02/13/06
We've
been tracking down spies and addressing
other counterintelligence threats for nearly
a century now. See what you know about the
"spy game" and our longstanding
counterespionage efforts by taking this
quiz. You can click on the links to get
the answers, or you can hunt for them yourselves—and
find a wealth of other information—on
our newly redesigned Counterintelligence
webpage.
1:
Where does counterintelligence fall on our
list of investigative priorities?
A) It's our No. 1 priority
B) No. 2, after counterterrorism
C) No. 3, after counterterrorism and cyber
crime
D) No. 8, the last of our investigative
priorities
ANSWER
2:
True or false: "Dumpster Diving"
can be a significant national security problem.
ANSWER
3:
What's the top focus of our counterintelligence
program?
A) Protecting the secrets of the U.S. intelligence
community
B) Keeping weapons of mass destruction and
other technology out of the wrong hands
C) Protecting government secrets
D) Protecting critical national assets
E) Focusing on countries that seek our secrets
ANSWER
4:
The Counterintelligence Division has had
many names since the Bureau got its start
in 1908. Over the years, which division
DID NOT handle counterintelligence?
A) The National Defense Division
B) The National Security Division
C) The Domestic Security Division
D) The Domestic Intelligence Division
E) The General Intelligence Division
ANSWER
5:
Because of a number of high-profile spy
arrests, the press dubbed 1985 "The
Year of the Spy." Who was NOT arrested
that year?
A) Aldrich Ames
B) Walker Spy Ring members
C) Jonathan Pollard
D) Larry Wu-Tai Chin
E) Ronald William Pelton
ANSWER
6:
During the Cold War, we partnered with several
other U.S. and British intelligence agencies
in a 37-year effort to decrypt, decode,
and exploit messages sent by Soviet Intelligence.
What was the project called?
A) The Manhattan Project
B) The Philadelphia Project
C) The Venona Project
D) Project Gutenberg
E) Project Genesis
ANSWER
7:
True or false: Economic espionage—the
theft of trade secrets and other competitive
information—costs U.S. companies billions
of dollars a year. ANSWER
8:
Velvalee Dickinson, who pled guilty to crimes
related to passing crucial U.S. naval information
to Japan during World War II, ran what kind
of business?
A) A dress shop
B) A butcher shop
C) A flower shop
D) A doll shop
E) A tea parlor
ANSWER
9:
EXTRA CREDIT: In counterintelligence parlance,
what's a dead drop?
A) A fumbled assassination attempt
B) An inconspicuous hiding place
C) An exposed secret agent
D) Spy talk for "go away"
ANSWER
Answers
1.
B) No. 2, after counterterrorism.
Foreign espionage is an incredibly serious
threat, impacting our political, military,
and economic strengths and striking at the
heart of our national security.
2.
True. "Dumpster Diving,"
the practice of rooting through a company
or individual's trash, can provide foreign
and economic spies with valuable information
that should have been discarded more carefully.
Our Awareness
of National Security Issues and Response
program has other valuable information for
companies, law enforcement, and government
agencies.
3.
B) Keeping weapons of mass destruction
and other technology out of the wrong hands.
We don't want terrorists or unstable countries
around the globe to possess weapons that
could kill or injure large numbers of people.
Read more about our National
Strategy for Counterintelligence.
4.
D) The Domestic Intelligence Division.
The very first division to handle counterintelligence
was named the General Intelligence Division.
The division has changed names—and
some of its responsibilities—no less
than six times since 1939. Read more about
the History
and Evolution of Counterintelligence
in the FBI.
5.
A) Aldrich Ames. The 31-year veteran
of the CIA had been spying for the Russians
for nearly 10 years when he was arrested
in 1994. Get more details on Aldrich
Ames and other cases
we helped investigate. Our graphic above,
by the way, is an actual map used by the
John Walker Spy ring.
6.
C) The Venona Project. The collaboration
between U.S. and British intelligence agencies
through the Venona project proved invaluable
during the Cold War and marked the Bureau's
maturation in intelligence matters. Dr.
John F. Fox, Jr., FBI historian, recently
wrote a research
paper on the project.
7.
True. We estimate that American
companies lose tens of billions of dollars
a year to foreign competitors that have
deliberately targeted their economic intelligence.
Visit our Focus
on Economic Espionage webpage to learn
how to protect your business.
8.
D) A doll shop. Velvalee Dickinson
owned a doll shop on Madison Avenue in New
York during World War II. She passed information
about the condition of U.S. war ships to
Japan in phony letters that ostensibly talked
about collectible dolls. Read more about
Velvalee
Dickinson, the Doll Woman.
9.
B) An inconspicuous hiding place.