US authorities have begun debriefing former FBI agent Mr Robert Hanssen to determine what secrets he revealed to Moscow over two decades.
"We are in a serious phase", CIA director Mr George Tenet told
Reuters
. "We need to understand what damage was done in US intelligence areas, it is very important to us," he said.
The debriefings come after Mr Hanssen pleaded guilty last week to 15 counts of spying for Moscow. His plea agreement deal requires him to reveal what he compromised in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty.
Mr Hanssen will be extensively questioned over the next six months as the US government tries to piece together what secrets he sold for $1.4 million in money and diamonds - and how they affected US intelligence operations.
Mr Hanssen, whose job at the FBI was to catch spies, was accused of revealing the names of two Soviets who were spying for the United States and were later executed by Moscow.
He was also accused of compromising secrets related to satellites, early warning systems, communications intelligence and US means of defense or retaliation against nuclear attacks.
Sentencing has been scheduled for January 11th, 2002,and prosecutors said under the plea agreement Mr Hanssen would spend the rest of his life in prison with no parole.
Under a provision in the deal, Mr Hanssen's wife will receive survivor's benefits from his pension as if he had died.