Face to Face with the CIA
The Memoir of a North Vietnamese Spymaster
Will be published approx. on 24. November 2026
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-0-231-22151-1 (ISBN)
Description
In late 1970, South Vietnamese forces captured a man who, they soon discovered, was no ordinary prisoner. The highest-ranking North Vietnamese officer taken captive during the war, Nguy?n Tai ran an extensive communist clandestine security and intelligence network in Saigon that infiltrated the South Vietnamese government and carried out targeted assassinations. His arrest triggered one of the most intense and prolonged interrogations of the war, conducted by both South Vietnamese and American intelligence services, including the CIA. After many years of service in the postwar government, Nguy?n Tai published this memoir in 1999, recounting how he resisted relentless efforts to break him.
This gripping firsthand account is at once a rare glimpse into the shadow war of espionage and a harrowing story of survival. Nguy?n Tai's unvarnished testimony depicts years of psychological and physical pressure, with detailed descriptions of CIA and South Vietnamese interrogation techniques. It offers valuable insights into not only the tactics used by the United States and its allies during the Vietnam War but also the ethical and strategic dilemmas facing intelligence operations. Both chilling and thought-provoking, Face to Face with the CIA is essential reading for anyone interested in Cold War history and the moral complexities of intelligence work.
This gripping firsthand account is at once a rare glimpse into the shadow war of espionage and a harrowing story of survival. Nguy?n Tai's unvarnished testimony depicts years of psychological and physical pressure, with detailed descriptions of CIA and South Vietnamese interrogation techniques. It offers valuable insights into not only the tactics used by the United States and its allies during the Vietnam War but also the ethical and strategic dilemmas facing intelligence operations. Both chilling and thought-provoking, Face to Face with the CIA is essential reading for anyone interested in Cold War history and the moral complexities of intelligence work.
Reviews / Votes
The story of Nguy?n Tai's incarceration is more than a Vietnam War story; it is an absorbing exploration into the psychology of torture. Unsettling and even revolting at times, the book offers perspectives and insights that are as thought-provoking as they are illuminating. It also serves as a stark reminder that the United States - and not just its enemies - has a long history of flouting the laws of war. -- Pierre Asselin, author of <i>Vietnam's American War: A New History</i> (second edition) This unique, powerful memoir by Nguy?n Tai, a senior Communist security official captured by South Vietnamese forces, illuminates his stubborn resistance in a cat and mouse game to protect his secrets against clever American interrogators. Tai's stubborn defiance metaphorically showcases each side's unyielding determination. A rare volume. -- George J. Veith, author of <i>Drawn Swords in a Distant Land: South Vietnam's Shattered Dreams</i> Face to Face with the CIA is the riveting memoir of one of communist Vietnam's master spies during the Vietnam War, Nguy?n Tai. In this beautifully translated memoir, Tai tells the story of his time in a South Vietnamese prison and his battle of wits against his Vietnamese and American interrogators. Tai takes us into one of the least understood battlefields of this conflict - the war of the intelligence services. It's a fascinating read. -- Christopher Goscha, professor of international relations at Universite du Quebec a Montreal A fascinating and hitherto unavailable firsthand account of North Vietnam's most heralded intelligence agent during the war. We follow Nguy?n Tai. from his mission of living amongst those he was assigned to betray, his capture, CIA interrogation techniques, torture and attempted suicide. Ultimately this is a memoir of human resilience. Quan Manh Ha and Merle L. Pribbenow provide an artful translation along with an insightful introductory essay. -- Larry Berman, author of <i>Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent</i>More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-231-22151-1 (9780231221511)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Nguy?n Tai (1926-2016) was a prominent Vietnamese revolutionary and senior communist intelligence officer whose life was deeply intertwined with Vietnam's fight for independence, from resisting French colonial rule to leading counterespionage efforts during the war with the United States. After the country's reunification, he came under suspicion of cooperating with his American interrogators but was eventually cleared and subsequently held influential positions in the postwar government before retiring in 1992.
Quan Manh Ha is professor of English at the University of Montana. He is the cotranslator of Other Moons: Vietnamese Short Stories of the American War and Its Aftermath (Columbia, 2020) and B?o Ninh's Ha N?i at Midnight: Stories (2023), among other books.
Merle L. Pribbenow is a former CIA Vietnamese language and operations officer who since his retirement has been a researcher and author specializing in the Vietnam War. He is the translator of Victory in Vietnam: The Official History of the People's Army of Vietnam, 1954-1975 (2002), among other works.
Lien-Hang T. Nguyen is Dorothy Borg Associate Professor in the History of the United States and East Asia at Columbia University.
Quan Manh Ha is professor of English at the University of Montana. He is the cotranslator of Other Moons: Vietnamese Short Stories of the American War and Its Aftermath (Columbia, 2020) and B?o Ninh's Ha N?i at Midnight: Stories (2023), among other books.
Merle L. Pribbenow is a former CIA Vietnamese language and operations officer who since his retirement has been a researcher and author specializing in the Vietnam War. He is the translator of Victory in Vietnam: The Official History of the People's Army of Vietnam, 1954-1975 (2002), among other works.
Lien-Hang T. Nguyen is Dorothy Borg Associate Professor in the History of the United States and East Asia at Columbia University.