Monday

Investigative Report: Radio and U.S. Military Psypos

Clandestine radio is an extremely effective form of propaganda that oftentimes supports military operations. Along with other tactics, including the dropping of leaflets and the use of loudspeakers, radio can "win the hearts and minds" of the target audience and has, in the past, won compliance from hostile leaders. Although clandestine radio broadcasts are generally associated with intelligence agencies and guerilla groups, the U.S. Army has long used it for PSYPOS - Psychological Operations.

Combat Loudspeakers: Weapon of the Battlefield Evangelists


The purpose of this work is to provide historical evidence that the innovative use of tactical loudspeakers has been, and will continue to be, a viable and an essential "weapon" in the arsenal of U.S. military forces. Although loudspeaker teams have been employed for all peacekeeping operations in the past 50 years,including Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia/Kosovo, the focus of this work is their use on the battlefield against an enemy soldier.

The Wandering Soul PsyOp tape of Vienam



Helicopters were used to broadcast Vietnamese voices pretending to be from beyond the grave. They called on their "descendents" in the Vietcong to defect, to cease fighting. This campaign played the sounds and messages all night in order to spook the superstitious enemy. Despite eventually realizing that they were hearing a recording beamed from a helicopter, the enemy gunners could not help but fear that their souls would some day end up moaning and wailing in a similar fashion after death.