In 1986, the Central Intelligence Agency began to notice that its agency's contacts and operations within the Soviet Union began to deteriorate at an alarming rate. The Soviet KGB, a national security agency, was eliminating these Soviet “double agents” seemingly instantaneously after encountering CIA agents. Initially, the idea was to intercept communications in the field by the KGB. Security measures were put in place where a select few were aware of these field operations, but the KGB nevertheless continued to pursue its current mission of eliminating CIA contacts. The idea of ​​a mole within the Agency became increasingly evident. In mid-1986, the chief of the counterintelligence staff created a special task force within the counterintelligence staff. This task force consisted of four members, but none of whom had investigative or financial investigative experience. All members were experienced officers tasked with uncovering a detailed and comprehensive analysis of compromised operations; this included investigating how many cases were relevant to the treason of Edward Lee Howard. In late 1986, the FBI joined the investigation after two Soviet contacts who had worked closely with the FBI were arrested and executed. The CIA's special task force was soon disoriented following the confession of a marine security guard who confessed to having ties to the KGB while stationed at the American embassy in Moscow. The investigation stopped and did not continue until 1991. In late 1989, the Counterintelligence Center received a tip that Agent Aldrich Hazen Ames was living far beyond his finances after returning from Rome, Italy. (FAS) The information was reported by another CIA agent who was personally close to Ames. The whistleblower also claimed to have… half the document… an assessment of the Aldrich H. Ames espionage case and its implications for U.S. intelligence. (1994, November 1). Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from www.fas.org/irp/congress/1994_rpt/ssci_ames.htm JOHNSTON, D. (1995, January 27). How the FBI Finally Caught Aldrich Ames - New York Times. The New York Times - Breaking news, world news and multimedia. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/27/us/how-the-fbi-finally-caught-aldrich-ames.html?pagewanted=all&src=pmLerner, A. (n.d. ). Ames (Aldrich H.) Espionage Case - . Internet FAQ Archives - Online Education - faqs.org. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://www.faqs.org/espionage/A-An/Ames-Aldrich-H-Espionage-Case.htmlTrahair, R. C., & Miller, R. L. (2009). Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Covert Operations (1. pbk. Ed.). New York: Enigma Books.