DESCRIPTION:
Shield: A chevron at the center, black and grey checks above, and below a West
African symbol for initiative and versatility.
Crest: A black and white wreath at the bottom, and a truck wheel, on top of which is
a depiction of an early model microphone with five lightning flashes above.
Motto: POTENTIA ET ADDUCO (“To Influence and Persuade”)
SYMBOLISM:
Shield: The white chevron portrays truthful messaging wedging out the opposing
propaganda symbolized by the silver and black checkerboard. The green base is the primary
branch color for Psychological Operations. The yellow West African symbol for initiative
and versatility represents the attitude of the members of the Battalion and indicates the
geographical area of responsibility for the unit.
Crest: The crest refers to the Battalion's World War II lineage as the 3d Mobile
Radio Broadcasting Company. The truck tire indicates this was a mobile unit the microphone
is a vintage 1940s style and represents the broadcasting aspect with the three bars
indicating the numeric designation. The five lightning flashes refer to the five World War
II campaigns the Company participated in.
Background: The coat of arms was approved for the 7th Psychological Operations
Battalion effective 16 October 2011.
7th PSYOP Battalion Challenge Coin
WWII
Loudspeaker equipped tank
I could write 10,000 words on the birth of American PSYOP in WWII, but
this is a brief look, not a detailed study. Much the data can be found in Report of
Operations – 12th Army Group. I will just lightly touch on it.
The 7th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne) was first constituted on 23
December 1943 in the Regular Army as the 3rd Mobile Radio Broadcast Company and was
activated on 29 December 1943 at Camp Ritchie, Maryland. The unit was deployed to the
European Theater of Operations during World War II.
Many of the terms we will use in this section will sound quite foreign to current PSYOP
members. It was a different time and a different war and everything was brand new and
being tried out for the first time.
The initial planning for a Public Relations Task Force for the campaign in Europe was
accomplished by the Public relations Officer of the European Theater of Operation in
January 1943. In March 1943, a small Public Relations Task Force accompanied the First
Canadian Army in their “Spartan” War Game to uncover possible weaknesses.
In November 1943, the First U.S. Army Group was activated and called for a public
relations staff. Notice at this time there was no use of the words “Propaganda,”
“PSYWAR,” or “PSYOP.” The civilian Office of War Information was
already producing white propaganda while the Office of Strategic Services was doing black
propaganda. As might be expected, the Army wanted to do its own propaganda and thought
some combination of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare would work best. The result
of this was the 6808th Publicity and Psychological Warfare Service Battalion. Mobile Radio
Broadcasting Companies were incorporated into the Battalion.
The First U.S. Army Group was soon absorbed by the 12th Army Group in the United
Kingdom. The PSYWAR staff had no equipment so borrowed from the OWI, the OSS, and British
civilian agencies.
The 105 mm Leaflet shell
Tests were conducted in leaflet dissemination by the 105 mm shell, and firing tables
and range tables were established. Experiments were conducted in the air dropping of
leaflets and the employment of combat loudspeaker equipment in the field.
According to Leaflet Operations in the Western European Theater, 1944-1945,
published by the Psychological Warfare Division of SHAEF:
The employment of artillery for leafleting can be traced back to the French use of
the 75 mm field piece for propaganda purposes on the Western Front in 1918. In WWII, the
idea was first put into practice with the British 25-pounder during the Tunisian campaign
of 1942-43.
Although experiments were made with the propaganda use of other artillery weapons,
the 105 mm in the U. S. Area, and the 25-pounder in the British, were the mainstays of the
artillery leafleting effort. Limited use was made of the 155 mm smoke shell. However, when
firing it at ranges over 5,000 yards it is generally impossible to observe where shells
burst except by aerial observation, which is often unavailable. This is somewhat of a
drawback to the use of longer-range weapons that the 105 mm.
Soldiers check out leaflets before loading them into artillery shells
Publicity and Psychological Warfare mentions artillery leafleting in WWII:
The basic weapon used for the purpose of firing leaflets in the American Army was
the 105 mm Howitzer M2 or M2A1 and the shell used was the 105 mm shell, Smoke M64 or M2A1.
