My Interview with the FBI about My Contacts with Russian Agents

True story.

I almost forgot about it.

I had a crafted a paper about the structure of contracts governing exchange between electricity generators and electricity marketers—obviously very sexy stuff.

Some days later a colleague, the Director of Research in our group, suggested that I make a point of discussing the paper with Victor Vidov, a fellow situated with some trade group or other at the Russian Embassy right here in Washington, DC.

That’s interesting, I thought, though I puzzled over why some mysterious trade representative at the Russian Embassy would be interested in talking over the phone about my paper.  His people could just download it from our site…  But, I suppose that there could always be value in taking time to take questions…  Even so, why would they be interested?  Not that the paper wasn’t interesting (I think!), but electricity marketing does not necessarily make for engaging cocktail party discussion.

I did get around to placing a call to Victor.  I ended up leaving a message on Victor’s voicemail, and that was that.

My Director inquired with me some days later if I had made any effort to contact Victor.  I reported to him what I have reported to you.

Some days later I got a call from Victor.  I took questions.  I can’t remember any of them, although I remember thinking that they weren’t very probing—no, not “probing”; they were not profound questions.  I puzzled over the question of whether he had read the paper.  And, if not, why bother call at all?  Strange.

My Director inquired with me some days later if I had made any effort to contact Victor.  Again, I reported to him what I have reported to you.  Victor and I had a very perfunctory discussion.  My Director indicated that, having had a discussion with Victor, I could now expect an interview with the FBI about my discussion with Victor. (!)

Two young fellows, well dressed, showed up some days later.  I directed them to one our small conference rooms.  I gave each of them of copy of the paper.  “Have you been interviewed by the FBI before,” they inquired?  “You seem well prepared [by virtue of having taken time to print out copies of the paper, it seems].”  I reported that I had not … but for the experience a few years back of getting whatever security clearance I had to get to secure employment with my employer.

I reported to the FBI what I reported to you.  They reported to me that the value of our interview was that it constituted but one small piece in a puzzle about what is going on in the world.  The FBI aggregates these pieces; they might provide clues about what industries the Putin regime might decide to nationalize or otherwise get involved in.

This was 2003.

I joked to myself that an invitation to present a paper in St. Petersburg might result—an unlikely prospect.  The data consistent with “unlikely”.  Nearly twenty years later, I have yet visit St. Petersburg.

My Director was helping the FBI out. They wanted crumbs, little clues. They got some crumbs.

The paper was titled “Adaptation in long-term exchange relations: evidence of the complementarity and ancillarity of dimensions of electricity marketing contracts.”  A version of it shows up in The Economics of Adaptation and Long-term Relationships (2019).

Who isn’t interested in long-term relationships? Very sexy stuff. No joke.