The Scientist and the Spy: A True Story of China, the Fbi, and Industrial Espionage
- Downloads：1495
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-11 11:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mara Hvistendahl
- ISBN：0735214298
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A riveting true story of industrial espionage in which a Chinese-born scientist is pursued by the U。S。 government for trying to steal trade secrets， by 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 growing corn seed under contract with Monsanto。 What began as a simple trespassing inquiry mushroomed into a two-year FBI operation in which 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 the name of protecting trade secrets of corporate giants Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer。 In The Scientist and the Spy， Hvistendahl gives a gripping account of this unusually far-reaching investigation， which pitted a veteran FBI special agent against Florida resident Robert Mo， who after his academic career foundered took a questionable job with the Chinese agricultural company DBN--and became a pawn in a global rivalry。
Industrial espionage by Chinese companies lies beneath the United States' recent trade war with China， and it is one of the top counterintelligence targets of the FBI。 But a decade of efforts to stem the problem have been largely ineffective。 Through previously unreleased FBI files and her reporting from across the United States and China， Hvistendahl describes a long history of shoddy counterintelligence on China， much of it tinged with racism， and questions the role that corporate influence plays in trade secrets theft cases brought by the U。S。 government。 The Scientist and the Spy is both an important exploration of the issues at stake and a compelling， involving read。
In September 2011， sheriff's deputies in Iowa encountered three ethnic Chinese men near a field where a farmer was growing corn seed under contract with Monsanto。 What began as a simple trespassing inquiry mushroomed into a two-year FBI operation in which 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 the name of protecting trade secrets of corporate giants Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer。 In The Scientist and the Spy， Hvistendahl gives a gripping account of this unusually far-reaching investigation， which pitted a veteran FBI special agent against Florida resident Robert Mo， who after his academic career foundered took a questionable job with the Chinese agricultural company DBN--and became a pawn in a global rivalry。
Industrial espionage by Chinese companies lies beneath the United States' recent trade war with China， and it is one of the top counterintelligence targets of the FBI。 But a decade of efforts to stem the problem have been largely ineffective。 Through previously unreleased FBI files and her reporting from across the United States and China， Hvistendahl describes a long history of shoddy counterintelligence on China， much of it tinged with racism， and questions the role that corporate influence plays in trade secrets theft cases brought by the U。S。 government。 The Scientist and the Spy is both an important exploration of the issues at stake and a compelling， involving read。
Reviews
Mangala
，
Meh。 All countries spy on each other， there is IP theft everywhere， POC are discriminated against， specially the Chinese， the US government can spy on its citizens and non-citizens with impunity， and get away with it， the FBI can do anything in order to catch 'the bad guy'。 Nothing new！ Meh。 All countries spy on each other， there is IP theft everywhere， POC are discriminated against， specially the Chinese， the US government can spy on its citizens and non-citizens with impunity， and get away with it， the FBI can do anything in order to catch 'the bad guy'。 Nothing new！ 。。。more
LJ Lombos
，
While most headlines on the increasingly turbulent economic competition between the US and China focus on its broader geopolitical underpinnings， Hvistendahl's book is a fresh air on the more human element of industrial espionage。 Meticulously researched and well-measured。 While most headlines on the increasingly turbulent economic competition between the US and China focus on its broader geopolitical underpinnings， Hvistendahl's book is a fresh air on the more human element of industrial espionage。 Meticulously researched and well-measured。 。。。more
Brad
，
A fascinating look into a story about a Chinese man found in an Iowa cornfield。 Looking into this story leads to an examination of large AG business， GMO’S， US China relations， FBI investigation methods， Corporate espionage， Chinese espionage， FISA courts， Profiling， Trade Wars， and large corporate influence over US Intellectual property laws。
Elliemae
，
Interesting story but author seemed biased toward China and I got the impression she felt the Chinese did nothing wrong。
Callum George
，
Great introduction to modern industrial espionage
Kaye Sivori
，
Wow， what an excellent writer！ The story was history I lived very close to！ Highly recommend it！
