Higher Seminar in Statecraft and Strategic Communication | Perry Johansson
Abstract: Sweden’s decision to become the first Western nation to establish diplomatic relations with Hanoi, fund an NLF information bureau, and host a semi-official Provisional Revolutionary Government representing South Vietnam—while halting ambassadorial relations with the official government in Saigon—has been interpreted either as a display of moral leadership or as a strategic political maneuver to garner domestic support among the youth.
My research instead reveals how China, through its embassy in Stockholm, clandestinely supported a Maoist-led protest movement that became so influential it compelled the incumbent Social Democratic Party to establish its own alternative Vietnam movement. Both organizations, I have shown, were heavily influenced by North Vietnamese propagandists, who operated under the guise of united front tactics and disseminated disinformation about the war's true nature.
For Hanoi, gaining the support of prominent Swedish politicians like Olof Palme, who vehemently condemned the United States on the international stage, was invaluable. Additionally, the Russell Tribunal and the ten Stockholm International Conferences on Vietnam, organized by the Swedes, served as crucial political platforms for North Vietnamese propaganda. This alliance with Sweden significantly contributed to Hanoi’s diplomatic success, ultimately leading to the United States' withdrawal of its military forces from Vietnam.
Bio: Dr. Perry Johansson is an Associate Professor at Stockholm University and holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy. His research predominantly explores China's real and perceived relations with the West, focusing on the intersection of culture, politics, and psychology. He is nearing the completion of two significant projects examining communist influence campaigns against Sweden during the Cold War.
Dr. Johansson has held research and teaching positions at some of the world's leading universities. Currently, he serves as an analyst at the Swedish Institute of Foreign Affairs’ National China Centre.