lipka) ... was involved in shredding and destroying NSA documents and could supply us with a wealth of material." He goes on to say that Lipka gave him "whatever he got his hands on, often having little idea what he was turning over." Lipka compromised daily and weekly top-secret reports to the White House, information on US troop movements throughout the world, and communications among NATO allies.
During the two years Lipka supplied the KGB top-secret information, he received payment of about $27,000 dollars. Kalugin claims that Lipka used the money he received, around $500 to $1,000 per package he delivered, to finance his college education. However, Lipka regularly complained that he deserved more money, and threatened to break contact if this demand was not met. In August 1967, Lipka made good on his threat, and left the NSA at the end of his military service in order to attend Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA, 3 miles southwest of Lancaster. Millersville University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.-History:...
.
In order to discourage any attempts by the KGB to recontact him, Lipka sent a final message claiming that he had been a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
for US intelligence all along. According to Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
, the KGB knew this was a lie because of the high importance of the classified documents Lipka provided. Both the residency and illegals (non diplomatic cover handlers) tried to renew contact with Lipka intermittently for at least another 11 years, though without success.
Investigation and Arrest
Similar to the John Anthony WalkerJohn Anthony Walker
John Anthony Walker, Jr. is a former United States Navy Chief Warrant Officer and communications specialist convicted of spying for the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985, at the height of the Cold War...
case, Lipka's ex-wife made accusations of his treason to the FBI. In 1993, armed with these accusations, revelations from Kalugin's memoir, and information from a separate investigation implicating Lipka, the FBI decided to use a false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
operation to catch him. FBI agent Dmitri Droujinsky contacted Lipka, posing as a GRU officer based in Washington named "Sergei Nikitin." Lipka told Nikitin that he was still owed money, and over the course of four meetings, "Nikitin" gave Lipka $10,000.
After a lengthy investigation, Lipka admitted to having been a spy while at the NSA, and in February 1996 he was arrested at his home in Millersville, PA, and charged with handing classified documents to the Soviet Union. As there is no statute of limitations in espionage cases, it did not matter that Lipka had ceased spying for the Soviet Union three decades before his arrest.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Lipka was released on December 8, 2006.
Trial
Lipka's trial began in 1997 at the US District Court in Philadelphia. Though he initially pled "not guilty" to the charge of conspiracy to commit espionage, in May 1997 he broke down and confessed. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer Lipka "exploded into tears as he confessed that he had handed over classified information to KGB agents." Information implicating Lipka that was uncovered in the Mitrokhin ArchiveMitrokhin Archive
The Mitrokhin Archive is a collection of notes made secretly by KGB Major Vasili Mitrokhin during his thirty years as a KGB archivist in the foreign intelligence service and the First Chief Directorate...
likely lead to Lipka's change of heart.
Lipka was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, and fined $10,000. In addition, he was ordered to repay the $10,000 he had received from "Sergei Nikitin" in the FBI's false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
operation.
Other notable American moles
Other Agents in place in the US Government or Military who worked as a MoleMole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for either the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
or the SVR
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
, include:
- James Hall IIIJames Hall IIIJames W. Hall, III is a former United States Army warrant officer and signals intelligence analyst in Germany who sold eavesdropping and code secrets to East Germany and the Soviet Union from 1983 to 1988...
- An Army warrant officerWarrant OfficerA warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
and intelligence analyst in Germany who sold eavesdropping and code secrets to East Germany and the Soviet Union from 1983 to 1988. - Robert HanssenRobert HanssenRobert Philip Hanssen is a former American FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for 22 years from 1979 to 2001...
- Arrested for spying for the Soviet Union and Russia for more than 15 years of his 27 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. - Earl Edwin PittsEarl Edwin PittsEarl Edwin Pitts is a former FBI special agent who, in 1996, was arrested at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Pitts was charged with several offenses, including spying for the Soviet Union and Russia...
- An FBI agent charged with providing Top Secret documents to the Soviet Union and then Russia from 1987 until 1992. - Harold James NicholsonHarold James NicholsonFor the English diplomat, author, diarist and politician, see Harold Nicolson.Harold James Nicholson is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer and a twice-convicted spy for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service...
- A senior-ranking Central Intelligence Agency officer arrested while attempting to take Top Secret documents out of the country. He began spying for Russia in 1994. - George TrofimoffGeorge TrofimoffGeorge Trofimoff was the highest ranking US military officer ever charged with, and convicted of, espionage by the United States. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 27, 2001.- Background :...
- a then retired Army Reserve colonel, charged in June 2000 of spying for the KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
and the Russian Foreign Intelligence ServiceForeign Intelligence Service (Russia)The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
(or SVRForeign Intelligence Service (Russia)The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
) for over 25 years.
See also
- Mitrokhin ArchiveMitrokhin ArchiveThe Mitrokhin Archive is a collection of notes made secretly by KGB Major Vasili Mitrokhin during his thirty years as a KGB archivist in the foreign intelligence service and the First Chief Directorate...
- United States government security breachesUnited States government security breachesThis page is a timeline of published security lapses in the United States government. These lapses are frequently referenced in congressional and non-governmental oversight...
- First Chief DirectorateFirst Chief DirectorateThe First Chief Directorate , of the Committee for State Security , was the organization responsible for foreign operations and intelligence collection activities by the training and management of the covert agents, intelligence collection management, and the collection of political, scientific and...
- National Security AgencyNational Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
- TradecraftTradecraftTradecraft is a general term that denotes a skill acquired through experience in a trade.The term is also used within the intelligence community as a collective word for the techniques used in modern espionage...
External links
- Famous Cases: Robert Lipka, An American Spy
- Ex-G.I. Arrested on Charges of Spying for the Soviet Union
- Wilson Center, Mitrokhin Archive
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Lipka-8.jpg