Edward Snowden's superiors at the CIA suspected in 2009 that he "was trying to break into classified computer files to which he was not authorized to have access," the New York Times reported yesterday. The agency then "decided to send him home" from his job as a technician in Geneva.

Snowden's supervisor noted the suspicion in a "derogatory report in his personnel file" that also noted "a distinct change in the young man's behavior and work habits."

Snowden then became a contractor for the National Security Agency, but "the supervisor’s cautionary note and the CIA’s suspicions apparently were not forwarded to the NSA or its contractors." They only came to light after Snowden leaked thousands of classified documents.

Unnamed officials told the Times that the CIA suspicions were the "biggest missed opportunity" to review Snowden's access to top-secret files.

The systems used by the agencies to manage security clearances were intended to track only major rule violations rather than less serious complaints about personal behavior, the Times report said. "Thus, lesser derogatory information about Mr. Snowden was unlikely to have been given to the NSA unless it was specifically requested. As a result of Mr. Snowden’s case, two law enforcement officials said, that flaw has since been corrected and such information is now being pushed forward."

CIA officials were correct in their suspicions. Snowden told The Guardian that he did consider exposing government secrets while at the CIA. The newspaper wrote in June: