The Story Behind This Bridge In Virginia Will Fascinate You
By Beth|Published January 28, 2017
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Beth
Author
A lifelong Virginia resident, Beth loves exploring different parts of the world and currently resides in Charlottesville. She holds a degree in English Literature and one of her short stories has been featured in the Shenandoah Review. Other interests include hiking, songwriting, and spending time in the mountains.
What the untrained eye might observe as a scenic park in northern Virginia is actually the site of one of the worst intelligence blunders in America’s history.
Foxstone Park’s unassuming appearance is exactly why it was such a successful location for a double agent to relay secret information to the Russian Federation. Here’s more on the fascinating history of this crime scene that occurred in this small neighborhood park in Vienna, Virginia.
At first glance, the bridge at Foxstone Park in Vienna might not seem like much. The simple wooden footbridge looks like nothing more than a way to cross over one side of the stream to the other. Yet for nearly two decades, this bridge played a central role in the passing of U.S. secrets to the Russian Federation.
This insidious crime was committed by the unsuspecting FBI agent Robert Phillip Hanssen from 1979 until his arrest in 2001. To convey top-secret information to the Russians, Hanssen would "dead drop" discs and documents beneath the footbridge, which happened to be near his home. As you can see by the photograph above, approaching the bridge from the side reveals a small space where the documents could be kept out of sight.
As a signal that there was information to be retrieved, the spy would also place a piece of tape on the entrance sign. In exchange for this valuable information, Hanssen received over $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
The reason why this double agent was able to preserve his identity so well was because he worked within the FBI’s Soviet Analytical Unit — the very branch responsible for identifying Soviet spies. Hanssen was able to warn the Soviets of any incriminating investigations and thus the U.S. couldn't quite prove what was going on.
Eventually, however, the FBI became aware of suspicious activity surrounding Hanssen. After committing 15 counts of espionage, he was arrested at the scene of the crime in the midst of placing another bag of documents under the bridge. Hanssen is currently serving his sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole at ADX Florence in Colorado (photographed above).
What are your thoughts on this story? Did you realize such a remarkable piece of American history surrounded the bridge at Foxstone Park? Feel free to share your thoughts with us. Anyone curious to see what is commonly referred to as “Spy Bridge” will find it at 1910 Creek Crossing Road NE, Vienna VA 22180.
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