The second talk of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy’s Spring colloquium series, featuring Alessandro Giorgi.

Bio: Alessandro Giorgi is an Italian military historian and author. His focus is centered on World War 2, Vietnam, and clandestine operations. After military service in the 11th Infantry Battalion “Casale”, Italian Army, he graduated at the Università Luigi Bocconi in Milan with a thesis on the Italian defense industry. He is the author of: Cronaca della Seconda Guerra Mondiale 1939-1945 (“Chronology of WWII 1939-1945”, Editoriale Lupo publisher, Vicchio, Florence, 2013), Cronaca della Guerra del Vietnam 1961-1975 (“Chronology of the Vietnam War 1961-1975”, Editoriale Lupo, Vicchio, Florence, 2015) and other works.

Abstract: In a little-known episode of the Vietnam War, the CIA hired Norwegian skippers to command fast patrol boats to land South Vietnamese commandos and combat swimmers on the coasts of North Vietnam. This talk explores the causes and consequences of this Norwegian connection, an intriguing episode of the early stages of the Vietnam War.

Copies of Alessandro Giorgi's books will be available for purchase and signing.