BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: We turn now to spying at the United States State Department here in Washington. Our CNN justice correspondent Pierre Thomas has learned new information about a troubling case of espionage -- Pierre.</s>PIERRE THOMAS, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Bernie, how did a sophisticated Russian listening device get placed in a sensitive State Department conference room? Meet Stanislav Gusev (ph), caught here on FBI surveillance tape. The FBI says he's a Russian spy who routinely monitored a listening device somehow planted on the top floor of the U.S. State Department, the floor where Secretary Madeleine Albright has her office. Now CNN has learned the spy investigation has uncovered a startling number of people who could have put the bug there, including Russian nationals who worked at the State Department as contract computer consultants. The Russians were among more than 350 non- government employees who were often allowed to move about the building without escort. In fact, according to government sources, previous security at the State Department was so lax, investigators may never find out how the Russian bug was installed. A State Department inspector general report says the FBI even found suspected intelligence officers from other countries were given unescorted access. The inspector general concluded the policy of allowing unescorted access poses a significant security vulnerability for the surreptitious planting of listening devices, theft of documents, or overhearing discussions of classified information. Sources tell CNN that in order to plant a device, operatives must have had extended access to the conference room and likely made repeated trips. By last August, a State Department stopped allowing non-U.S. government employees unescorted access and began to overhaul its security system, but as one official tells CNN, it was clearly too late to stop the Russians from getting extraordinary access and maybe some high-level U.S. secrets -- Bernie.</s>SHAW: Thank you, Pierre. Fascinating, Pierre Thomas.
Espionage Investigation Surrounding Russian Listening Device at State Department Reveals Extremely Lax Security