Simple Sabotage Field ManualUnited States. Office of Strategic Services
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Simple Sabotage Field Manual
United States. Office of Strategic Services
Sabotage
(d) Various media may be used to disseminate suggestions and
information regarding simple sabotage. Among the media which may be
used, as the immediate situation dictates, are: freedom stations or
radio false (unreadable) broadcasts or leaflets may be directed toward
specific geographic or occupational areas, or they may be general in
scope. Finally, agents may be trained in the art of simple sabotage, in
anticipation of a time when they may be able to communicate this
information directly.
(3) _Safety Measures_
(a) The amount of activity carried on by the saboteur will be governed
not only by the number of opportunities he sees, but also by the amount
of danger he feels. Bad news travels fast, and simple sabotage will be
discouraged if too many simple saboteurs are arrested.
(b) It should not be difficult to prepare leaflets and other media for
the saboteur about the choice of weapons, time, and targets which will
insure the saboteur against detection and retaliation. Among such
suggestions might be the following:
(1) Use materials which appear to be innocent. A knife or a nail file
can be carried normally on your person; either is a multi-purpose
instrument for creating damage. Matches, pebbles, hair, salt, nails,
and dozens of other destructive agents can be carried or kept in your
living quarters without exciting any suspicion whatever. If you are a
worker in a particular trade or industry you can easily carry and keep
such things as wrenches, hammers, emery paper, and the like.
(2) Try to commit acts for which large numbers of people could be
responsible. For instance, if you blow out the wiring in a factory at a
central fire box, almost anyone could have done it. On-the-street
sabotage after dark, such as you might be able to carry out against a
military car or truck, is another example of an act for which it would
be impossible to blame you.
(3) Do not be afraid to commit acts for which you might be blamed
directly, so long as you do so rarely, and as long as you have a
plausible excuse: you dropped your wrench across an electric circuit
because an air raid had kept you up the night before and you were
half-dozing at work. Always be profuse in your apologies. Frequently
you can “get away” with such acts under the cover of pretending
stupidity, ignorance, over-caution, fear of being suspected of
sabotage, or weakness and dullness due to undernourishment.
(4) After you have committed an act of easy sabotage, resist any
temptation to wait around and see what happens. Loiterers arouse
suspicion. Of course, there are circumstances when it would be
suspicious for you to leave. If you commit sabotage on your job, you
should naturally stay at your work.
4. TOOLS, TARGETS, AND TIMING
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