This shell was drawn by psychological warfare personnel and modified by them for leaflet
use. The M84 BE Smoke shell was equipped with the M54 fuse capable of 25 seconds time of
flight which corresponds approximately to a range of 8,000 yards. At distances greater
than 8,000 yards the M 67 fuse which has a time of flight of 75 seconds was tested. This
utilizes the maximum range of the 105 mm Howitzer, approximately 12,000 yards.
A limited use of the 155 mm Howitzer smoke shell was made in the European Theater,
but despite the fact that three times as many leaflets may be placed in the 155 mm than in
the 105 mm, ordnance officers concerned with the supply of ammunition believe it is more
efficient and cheaper to fire 3 rounds of the 105 mm in preference to one round of 155 mm.
Loading 105 mm leaflet artillery shell
Arthur T. Hadley mentions the problem of finding the shells in Heads or Tails: A
Life of Random Luck and Risky Choices. He says the biggest problem he had as a member
of the Fifth Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company in support of the 12th Army group in 1944
was finding smoke shells. He would send his men out to scrounge for smoke shells and then
they would seek shelter where they could remove the smoke canisters and insert the leaflet
rolls. This problem was never solved.
William E. Daugherty mentions the MRB Companies in an article entitled “U.S.
Psychological Warfare Organizations in WWII":
In the separate American Army groups and field armies special staff sections were
organized to coordinate the staff planning and operational problems of waging
psychological warfare. These army groups and field armies were assigned field units called
Mobile Radio Broadcasting Companies. In all, five such companies were activated during the
war and sent to Europe; the first being sent to the Italian Front and the last four to the
Northwest Europe front.
Alfred E. Paddock adds in U.S. Army Special Warfare: Its Origins:
The basic field operating unit for psychological warfare was the Mobile Radio
Broadcasting Company…The equipment for these units was unlike anything conventional
soldiers had seen in the field – public address systems, radios, monitoring sets,
loudspeakers, typewriters, mobile printing presses and leaflet bombs.
WWII Loudspeaker Team in the field
The first actual guidance for psychological warfare was in a SHAEF memorandum entitled:
Conduct of Psychological Warfare in Operation Overlord, dated 22 April 1944. It
directed that a Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company would accompany each of the First and
Third U.S. Armies.
Combat propaganda was to include the writing and dissemination of leaflets, oral
addresses by loudspeakers, intelligence operations and tactical radio broadcasting. By
now, the Battalion containing two radio companies was renamed the 72nd Publicity Service
Battalion. Within the MRB companies were the men and equipment for the actual printing of
leaflets and news-sheets. The Companies had specially designed mobile printing presses
with 2.5 ton trucks.
Frontpost
The First issue of the 12th Army Group newspaper for German troops, Frontpost,
appeared on 14 August 1944. Frontpost was made up like a newspaper, not a leaflet.
It contained news, a map of the western Front, features, German sports news and general
information. It did not harangue the German troops with propaganda.
The Official Safe Conduct Pass for the Germans
The story of the "Passierschein" (“safe
conduct pass”) for Germany is interesting because of the alleged belief on the part
of the Allies that the German officer or soldier would react in a positive way to an
official looking document. Therefore, the Americans and British collaborated to produce a
fancy official document bearing national seals and signatures that would rival a stock
certificate. They produced the leaflets late in the war in various formats with different
code numbers.
Paul M.A. Linebarger mentions the theory in Psychological Warfare, Infantry
Journal Press, Washington D.C., 1948. He says:
Germans liked things done in an official and formal manner, even in the midst of
chaos, catastrophe and defeat. The Allied obliged, and gave the Germans various forms of
very official looking ‘surrender passes.’ One is printed in red and has
banknote-type engraving which makes it resemble a soap-premium coupon.
Daniel Lerner says in Sykewar, George E. Stewart, NYC, 1949:
This safe conduct pass was generally regarded as the most successful leaflet
produced by the Psychological Warfare Branch of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary
Force (SHAEF)…everything about the leaflet was designed to appear authoritative: the
format handsomely engraved on good paper in a rich color, has been described as
“looking like a college diploma.”
