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In CWIHP Working Paper No. 73, "The Soviet-Vietnamese Intelligence Relationship during the Vietnam War: Cooperation and Conflict," Merle Pribbenow explores the role played by Soviet Union’s intelligence agencies, namely the KGB and the GRU, in the Vietnam War. Long-held assumptions that the Soviets provided signals intelligence to the Vietnamese have never been positively confirmed, and this paper shows that great conflict between the intelligence organizations of these two nations, whose goals and policies were not always in agreement, existed from the First Indochina War until American withdrawal in 1975.

Merle L. Pribbenow II graduated from the University of Washington in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in political science.  After serving in the CIA for 27 years, he retired in 1995 and is now an independent researcher/author specializing in the Vietnam War. Pribbenow is a longtime partner with the Cold War International History Project and has authored numerous papers with CWIHP including, e-Dossier No. 33 - North Vietnam's "Talk-Fight" Strategy and the 1968 Peace Negotiations with the United States; e-Dossier No. 30 - Treatment of American POWs in North Vietnam; e-Dossier No. 28 - Vietnam Trained Commando Forces in Southeast Asia and Latin America; and Working Paper No. 73 - The Soviet-Vietnamese Intelligence Relationship during the Vietnam War: Cooperation and Conflict.

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About the Author

Merle Pribbenow

Merle L. Pribbenow II graduated from the University of Washington in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in political science. After serving in the CIA for 27 years, he retired in 1995 and is now an independent researcher/author specializing in the Vietnam War.

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Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more