course, to see if I could learn something from the business
world’s approach. It was supposed to be quiet and calm, a
little professional development for an FBI guy trying to
widen his horizons.
But when Robert Mnookin, the director of the Harvard
Negotiation Research Project, learned I was on campus, he
invited me to his office for a coffee. Just to chat, he said.
I was honored. And scared. Mnookin is an impressive
guy whom I’d followed for years: not only is he a Harvard
law professor, he’s also one of the big shots of the conflict
resolution field and the author of Bargaining with the Devil:
When to Negotiate, When to Fight.^1
To be honest, it felt unfair that Mnookin wanted me, a
former Kansas City beat cop, to debate negotiation with
him. But then it got worse. Just after Mnookin and I sat
down, the door opened and another Harvard professor
walked in. It was Gabriella Blum, a specialist in international
negotiations, armed conflict, and counterterrorism, who’d
spent eight years as a negotiator for the Israeli National
Security Council and the Israel Defense Forces. The tough-
as-nails IDF.
On cue, Mnookin’s secretary arrived and put a tape
recorder on the table. Mnookin and Blum smiled at me.
I’d been tricked.
“We’ve got your son, Voss. Give us one million dollars
or he dies,” Mnookin said, smiling. “I’m the kidnapper.
What are you going to do?”
I experienced a flash of panic, but that was to be