The “Ei ssorenda” Leaflet
This is the English and American pronunciation of the words “I
surrender.” (I surrender). Make use of it when opportunity arises
Sergeant Simon J. Lewin mentions his time in the 3rd MRB Company in Reflections and
Repercussions. He says in part:
Inducted into the U.S. Army at Ft. Dix, I received my basic training at Camp
Crowder, then more training at Camp Ritchie, the Army Intelligence training center and
final instructions in England. Nine days after “D day”, my convoy sailed out of
the same port I had departed nine years earlier for America. The sights and sounds were
music to my ears. I stood at the railing in all my battle gear and - wept. In my wildest
dreams of "revenge", I could not have imagined returning to Europe with quite
such an awesome armada...After landing in Normandy, I was assigned the task to persuade
German soldiers to surrender - by loudspeaker and leaflet, and, on occasion, interrogate
just surrendered prisoners....Soon after landing in Normandy, I realized that offering
only the traditional choice of "death or surrender" was useless against soldiers
trained to follow orders – obediently. “Don't mention politics, or allude to
their 'loved ones at home'; even patriotism becomes lost on a battlefield. Just convey
definite, simple instructions on ‘how to surrender", I proposed to my superiors,
and then devised a simple phonetic way to teach enemy soldiers a few simple steps:
"Ei ssorenda" would become the basic message of every leaflet and every
loudspeaker appeal directed into enemy lines, together with a few simple steps on
"how to surrender". Repeated over and over, this tactic proved increasingly
effective. Eventually, I learned, from some just captured prisoners, that long before
surrendering, they had practiced among themselves the "correct" pronunciation.
"Ei ssorenda" became an insidious challenge, intruding into enemy minds and
eventually the trigger for surrender. Subtly and obliquely, the strategy - call it
brainwashing - worked.
In concluding this portion I want to point out that although the Mobile Radio Station
sounds like a unit that just broadcast over the air; in fact we see they were expected to
print leaflets, posters and other literature, use loudspeakers; be able to fix and
broadcast over the radio, and perform intelligence and interrogating. They had all the
responsibilities of a modern PSYOP company. The bloodlines are clear.
The unit was inactivated on 25 November 1945 in Germany. As always, the U.S. Army seems
to forget everything it learned after victory in a war. It had to relearn it all in Korea
and again in Vietnam. We now look at the return of the 7th PSYOP Battalion in Vietnam.
7th PSYOP Battalion in Vietnam
Loudspeaker equipped truck
The 6th PSYOP Battalion was originally responsible for all psychological operations
(PSYOP) in Vietnam.
On 10 February 1966, three companies were formed within the 6th PSYOP Battalion to
provide tactical propaganda support.
1. The 244th PSYOP Company served I Corps initially from Da Nang. The unit was
subsequently relocated to Nha Trang (in II Corps), with a detachment in Quang Ngai in I
Corps.
2. The 245th PSYOP Company served II Corps initially from Nha Trang. The unit was
subsequently relocated to Pleiku (in II Corps) when the 6th PSYOP Battalion became the 4th
PSYOP Group and the radio station was built as 8th Battalion's "B" Company.
3. The 246th PSYOP Company served III Corps from Bien Hoa, about 20 miles northeast
of Saigon in III Corps.>
4. The 19th PSYOP Company was activated at Ft. Bragg as part of the 3rd Special
Forces Group on 10 August 1962. On 19 November 1966 it was deployed to Can Tho Vietnam as
part of the 6th PSYOP Battalion to provide advice and support to military units and
agencies in the Mekong Delta in IV Corps Tactical Zone.
In this article we will concentrate on the 244th PSYOP Company because on 01
December 1967 it would be redesignated 7th PSYOP Battalion.
The 244th PSYOP Company
244th PSYOP Company Headquarters in Vietnam, 1968
The 1st PSYOP Field Support Detachment at Da Nang and the 27th PSYWAR Detachment at
Quang Ngai merged to form the 244th PSYOP Company with initial headquarters at
Da Nang. The 244th PSYOP Company served combat units in I Corps and the South Vietnamese
Army’s 3rd PSYWAR Battalion from an initial station in Nha Trang (in II Corps), with
a detachment in Quang Ngai in I Corps. Looking through the Detachment 2 Quang Ngai Leaflet
and Poster Catalog I note that besides preparing products for American forces, they
printed a large number of items for the Vietnamese 2nd Division of the 12th Division
Tactical Area (DTA). An Army of the Republic of Vietnam DTA comprised two or more
provinces; the DTA commander was also the ARVN division commander, and the DTA was his
permanent Tactical Area of Responsibility.
