Report: Espionage Against the United States by American Citizens 1947-2001

In 1986 the Defense Security Personnel Research Center (PERSEREC)was established to provide US government policymakers with research on espionage and on personnel security. In July 2002 PERSEREC published a 135 page unclassified report of its research entitled Espionage Against the United States by American Citizens - 1947-2001.

The report was based entirely on unclassified open-source material and studied the personnel and job characteristics of 150 individuals and the characteristics of the acts of espionage or attempted espionage they committed. The report's first section begins with the personal characteristics of the Americans who spied, including employment and security clearance status, how and when the espionage was carried out, and the consequences the individuals suffered. The second section compares the durations of their espionage. Subsequent sections compare military offenders with civilians, volunteers with recruits, and if the individual was successfully recruited, if the recruitment was carried out by officers of a foreign intelligence service or by family or friends. The fifth section compares motivations for espionage in various eras. Additional sections compare lone spies with those who had partners, and also the characteristics of American female spies.

Mention espionage and most people assume you're talking about a crime against the state, against our government. They're using the criminal legal definition of espionage. But it's important to understand that espionage is a series of actions as well, not just a violation of law. Understanding the human behavior that leads to those actions can be tremendously valuable in private security in America where the act of espionage can result in economic damage to a company. Corporate security and security consultants need to understand the human side of espionage, not just the legal side, to successfully defend against it.