
Introduction to Intelligence Studies42
Espionage in 1980s and 1990s
A well-placed spy can wreak havoc. As a result, the goal of any intelligence
service is to learn as much about an opponent as possible while protect-
ing its own secrets. America’s founding fathers understood this, passing the
First Espionage Act in 1776, which made spying a capital oense.
Over the years, the United States has not had an unusually large num-
ber of its citizens turn traitor; however, in the 1980s and 1990s, there were
a series of penetrations that compromised a signicant amount of sensi-
tive material. In fact, there was so much activity uncovered in 1985, it