The 244th PSYOP Company also took part in Task Force X-Ray in 1966 and 1967,
conceived as an operational command without administrative control over
units within the Chu Lai area.
Mission: To conduct psychological operations as deemed appropriate. in
support of military and civil affairs operations. These operations include
psychological warfare and encompass those political, military, economic, and
ideological actions planned and conducted to create in neutral or friendly
foreign groups the emotions, attitudes, or behavior to support the
achievement of national objectives. And by influencing the opinions,
emotions, attitudes, and behavior of hostile foreign groups in such a way as
to support the achievement of national objectives.
The methods include airborne loudspeakers and leaflets dropped from Air
Force U-IO aircraft or Marine helicopters. By hand-delivered posters,
leaflets, newspapers, magazines, and other printed matter. By Army ground
loudspeaker teams accompanying patrols, and other ground movements. By movie
shows conducted by Army audio-visual teams or G-5 provided projectors and
films. By psychological operations exploitation teams used to rapidly
exploit situations unfavorable to the VC publication of which will cause an
immediate negative reaction by the population.
COUNTY FAIR
is a clearing operation combining and coordinating governmental, civic, and
psychological warfare activities to reestablish GVN control over the
populace of a given area. It is designed to flush Viet Cong from community
in which he is a member or a parasite, while at same time ensuring that
populace is not alienated toward the Government. Military actions are
accompanied by vigorous civic action and psychological warfare program, the
purpose of which is to convince the people that the GVN is an effective
government, that it is interested in welfare of people, and that GVN victory
against the Viet Cong is inevitable.
Karl Kobnfelder authored an article titled “Getting Last Word is GI’s Viet
Job” in The Pittsburgh Press of 11 December 1966. He discussed
various operations performed by the 244th PSYOP Company in Vietnam (edited
for brevity):
The United States is escalating its battle to "win hearts and minds" of the
Vietnamese people through psychological warfare. That is the word from
former Specialist Four Peter McElman whose command of the French language
and self-taught artist skills were used in fighting the battle. "Winning
their hearts and minds" is a cliche but that is exactly what we are trying
to do." explained the 22-year-old Sewickley resident as he looked back on 15
months in Vietnam.
In that time, he said, he saw his 244th PSYOP Company grow to battalion.
McElman spent the final 12 months of his overseas duty In Danang
illustrating propaganda leaflets which were dropped over Vietnamese villages
from C-47s and helicopters. His sketches in ink accompanied messages which
emphasized that the government and Army had the best interest of the people
at heart while the Viet Cong only sought their destruction.
A sketch of an exploding land mind killing a Vietnamese child references a
specific tragedy at Tra Bong and the warning:
"Viet Cong harassed, disturbed, and killed innocent children and people.
Viet Cong tactics are to kill people. They are cowardly and afraid to attack
the Vietnamese soldiers at Tra Bong."
A Leaflet depicts Vietnamese Army Medics treating patients.
"Another leaflet says, The Government of Vietnam will provide you with food
and medical care and a better life. And bears the sketch of a Vietnamese
Army medic treating villagers."
A Feast of Rice
On the reverse side, hands hold a bowl into which other hands pour an ample
helping of rice. The message: "The Government of Vietnam will provide you
with a better life. Support the Government and end the war."
On another, McElman sketched a giant hand reaching from the north over young
men working in a rice paddy. "Stop the Viet Cong from taking your rice and
young men. Report Viet Cong activity to Government forces."
A series of sketches in comic-strip fashion helps to explain the symptoms of
malaria, but still gets in the pro-Government pitch and a rap against the
enemy.
"The Government of Vietnam has medicine and equipment to cure you…The Viet
Cong never helped a patient…Viet Cong only know how to choose death for the
people."
The latter caption underlines a graveyard scene.
Use of the words "American" or "United States" is avoided so that the people
can identify with their own kind. Mr. Elman pointed out. Do the leaflets
produce results?
