Psychological operations (PSYOPS) has been a longstanding and influential tool in warfare. In Afghanistan, radio messages were transmitted over Taliban radio frequencies that caused chaos in their ranks. For example, we would state how a certain leader has been killed or that a rift is going on between two different cells. Not only does this confuse the enemy, a lot of new information can be learned from bad guys debating said message. The US also spearheaded efforts to create comic books and a television series that gave children and young adults the inspiration to become a doctor, teacher, or policeman. I remember one episode where an Afghan policeman defused a bomb and saved everyone. It was very Jack Bauer like. This meaning of media was unprecedented in Afghanistan, and in my point of view, an extremely useful one. Prior to this ‘propaganda,’ young men were easily swayed into Taliban ranks because their pay was triple that of any laboring job. Providing a purpose and sense of pride is important and I like to believe this gave some Afghans hope.
Enough about my experiences. Same rules applied then as they do today. Black propaganda was the specialty of the Morale Operations Branch of the OSS. Designed to look as though it had been produced by disgruntled Germans or Japanese, this misinformation was targeted to weaken Axis morale. Within OSS, Morale Operations was responsible for developing ways to demoralize the Nazis. One such effort was the design and printing of counterfeit German postage stamps that featured a skeletal version of Hitler’s face. The idea was to put them on letters and insert the letters into the German postal system.
The video below covers WWII PSYOPS used by the Office of Strategic Service (OSS).
Referenced youtube, wwii psyops, cia.gov
Feature image courtesy of psyops.org
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