Bob Manning
，
This book started out good as a look into industrial espionage。 It is about a Chinese corn seed company recruiting a Chinese American man to steal American patented corn seeds to be sent back to China for reverse engineering。 I learned about the extensive research that corn seed companies are constantly doing to develop a variety of better corn seeds through the hybrid and GMO processes。 Unfortunately， the book turns into a bashing of American corporations and the American government and playing This book started out good as a look into industrial espionage。 It is about a Chinese corn seed company recruiting a Chinese American man to steal American patented corn seeds to be sent back to China for reverse engineering。 I learned about the extensive research that corn seed companies are constantly doing to develop a variety of better corn seeds through the hybrid and GMO processes。 Unfortunately， the book turns into a bashing of American corporations and the American government and playing the victimhood card。 In the notes at the end， the author says that the book changed into something that she did not plan at the beginning。 This book was released in 2020。 I can't help thinking that she changed the theme to match with today's popular narrative。 。。。more
Eric
，
The story made me wonder whether we are truly facing an existential threat from China， or not。 Yes， they really are communists and treat their citizens badly， and squash any and all opposition。 On the other hand， are they really much worse than our own bungling FBI？
Cynthia Livingston
，
The story begins in September 2011 in Iowa and kicks off a 2 year FBI investigation of industrial espionage involving protected strains of corn grown under contract for Monsanto。 The actual spies were a small group of fairly inept ethnic Chinese men and culminated in a trial of one man involving trade secrets theft。 The author lived in China on and off for 8 years and spoke Mandarin and did a lot of digging in FBI files。 The larger story revolved around Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer and predjustic The story begins in September 2011 in Iowa and kicks off a 2 year FBI investigation of industrial espionage involving protected strains of corn grown under contract for Monsanto。 The actual spies were a small group of fairly inept ethnic Chinese men and culminated in a trial of one man involving trade secrets theft。 The author lived in China on and off for 8 years and spoke Mandarin and did a lot of digging in FBI files。 The larger story revolved around Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer and predjusticed views within the FBI counterintelligence operations。 At this point Monsanto isn't American owned any longer - as part of the consolidation of the agricultural industry it was purchased in 2018 by Bayer AG， a German firm， and now controls more than one-fourth of the combined global market for seeds and pesticides。 According to Bloomberg， "The deal gives Bayer more than 2，000 varieties of seeds for crops such as corn， soybeans， and wheat。 Adding that portfolio to its own vegetable， rice， cotton and oilseed offerings give Bayer a virtually unassailable position at the head of the market。" Ultimately this was a sad book to read but also enlightening - what did the FBI ultimately end up protecting。 。。。more
Dillon
，
Finally came back to this book after a few months off。 Interesting topic， but 李乐 put it best: “sometimes it felt like I was on page 200 of a newspaper article。” If you are very interested in the topic， have at it。 Just keep in mind that Hvostendahl really doesn’t hit her stride until the last third of the book。
Eric Li
，
Excellent narrative。 While the case against Robert Mo is definitely solid， Hvistendahl has perfectly outlined the quandaries which Chinese scientists and STEM students face in the States。 Her broad narrative/perspective makes the investigative story balanced and insightful。 Definitely a book which I could not stop reading time to time。
Duy
，
This book is terrible。 Everything here can be said in a 10-page article or so。People like this so called journalist is a gift from heaven for Chinese gov。 I think that she can even write a book to defend the genocide happening right now。Do yourself a favor and pick another book instead。
Translator
，
Very interesting subject， poorly written book。
Traci
，
I know know more about corn seeds than I ever hoped to know。 Or wanted to know。 :）But it all seriousness I found this to be an interesting case of corporate espionage。 I probably would have rated it higher though if it had been a bit more concise。 See above reference to my knew found knowledge of corn。
Todd
，