"Often through interrogation of prisoners, we could determine that
particular themes hit upon in the leaflets were being carried out by the
people," he said.
To prepare for his role in psychological warfare, Me. Elman attended
Intelligence school at Ft. Holabird, Md. after basic training. Next
came a six-week course at the John F. Kennedy Psywar School at Ft Bragg, N.
C. McElman was then assigned to a roving audio-visual team in the Army’s
Psychological Service and spent the next eight months in Okinawa.
"What that duty had to do with psychological warfare
I’ve never figured out, they had us locked up in a safe all day,
managing classified documents."
But then came Vietnam and his chance to use the French he learned in five
years at a private school in Massachusetts.
"At that time, very few Americans could speak or understand the Vietnam
language, and vice versa. We were trying to reach the people through a
Vietnamese battalion and my counterpart, each member of an audio-visual team
had a Vietnamese counterpart, happened to speak fluent French. He translated
the Vietnamese into French and I relayed it in English, and the same in
reverse. Our biggest job was to explain to the villagers the presence of the
American military in their country."
For three months Specialist Four McElman flew by either helicopter or U-10,
a single propellor craft comparable to as Piper Cub, from village to village
in the combat zone. The short hops often were punctuated by bullets whizzing
through the aircraft.
After that it was 12 months of relative security in Da Nang free of the
terrorist activity which plagues Saigon. There he set the propaganda phrases
to pictures and kept himself busy at night by teaching English to a class of
20 Vietnamese ranging in age from 18 to 60. A State Department program run
by the Viet-American Association; the course consisted of 13 levels of
English. Completion of all thirteen levels earned the Vietnamese student a
degree in English from the University of Michigan.
Teaching in the middle levels from three to eight hours a week, Mr. McElman
found his pupils "very receptive" and eager to learn. While he had it pretty
good in Da Nang, living in a hotel instead of a tent, McElman often ventured
to outlying villages with audio-visual teams.
"On trips by ground, Marine fire squads escorted us for protection. We would
show movies in the villages, documented films showing destruction from Viet
Cong attacks. Most of them had never seen a movie before and they were
spellbound by it all."
Leaflet 151-66
This one of the earliest leaflets I have seen for the 244th PSYOP Company. It is so
early in 1966 that they do not show the code on the leaflet. My records show it as 151-66.
In fact, later in the year the code will be adapted and would have been 244-151-66. So, we
might say this leaflet was printed before a standard operating procedure for codes
existed.
The leaflet was printed as part of the I Corps Tactical Zone Joint PSYWAR Civil
Affairs Center. The front depicts two Viet Cong squatting in a cave. Above, a B-52 bomber
drops a bomb that is heading directly toward that cave. It is interesting to note that
about four decades later that same general theme will show Taliban hiding in a cave in
Afghanistan about to be bombed. I good idea is never obsolete. The back of the leaflet
depicts Viet Cong flying through the air from the B-52 bombings. The text on front and
back is:
The tunnel where you try to hide is never safe from the bombs of
the B-52
The B-52 can search out its enemy anywhere
On 2 July 1966 the 244th PSYOP Company was asked to determine the most
effective they had used so far in the war. They selected leaflet 1151
and said in part:
Hoi Chanh and NVA prisoners indicated this leaflet was highly effective. On
22 February 1966 two Viet Cong rallied with hand grenades and a Thompson
sub-machinegun. They were carrying this leaflet. Several prisoners
remembered seeing the leaflet and on 10 June one captured cadreman said it
was very effective. The artwork conveyed fellowship and helped allay his
fears about how he would be received by the Vietnamese Army.
Leaflet SP-1151
This leaflet depicts a dead Communist soldier at the left and a live
prisoner being treated in a hospital at the right. The text on the front
says in part:
SOLDIERS OF THE VIET CONG AND NORTH VIETNAMESE FORCES
What will your fate be if you are wounded in battle?
A cruel death because of neglect in a primitive Viet Cong jungle hospital
where medicines are scarce and facilities are inadequate. OR recovery and
new life through the tender care provided by Government of Vietnam and
Allied doctors.
