The Soviet Union and the Vietnam War

Despite hundreds of studies and analyses of the Vietnam War, we still have scant knowledge of deliberations and actions on the other side of the lines-in North Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union. In this pioneering book, a Russian historian with exclusive access to newly opened Soviet archives on the war offers a compelling account of the Kremlin's role in Vietnam. Ilya Gaiduk shows that while Moscow sought to strengthen its position in Southeast Asia by providing its allies in Hanoi with substantial aid, Soviet leaders also feared an armed dispute involving the United States and worried about the breakdown of detente. In unexpected ways and to a surprising degree, the Soviets pursued a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Indochina on conditions that would be acceptable for the North Vietnamese and, in the long run, for Moscow. Privy to formerly secret documents, Mr. Gaiduk focuses on the trends and motives that influenced the Kremlin's decision-making process, and analyzes the USSR's position on Vietnam in light of its complex relations with the Communist world and the West. His eye-opening history will force a rethinking of many Western assumptions.