Very fascinating， check this one out！ Planet Money covered this story and I immediately added the book to my list。Most people are aware of the thinking that some ethnic Chinese scientists and other folks have passed secrets back to the homeland。 And that IP is not respected there so Chinese industry takes those secrets and runs with them。Where did that concept come from？ To what extent is it true？ You'll learn that and more while tracing the threads of a specific IP theft with some colorful char Very fascinating， check this one out！ Planet Money covered this story and I immediately added the book to my list。Most people are aware of the thinking that some ethnic Chinese scientists and other folks have passed secrets back to the homeland。 And that IP is not respected there so Chinese industry takes those secrets and runs with them。Where did that concept come from？ To what extent is it true？ You'll learn that and more while tracing the threads of a specific IP theft with some colorful characters which occurred in the early 2010s。 I won't spoil specific answers。 Read this book to find out。 What I'll tell you is the case study is gripping and human reality is very complicated。 。。。more
Susan
，
Excellent wrap up of current events and geopolitical issues， well written and researched
G。 Roger
，
A compelling story of industrial espionage of corn seeds （really）。 The author tells the story and also expands to China's role in industrial espionage， racism against Chinese as well as the sometime dubious tactics of law enforcement。 Eye opening read and you will come away knowing a lot more about corn seed genetics and the globalization of seed companies。 A compelling story of industrial espionage of corn seeds （really）。 The author tells the story and also expands to China's role in industrial espionage， racism against Chinese as well as the sometime dubious tactics of law enforcement。 Eye opening read and you will come away knowing a lot more about corn seed genetics and the globalization of seed companies。 。。。more
Kelvin Heppner
，
Fascinating story。 Well-researched， but what's with the anti-America and anti-modern agriculture bias？ Fascinating story。 Well-researched， but what's with the anti-America and anti-modern agriculture bias？ 。。。more
Marc Kirner
，
Good story。 The author has an obvious bias for Robert Mo （low level convicted spy） because she lived in China and speaks Chinese。
P D
，
4。5 starsWhat I expected to be a straightforward， if rich， narrative around industrial espionage and theft instead adds another dimension by examining the outsize role of corporations in even determining how government resources are dedicated to these issues in the first place， as well as the racism and persistent misunderstanding of China （they have so many people！！ Seriously the 2008 Beijing coverage had one of the trashiest commentators - don't think social media would be into that today， and 4。5 starsWhat I expected to be a straightforward， if rich， narrative around industrial espionage and theft instead adds another dimension by examining the outsize role of corporations in even determining how government resources are dedicated to these issues in the first place， as well as the racism and persistent misunderstanding of China （they have so many people！！ Seriously the 2008 Beijing coverage had one of the trashiest commentators - don't think social media would be into that today， and that's a *good* thing）。 。。。more
Linda
，
It was hard to tell the author's perspective。 Her observations varied from one end of the spectrum to the other。 While recounting the story of the attempted stealing of corn varieties by the Chinese， a violation of the intellectual property laws， she dwelt too much on "racial profiling"。 After all， Chinese spies are Chinese。 Robert Ho became the scapegoat for the nefarious actions of the company he worked for。 It was hard to tell the author's perspective。 Her observations varied from one end of the spectrum to the other。 While recounting the story of the attempted stealing of corn varieties by the Chinese， a violation of the intellectual property laws， she dwelt too much on "racial profiling"。 After all， Chinese spies are Chinese。 Robert Ho became the scapegoat for the nefarious actions of the company he worked for。 。。。more
Sean Carrigan
，
If you are looking for a riveting account of international intrigue and economic espionage， keep looking as this is anything but that。 Moving with the same pace at which corn grows， this tale plods along。 In the end， you are left with a story where tremendous resources are employed in making a rather dubious case against a minor player in the scheme。 Finishing this one was an exercise in persistence。
Becky Sueppeman
，
Iowa， Corn， and Chinese spies。。。。 oh my！ Iowa， Corn， and Chinese Spies 。。。。 oh my！Iowa， Corn and 。。。 we are not in Kansas Toto！ That was not a book to become an Emmy nominated film but I had fun with this！ Interesting， a little scary， and I kept asking myself “what is happening here！？”Fun！
Margaret
，
