Petrov then suggested that the engineer should request a transfer to another area of the Grumman plant where he would be in a position to have access to a much larger variety of engineering data. The engineer, however, continued to bring routine reports to the meetings, explaining that confidential reports were very difficult to obtain. Petrov never ceased to pressure the engineer for F-14 technical reports, especially confidential ones. The date, time, and place of the next meeting were agreed upon together with an alternate meeting date in case either party was unable to attend on the original date.Īs their relationship progressed, Petrov provided the engineer with small sums of money-usually about $250-for each report the American gave the Russian. Future meetings between the American and the Russian were always arranged at the conclusion of each previous meeting. FBI agents, conducting a surveillance of the meetings, observed that most of them were held within close proximity of Long Island railroad stations. They were invariably held at different restaurants on Long Island on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. Although Petrov previously had said he did not require any confidential material, at this point he mentioned that any confidential information the engineer could provide would be "worth more."įuture meetings between Petrov and the engineer continued on a almost monthly basis. Petrov then commented that if the engineer could borrow the requested data overnight, he would return it the next day. Petrov asked the engineer if he would have any problems in removing material from the plant. The Russian promised to pay him from $100 to $300, the exact amount depending solely on the material's value. In reply, the American inquired as to what he could expect in the way of monetary compensation. He added that he was also interested in any other material to which the engineer had daily access. The agents then instructed the engineer to continue to express a need for money at future meetings.Īt their next meeting, Petrov asked the engineer to be alert for any reports or publications relating to the F-14. The engineer explained that his remarks concerning his somewhat precarious financial situation seemed to impress Petrov. Special agents interviewed the engineer who agreed to cooperate by meeting again with Petrov in order to ascertain the Russian's intentions. Petrov told the engineer that if for some reason he could not make it on that day, then they would meet on the following Monday at the same time and place.Īt the conclusion of this second meeting, the engineer, suspicious of Petrov's intentions, reported his suspicions to the Grumman security office which immediately notified the New York Field Office of the FBI. They then agreed to meet again in front of their present location at 7 p.m. He also cautioned the engineer to give no sign of recognition should their paths cross at any future scientific meeting.īefore concluding their meeting, Petrov obtained the engineer's home telephone number but declined to provide his own in return. To the engineer's surprise, however, the Russian replied that he did not think it would be wise for him to attend his forthcoming conference. The engineer added that Petrov would, no doubt, wish to attend this meeting since the subject matter would be of interest to him. The engineer promised Petrov he would consider his request and would inform the Russian of his decision at an engineering conference which was to be held soon. Petrov then told the engineer that if he could provide anything of value, he would be paid approximately $300 per month. He remarked that in case the engineer was unable to provide him with details of the wing sweep mechanism, he would, nevertheless, appreciate any information whatsoever concerning the work performed at the Grumman plant. Petrov said he especially desired some information about the F-14's wing sweep mechanism since this concept greatly intrigued him.
Petrov said he would pay the engineer for any information he could provide, but quickly added that he did not need any classified data. In this regard he wished to obtain some engineering data about the F-14 aircraft. Petrov went on, explaining that in the meantime he was preparing his doctoral thesis. He added that he would enjoy having the engineer as an employee should the latter lose his job at Grumman. At one point, Petrov said he was seriously considering starting a business in the New York City area. At Petrov's suggestion, the engineer followed the Russian's car to a restaurant in Amityville, Long Island.ĭuring the two-hour-long dinner, they discussed a number of general topics. Petrov and the engineer met as planned the following week.
0 kommentar(er)
