Chasing CHI: The Fbi's Groundbreaking Pursuit of China's Most Prolific Spy Family

Espionage, betrayal, and the FBI's historic victory--this is the true story of the hunt for Chi Mak and his spy ring.

It began as furtive tip, grew to fevered investigation, and climaxed with midnight airport arrests to prevent US military secrets from being lost forever, and it all centered around a diminutive, bespectacled engineer from Kwang-Tung, China.

Who was Chi Mak? A brilliant immigrant engineer eager to live in the West and enjoy the fruits of his labor? Or Mao's Marxist soldier, itching to steal US Navy secrets to leapfrog China's navy to parity with, and eventual supremacy over, America's Seventh Fleet?

Chasing Chi is a compelling read and first-person account of the trailblazing investigation and prosecution of Chi Mak and his family and friends. For decades, they stole sensitive US military and commercial technologies for the Peoples' Republic of China. FBI Special Agent James Gaylord, who directed the investigation, recounts this mesmerizing tale by drawing upon his eyewitness experiences and notes, case evidence, investigative files, and court records to weave a fascinating spy thriller detailing Chi Mak's betrayal. This incredible true-life story highlights behind-the-curtain intrigues, obstacles, betrayals, and hard-won victories, while pointing out the heroes and villains along the way.

Overcoming bureaucratic friction, cowardice, and sabotage jeopardizing their efforts at every turn, Special Agent Gaylord and his squad, call sign "SARA-4," persevered, breaking the FBI's historic string of failures, producing the most successful prosecution of China's spies ever, and re-writing the manual for convicting foreign agents.

Author: James E. Gaylord
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 12/02/2025
Pages: 424
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.63lbs
Size: 9.13h x 6.39w x 1.44d
ISBN: 9781493091966


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/27/2025

About the Author
James E. Gaylord served as an FBI Special Agent and Supervisor for over thirty years, leading counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations against every major hostile nation and international terrorist organization. In 2004, he spearheaded one of the most complex espionage investigations imaginable, that of Chi Mak, his family, and his associates. The efforts of Agent Gaylord and his squad led to the unprecedented, historic convictions of six spies for China and multiple counterintelligence awards.

Since these convictions, Special Agent Gaylord has supplied hundreds of case briefings worldwide to academia, government agencies, defense contractors, and professional and private organizations. He has also provided interviews and materials for various magazine articles, television programs, podcasts, US intelligence training sessions, and museum exhibitions. In 2017, he concluded his FBI career supervising investigations of the People's Republic of China in order to direct corporate ethics investigations in the private sector. You can contact him or learn more his book Chasing Chi at ChasingChiBook.com