Psychological WarfareLinebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
History
Psychological Warfare
Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
Psychological warfare
In April 1952, the PsyWar training activities at Fort Riley were moved
to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where the new Psychological Warfare
Center was located. This Center not only provided unit training
supervision and facilities, but it fathered a new activity, the
Psychological Warfare Board, designed to evaluate and test new PsyWar
equipment and techniques. And the Psychological Warfare School, an
outgrowth of the classes conducted by the Army General School, was
formally recognized and established as one of the Army's specialist
schools. More than four hundred officers have received diplomas as
PsyWar officers at the time of this writing (1953). Most of the
graduates have been Army officers, although successfully completing the
course have been students from the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, U.S.
Information Agency, and from nine Allied nations.
=Psychological Warfare Staff, FEC.= For nearly two years, the
Psychological Warfare Section operated under the general staff
supervision of Intelligence (G2). Since World War I days G2 had been
given the responsibility for monitoring PsyWar activity, a practice that
was evident throughout World War II. In 1947 the Department of the Army
transferred the monitorship and supervision of PsyWar to Plans and
Operations (G3). The shift was effected in FEC in 1952.
[Illustration: _Figure 77: UN Themes._ This Korean-language leaflet
states: "No soldier would attempt to fight 54 men, yet Communist China
is attempting to fight 54 nations. Don't fight for Communist
enslavement--Join your comrades who have surrendered into safety."]
Early in 1953 PWS was transferred to the staff of the commander, Army
Forces Far East (AFFE), a paper transaction to put the staff in a closer
position to coordinate the plans and operations of the supporting army
PsyWar units.
Throughout the Korean conflict, PWS, like its area commander, wore two
hats: PWS was also the PsyWar operations coordinating agency for the
United Nations Command.
Broad objectives made possible throughout the war years the development
of literally thousands of appropriate themes. One theme so prominent in
World War II propaganda, that of _unconditional surrender_, was never
used. UN policy denied its use, and PWS enforced the prohibition.
=Psychological Warfare Staff, EUSAK.= Recognizing the need for PsyWar
officers on army and corps staffs, the Department of the Army hastened
to make an allocation for these officers to be integrated into
headquarters structures. The PsyWar officers finally came to rest in the
G3 staff section.
Eighth Army's PsyWar division of G3 had the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet
Company under its operational control. EUSAK's PsyWar officer kept a
tight control over the propaganda output of the L&L Company by
physically moving the propaganda platoon into his EUSAK staff office.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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