Psychological WarfareLinebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
History
Psychological Warfare
Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
Psychological warfare
In the latter phase of the European war, the Russian Communists followed
the German Nazi example of having tame natives ready to take over the
government of occupied areas. In Poland, the so-called Lublin Committee
took over the government from the constitutional Polish
Government-in-exile at London. In Jugoslavia, the Russian-trained
propagandist, Tito, seized the leadership from the recognized Minister
of War, Draja Mikhailovich, after the British and American governments
had shifted their support to him; later Mikhailovich was put to death.
The Russian army brought along to Germany a considerable number of
German Communists. In Czechoslovakia the strength of the constitutional
regime was such as to compel the pro-Russians to allow the prewar
leadership a precarious toehold in the new government. The same cadres
of sympathetic persons who had been useful as propaganda sources for
psychological warfare during the period of hostilities became useful
instruments of domination after hostilities ended. The British and
Americans, with their belief that government should spring from the
liberated and defeated peoples, did not prepare and equip comparable
groups to rival the Communist candidates; only in Italy and Greece did
the friends of the Western Allies stay in power, and then only because
they were the nearest equivalent of _de jure_ authorities. In the
Scandinavian and Low Countries the national leadership reemerged without
prodding or interference by the Western Allies; they passed from the
sphere of psychological warfare (that is, of being someone's cover) to
that of world politics.
Specific black propaganda operations were of considerable value.
However, black propaganda is more difficult to appraise than overt
propaganda. Analytical and historical studies, gauging the results
obtained by Black operations in relation to their cost, are not yet
available. (Certain particular operations are described later in this
book, pages 208 and 237.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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