Psychological Warfare Page: 9 of 12
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Tactical leaflets, prepared on the basis of current intelligence usually
were printed on portable presses in the front line area and disseminated
via artillery and, to a lesser degree, via tactical and liaison aircraft.
Loudspeaker systems, normally employed against targets of opportunity to
include surrender when the enemy realizes that the situation is hopeless,
were moved into audible range by trucks or tanks, by ships (especially
by the Pacific war) and, to a lesser degree, by aircraft, Newspapers and
pamphlets, usually prepared in rear echelon, were disseminated via sup-
porting tactical and liason aircraft and artillery.
The Communist leaders would dominate the world politically and economically
in order to maintain their power. Furthermore, through the skillful use of
psychological warfare and the cleverly masqueraded double talk of propa-
ganda, they have succeeded in their purpose as far as the Satellite nations
and most of China are concerned.
Fortunately, Soviet attempts at waging psychological war directly against
the United States and her Western allies did not meet with the same success.
Our efforts to lay the foundation for a democratic government in the Western
Zone of Germany led the Communists to blockade Berlin, a psychological move
aimed at demoralizing the Western countries and undermining the democratic
principles the Germans were beginning to adopt. They hoped that the tax-
payers of the United States would give up under the strain of Communist
opposition and the heavy financial burden of the European Recovery Program
and completely withdraw from Central Europe, Our response to this action was
the Airlift.
Project Vittles" objectively designed to keep the German people in our
sector of Berlin from starving, was also our psychological warfare counter-
attack against the Communists. We were able to and did put more transport
planes and cargo into the air at one time in a given area than the world had
ever seen before. We broke our own records time and again. Millions of people
throughout the world watched this maneuver and were influenced by the strength
and efficiency of the United States Air Force. The Communists found that
they had lost that particular battle; their plan.had backfired. They learned
that in spite of the cost, which was great, the United States was not to be
defeated by Cold Warfare from fulfilling its responsibility to the United
Nations of forming a free government Germany.
We have gone even further since that time to impress the Communists with the
seriousness of our intention to maintain world peace. The attempt of the
Western Allies to beam radio programs to the people behind the Iron Curtain,
telling them the truth, is another phase of "Cold War," The Voice of America
has been set up by our government to do this. Although our efforts to effecti-
vely reach these people have been met with stiff Soviet resistance, rest
assured that the fundamental struggle for effective radio communication from
the western democracies to the Soviet people will still be in process.
A quotation from Sun Tzu on the art of war. is--". .the supreme excellence
consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." The strategy
employed to bring about the defeat of nations without formal war has come to
be known as the "Cold War" and its principle weapon is psychological warfare.
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United States. Air Force. Psychological Warfare, paper, April 1962; [Universal City, Texas]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth907150/m1/9/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National WASP WWII Museum.