YOU MAY CHOOSE YOUR FATE
The text on the back is:
THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM AND ITS ALLIES WILL HELP
YOU TO SURVIVE
If you are wounded, find ways to delay and avoid being taken away. Try to go
to an open area where you can easily be found by patrols. If possible cross
the Government of Vietnam’s lines. You will be taken to a hospital where you
will be well cared for by doctors.
BETTER YET, CHOOSE FREEDOM BEFORE YOU ARE WOUNDED IN BATTLE
Audio Visual team sets up projector to show movies
The Marine Command Chronology for 1967 mentions working with the 244th PSYOP
Company. It says in part:
Hearts and Minds was a huge part of the Marine mission in Vietnam. If the Marines
could get the trust of the people, they would benefit from the intelligence on Viet Cong
movements from the village chiefs and villagers. The more Vietnamese people who were on
the side of the Marines, the more lives of young Americans could be saved by villagers
pointing out booby traps or mines.
A county fair was held by Ninh Binh. This hamlet was near to the Nong Son base.
An audio/visual team from the 244th PSYOP Company entertained over 1,500 Vietnamese with
movies, Chieu Hoi appeals and a request for information on the Viet Cong. The reward
program for such information was emphasized.
Vietnamese officials spoke to the villagers of the up and coming elections, and
that they must use their votes…The election went ahead in Quang Nam and 76.3% of the
population turned out to vote…At lunchtime the Marine drum and bugle corps arrived
and played to the villagers who had never seen such a band before…100 sheets of tin
were given to help re-roof the marketplace, and clothes and soap were given to the
refugees.
The PSYOP-POLWAR Newsletter
The PSYOP Newsletter was
first called the Military Assistance Command Psychological Operations
Directorate (MACPD) Newsletter about 1966 and printed by the United States Military
Assistance Command
(Actually what would become the 6th Battalion) to inform commanders, PSYOP personnel, and PSYWAR advisors of
psychological operations in Vietnam and to exchange ideas and lessons learned.
It provided hints and lessons from combat and PSYOP units all over
Vietnam about what worked and what did not.
The purpose of the MACPD Newsletter is to inform PSYOP personnel
and POLWAR advisors of the progress of psychological operations and to
provide a forum for personnel to exchange ideas and methods which they have
found to be successful. Readers are requested to submit items they consider
to be of value to our combined counterinsurgency operations.
Later
Vietnamese POLWAR personnel were added and the name was changed to the PSYOP-POLWAR
Newsletter. Looking through my copy from April 1967 I find the following comments on
the 244th PSYOP Company:
The 244th PSYOP Company set a record of 4 million leaflets printed in one week.
Three presses of the Company and one of the 10th Vietnamese POLWAR Battalion operated
together in a new print shop built around the vans. Supplies, presses, paper, drafting
boards, photo equipment, paper cutter, and finished leaflets are arranged in an assembly
line. Production continues even when a press is down for maintenance and rush orders do
not delay mass production…Major McCraig, Commander of the 244th, provides a monthly
orientation course for new Marine PSYOP staff officers and U.S. advisors.
The 244th PSYOP Company is organized functionally in the following elements:
Intelligence and Propaganda Section; Audio-Visual and Loudspeaker Teams; Reproduction
Section, Supply and Maintenance Section and PSYOP Support Center.
“Four Winds” is a continuing project being planned by the 244th PSYOP
Company. The mission of the project is to extend leaflet coverage to the first Corps
Tactical Zone. “Four Winds” uses all rotary and small fixed wing aircraft by
units in the CTZ to drop leaflets. These leaflet drops will be made at random outside the
large cities. Each flight will have five bundles of 1000 mixed leaflets.
An Early Uncoded 244th PSYOP Company
Leaflet
This early leaflet depicts a lonely Viet Cong
soldier seeing all the technology and equipment of the Republic of Vietnam
and its allies and deciding to go Chieu Hoi. He sees ships, aircraft,
artillery and tanks. The image is very bad. It was in the official records
of the company but apparently the photocopy equipment from the mid-1960s
leaves something to be desired. The text is:
The Viet Cong and their Party cannot exist in South Vietnam. They are
resisting the powerful armed forces of the Vietnamese and their allies which
are strongly supported by the people. In addition, with their air power,
effective artillery, and other modern weapons the Viet Cong will be
destroyed. No Viet Cong can possible live: they are defeated because of
their aggressive police against the country and the people.
