'Russian Paranoia' Necessitates New Investments.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Russian spying surge? - Brief Article

A purported surge in Russian spying is just another indicator of the renewed influence of Moscow's foreign intelligence service, Rep. Porter J. Goss, R-Fla., chairman of the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence, told reporters.

"The KGB is back," he said. "After [President Vladimir] Putin came in, I think there was a green light, because he was thinking 'these are my guys,'" Goss said. Putin is a former KGB agent.

The reason for the "obvious and well-known" increase in espionage, Goss said, is Russian paranoia. Partly, he said, this has to do with a natural curiosity--shared by many nations, both friends and adversaries--about exactly what is U.S. foreign policy. "I think there is uncertainty, and one of the ways that paranoids react to uncertainty is to find out as much as they can. I don't think the Russians understand what an open, democratic society we have, even now.

"I can't tell you how bad the paranoia is over there," said Goss, himself a former clandestine-services officer for the CIA. "People need order, and they're willing to sacrifice freedom for it. They're back to a knock on the door in the...