Psychological WarfareLinebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
History
Psychological Warfare
Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
Psychological warfare
Congratulating imaginary agents in ostensible code over the voice
radio for the excellent work they have allegedly done in the enemy
home country (all theaters).
[Illustration: _Figure 54: Troop Morale Leaflet, Grey._ This German
leaflet from the Italian front attempts to remind American troops of the
bonus troubles of 1932--a year in which most of the American soldiers
were still in school. Only to older men could the appeal carry much
weight. The drawing and typography are distinctively German. In terms of
source, this leaflet is grey.]
[Illustration: _Figure 55: Chinese Communist Civilian Morale Leaflet._
This leaflet attempts to raise peasant morale while calling in general
terms for economic action. It shows a peasant family welcoming home the
father, who has been made a Hero of Labor. (Given the author by
Political Department, Border Area Government, at Yenan in September
1944.)]
[Illustration: _Figure 56: General Morale: Matched Themes._ The American
leaflet and Japanese one both show the same map with the same
event--cutting of the enemy lifeline. In each case, the event is alleged
to be news. However, the purpose of the leaflet is to depress the morale
of all enemies who see it and to raise the morale of all friends.]
[Illustration: _Figure 57: The Unlucky Japanese Sad Sack._ This morale
pamphlet was used on the Japanese in South and Southwest Pacific. While
it never produced any startling results on them, it did no harm. The
pictures are done by a qualified Japanese artist. The pamphlet tells the
story of the Japanese common soldier whose officers get everything and
give him nothing except a cremation box and memorial tablet.]
The category "morale leaflets" covers all leaflets which neither call
for immediate action, nor are designed primarily to convey news as such.
=News Leaflets.= Figures 1, 7, 59, 60 and 65 are news leaflets. The
propaganda purpose is evident, even to the enemy. But in the best of
these leaflets there is a tendency to let the facts speak for
themselves, and to show the enemy just what the actual situation is.
=Tactical Defensive Psychological Warfare.= Morale operations are
designed, therefore, to obtain responses other than immediate action.
Several possible goals can be sought, singly or jointly. The commonest
is preparation of the enemy soldier's mind for the actual physical act
of surrender, the moral act of doing no more for his own side. Whenever
surrender requires nothing more than passivity, morale leaflets are even
more promising; in such cases all that is asked of the enemy is that he
sit tight, fight inefficiently, and put up his hands when he is told to
do so. Other purposes of morale operations include the irritation of
enemy groups against each other, the general depression of enemy morale,
the discouragement of enemy troops, officers or commanders.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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