The Lansing State Journal (Michigan) tells of a MEDCAP operation by
the 244th PSYOP Company in November 1966. The article by says in part
(edited for brevity):
Deep in the mountainous regions of the Quang Tri Province, Special Forces
held a successful MEDSTRAC (Medical Special Action). This is a combined
operation which uses the talents and facilities of several agencies, both
civilian and military, in areas of civil action, public health and
psychological operations to help win the confidence of the people of a
specific location. The people chosen for this operation were the Bru tribe
of the Montagnards in Long Viet and Po Reing.
The day before the team arrived, an aircraft equipped with loudspeakers and
carrying leaflets announced the coming of doctors and medicine. The
following day an audiovisual team from the 244th PSYOP Company played taped
messages over a public address system to tell the people of the coming
event. From then on, the team worked at a frantic pace with more than 200
patients being treated each day. As the patients left the clinical tent,
they were given vitamins, health kits, and other civic action items.
In the evening the audiovisual team showed movies to the Montagnards. At the
end of the four-day operation more than 1000 patients were seen and treated.
Note: I have an extremely poor image of the envelope that the vitamins and
drugs (if necessary) was given to the native people. The image is so bad
that I cannot depict it but I can describe it. The title of the envelope is:
MEDICAL PILL ENVELOPE
On the front of the envelope, we see a Viet Cong with a machete chasing a
woman. The text is:
The Viet Cong are the aggressors in Vietnam. The Viet Cong confiscates your
goods, burns your homes, and does not care for your life.
The back depicts a Red Cross and a soldier caring for a young child. The
text is:
The medicine is a gift for the people from the Republic of Vietnam Armed
Forces. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam always respects your property
and wants to take care of your health.
By December 1968, the PSYOP Company had
become a Battalion and the newsletter reports:
Operation Meade River was a cordon and search mission by the 1st
Marine Division. The primary purpose was to capture or neutralize Viet Cong
infrastructure personnel; an ancillary objective was to destroy enemy units.
Two HB Loudspeaker teams from the 7th Battalion and an Armed Propaganda team
broadcast 340 hours of ground loudspeaker broadcasts. There were 7 hours of
aerial loudspeaker broadcasts and 1,946,000 leaflets dropped. 71 members of
the Viet Cong infrastructure were identified and arrested.
The January 1969 edition also mentions
the 7th PSYOP Battalion:
On 29 December 1968, a loudspeaker team HB from the 7th PSYOP
Battalion at Da Nang was in support of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade. The
team had finished a day of broadcasting information about the Volunteer
Informant Program. Villagers in the area started bringing in Chinese
grenades and mines to the team. The leader of the team asked where the
grenades were coming from. “About 50 meters away,” he was told. The team
walked to the site and found the villagers digging them out of the ground
with their hands. The cache revealed over 500 grenades and several mines.
The capability of the Viet Cong to wage through the countryside is reduced
every time rewards are paid under these programs.
0-2B Skymaster in Vietnam on its way to drop leaflets
In late 1966, the USAF selected a military variant of the Cessna Model 337 Super
Skymaster to supplement the 0-1 Bird Dog forward air controller aircraft then operating in
Southeast Asia. Designated as the 0-2, the aircraft was distinguished by twin tail booms
and tandem-mounted engines. Having twin engines enabled the 0-2 to absorb more ground fire
and still return safely, endearing it to its crews. The 02-A had hard points on the wings
for weapons and rockets. The 02B had no weapons but was designed to carry loudspeakers and
disseminate propaganda leaflets. The photograph was taken by photographer Richard
N. Levine who
took enemy fire on this mission.
