The Scientist and the Spy

The Scientist and the Spy is a riveting true story of industrial espionage where a Chinese-born scientist finds himself pursued by the U.S. government for attempting to steal trade secrets. This gripping narrative comes from a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction.

In September 2011, sheriff's deputies in Iowa encountered three ethnic Chinese men near a field where a farmer was cultivating corn seed under contract with Monsanto. What began as a simple trespassing inquiry escalated into a two-year FBI operation. Investigators bugged the men's rental cars, used a warrant intended for foreign terrorists and spies, and flew surveillance planes over corn country—all in defence of the trade secrets of corporate giants Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer.

In The Scientist and the Spy, Hvistendahl offers an enthralling account of this far-reaching investigation, which pitted a veteran FBI special agent against Robert Mo, a Florida resident. After Mo's academic career faltered, he took a questionable job with the Chinese agricultural company DBN, becoming a pawn in a global rivalry.

Industrial espionage by Chinese companies is a critical factor underlying the recent trade war between the United States and China, and it remains one of the top counterintelligence targets of the FBI. However, a decade of efforts to address the issue has proven largely ineffective.

Drawing from previously unreleased FBI files and extensive reporting across the United States and China, Hvistendahl reveals a long history of flawed counterintelligence on China, often tinged with racism, and challenges the influence of corporate agendas in trade secrets theft cases pursued by the U.S. government.

The Scientist and the Spy is both a significant exploration of these crucial issues and an engaging, thought-provoking read.