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This article analyses the relationship between the two largest student unions in the 1960s, the French Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (UNEF) and the United States National Student Association (NSA), and highlights the similarities and differences that marked this relationship. Despite being radically different with regard to their philosophies, operations and objectives, these two student unions nevertheless maintained regular and friendly relations. This stemmed less from any desire to collaborate than to spy each other, in an attempt to identify each other’s weaknesses, thus discrediting their opponents and gaining prestige over other national student unions.