# Eric O'Neill

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Eric O'Neill," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/eric-oneill/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*Former FBI analyst placed as Robert Hanssen's nominal assistant in the final months of the FBI's mole investigation; his role was to observe Hanssen and detect tradecraft slip-ups that would confirm Hanssen as the mole. After Hanssen's arrest, O'Neill resigned from the FBI, citing the stress of the operation. Subject of the 2007 film Breach.*

- **Role at FBI:** Analyst, posted as Robert Hanssen's nominal assistant
- **Purpose:** Observe Hanssen for tradecraft slip-ups confirming him as the mole
- **After Hanssen's arrest:** Resigned from the FBI; the stress of the operation 'was so awful'
- **Film:** Breach (2007)

**Eric O'Neill** is a former FBI analyst who, in the final months of the FBI's investigation of senior counterintelligence officer [Robert Hanssen](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/robert-hanssen), was placed as Hanssen's nominal assistant in order to observe him for tradecraft slip-ups that would confirm him as the mole.[1][2]

Per [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou), O'Neill was not in fact an assistant: *"Eric O'Neill was actually there to spy on Hanssen to see if there were any slip-ups that would indicate that he was the mole."*[1]

## After the arrest

The operation's psychological toll was significant. Per Kiriakou: *"The stress was so awful in this case that he quit the FBI after Hanssen was arrested."*[2]

## *Breach*

The 2007 film *Breach* portrays the operation with O'Neill as protagonist. Per Kiriakou: *"Eric O'Neill is a hero in this movie."*[2]

## See also

- [Robert Hanssen](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/robert-hanssen)
- [Brian Kelley](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/brian-kelley) — the wrongly-framed CIA counterintelligence officer
- [Harold James Nicholson](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/harold-james-nicholson) — the contemporaneous third mole

## See also

- [Robert Hanssen](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/robert-hanssen)
- [Brian Kelley](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/brian-kelley)
- [Harold James Nicholson](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/harold-james-nicholson)

## Sources

1. Inside the CIA: Secrets That Send Chills Down Your Spine - CIA John Kiriakou (2026-05-25), at 31:34. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtqEYHyY3ms&t=1894s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-05-25-covert-operations-insight-chills/
2. Inside the CIA: Secrets That Send Chills Down Your Spine - CIA John Kiriakou (2026-05-25), at 32:07. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtqEYHyY3ms&t=1927s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-05-25-covert-operations-insight-chills/

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