A fascinating true crime book that begs the questions: When does industrial espionage become international spying？ How is this affecting recruiting top level scientists， especially from a group that has been targeted by the FBI since the end of World War 2？ How much is incorrect intelligence and racial bias affecting this？ How did so many people in this book not ask if they were under arrest or not， and immediately ask for a lawyer？ （Okay that last one was me yelling at the audiobook in my car， A fascinating true crime book that begs the questions: When does industrial espionage become international spying？ How is this affecting recruiting top level scientists， especially from a group that has been targeted by the FBI since the end of World War 2？ How much is incorrect intelligence and racial bias affecting this？ How did so many people in this book not ask if they were under arrest or not， and immediately ask for a lawyer？ （Okay that last one was me yelling at the audiobook in my car， but still。。。）I'm not sure where all the other reviewers are getting the authorial bias from， other than that there are cases where the US has demonstrably screwed Chinese scientists due to either leaks or a fundamental misunderstanding of what's basic science communication and what's not。 What is encouraged international collaboration and what are the racial/national biases involved？ 。。。more
Maureen
，
This book is highly relevant and really interesting to boot！ I heard a Planet Money episode “Seed Spy” about this case earlier this year。 That’s a great intro， and this is the nitty gritty well-researched story about zealots in the FBI chasing down some Chinese scientists who were trying to steal the trade secrets of genetically-modified corn。 Some of the story was like Keystone Kops - men sneaking around cornfields thinking nobody would notice their picking up cobs， packing up boxes and sending This book is highly relevant and really interesting to boot！ I heard a Planet Money episode “Seed Spy” about this case earlier this year。 That’s a great intro， and this is the nitty gritty well-researched story about zealots in the FBI chasing down some Chinese scientists who were trying to steal the trade secrets of genetically-modified corn。 Some of the story was like Keystone Kops - men sneaking around cornfields thinking nobody would notice their picking up cobs， packing up boxes and sending them to China。 Other parts were horribly racist， reminiscent of the days of Japanese internment， where anyone vaguely Chinese was automatically accused of industrial spying， often with weak or manufactured evidence。 No one is an innocent victim in this corn theft case， but a lot of people could have behaved better。 It’s also very interesting to note how both Xi Jinping’s and Donald Trump’s policies and aspirations figure into this dirty little war。 。。。more
Ryan Hicks
，
Interesting story but not an exciting read。 Well researched and good facts around how China has been stealing our intellectual property for years， and even more interesting how they try to steal our industrial IP from our food sources in the Midwest。
Gerry
，
I appreciate books that look at the issues from both sides， and this book attempted to do that。 I am not sure she presented both sides with an objective perspective。 Authors are allowed to pick sides， which is fine。 I do think this author minimized the impact that intellectual property theft can have on an organization。 I do think she did paint the other side of it well， however， in that investigations that were based on false pretenses will have lasting negative impacts。
Hannah
，
I gave this book three stars because I neither found it astounding or asinine。 Rather， I felt apathetic about midway through。 This is a good premise; however， the chapters Hvistendahl inserts her own research threw me off。 It is filled with her research process and her own inner thoughts while writing the book。 It was just uncalled for and could have been a 100 page novel easily。
Madalene
，
Difficult to rate this one - there are parts that I'm glad to see an exposition about， namely how different corn genetic breeding techniques work and how the consolidation of agriculture in the American Midwest has played out in commercial terms。 But there are also parts that seem （as others have noted） overly sympathetic given the multiple examples this and other researchers have found of espionage of corporate trade secrets。 Perhaps it would have been more interesting if it picked between a co Difficult to rate this one - there are parts that I'm glad to see an exposition about， namely how different corn genetic breeding techniques work and how the consolidation of agriculture in the American Midwest has played out in commercial terms。 But there are also parts that seem （as others have noted） overly sympathetic given the multiple examples this and other researchers have found of espionage of corporate trade secrets。 Perhaps it would have been more interesting if it picked between a couple of theses: is it appropriate for the FBI to pursue charges in what is really a civil dispute about corporate trade secrets？; or， are there people incentivized successfully by Chinese companies to steal specific genetic lines of corn to sell under a different brand？ For the former， I would love to hear more from a variety of knowledgeable people。 For the latter， the evidence in the book points to yes even though the author isn't so sure。 。。。more
Ted Haussman
，