The 0-2B depicted on the cover of the PSYOP Newsletter dropping
leaflets
General Westmoreland Inspects Leaflets being loaded into an M129E1 Leaflet
Bomb
The Same M129E1 Leaflet Bomb loaded and ready to be airdropped
The Leaflets
The I Corps Joint PSYWAR and Civic Affairs Center Leaflet Catalog
Leaflet 106-66
This very
early Vietnamese leaflet to the highland people was prepared before the
PSYOP companies were sent to Vietnam. It was created by the I Corps PSYWAR
and Civil Affairs Center. Later the 244th PSYOP Company and then the 7th
PSYOP Battalion would print leaflets for the I Corps Tactical Zone. This
leaflet is an odd size at 5.25 x 4-inches. The standard Vietnam leaflet
would soon be 6 x 3-inches due to its ability to provide a better and more
accurate spread over the target. The leaflet is stained from the glue used to paste it into an
intelligence file. The front depicts friendly Montagnard natives greeting
Allied Army troops, The back shows two soldiers joining one native near his
home. The Montagnards loved the Americans, were not overly friendly with the
South Vietnamese, but hated the Viet Cong. The text on the front and back
is:
A NOTE OF THANKS TO THE MONTAGNARDS FOR THEIR HELP IN ROUTING THE
VIET CONG
Citizens, it
is your duty to warn the national military authorities of the Viet Cong
presence in your village. Hindering Viet Cong penetration into your village
means ridding yourselves of personal danger.
The Highlander
citizens have given a hand to our troops in courageously chasing away the
Viet Cong. We hope you go on to help us in this endeavor and we are ever
thankful.
The 244th PSYOP Company Leaflet & Poster Catalog
My copy of the Catalog is old and faded. The catalog depicts and translates about
100 leaflets. There is a letter inside written by the Commander of the Company, 1st
Lieutenant Al T. Burns. As expected in the old days, officers did not have a PSYOP
specialty so the Lieutenant was shanghaied from the Infantry. He explains the use of the
catalog and says in part:
In compiling this catalog, efforts were made to make the leaflets and posters
contained herein as general as possible. But, to give an overall view of our capabilities
it was necessary to add leaflets and posters which pertain to specific situations
only…Any leaflet or poster can be changed to suit your individual situation. If
additions and deletions are necessary, indicate along with your request.
Leaflet 244-75-67
This is an interesting leaflet written for the highland tribesmen that might have
joined the Viet Cong. It was believed that they could not read so this leaflet has four
images that tell a story without a single written word. In the first image, three
tribesmen look at half-empty Viet Cong rice bowls. All seem to be holding their stomach.
In the second image, one has died, either from starvation or disease and the other two
decide to go Chieu Hoi and defect. In the third, image they are greeted by a Vietnamese
officer who gives them a heaping bowl of clean rice. In the final image, a Vietnamese Army
medic cares for their wounds. The Americans show a story of salvation and not a single
word of text.
Leaflet 244-030-68
This leaflet was prepared by the 244th PSYOP Company in 1968. It was made for Viet
Cong that could not read. On the front the VC are defeated in a battle and a badly wounded
fighter returns to his base camp and finds that they have left without him. The back shows
an alternative scenario. The Viet Cong fighter surrenders and receives immediate medical
care.
This leaflet was one selected by the Department of Defense to be evaluated for
effectiveness by a test group of about 1,757 Vietnamese civilians, Hoi Chanhs (former Viet
Cong who had defected) and North Vietnamese and Viet Cong prisoners of war. The leaflets
were judged as very effective, moderately effective or ineffective in a publication
entitled The Effectiveness of U.S. PSYOPS Leaflets: A Scale for Pretesting
published 7 January 1969. The former Viet Cong questioned about this leaflet found it very
bad, counter-effective and unintelligible.
Leaflet 244-133-68
This 1968 leaflet from the 244th PSYOP Company depicts a rocket.
$100,000 in Vietnamese currency, which was about $847 in U.S. currency, is offered for
information leading to the confiscation of the rocket by U.S. or ARVN
forces. The text is:
The Government
of The Republic of Vietnam and the Free World Military Forces shall reward a
sum of maximum 100,000 dong for any information leading to a confiscation or
a destruction of enemy rockets.
Another reward
shall be for any accurate information on placement, target, firing time,
firing position, means of transportation and paths used by the enemy to
bring in those rockets into this area.
IS THIS NOT THE TIME TO RETURN TO YOUR FAMILY?
Looking through some old leaflet catalogs I see this leaflet was also used
by the 244th Leaflet company, probably between early 1966 and late 1967. And
we now know it was printed before the arrival of the company by the I Corps
Joint PSYWAR and Public Affairs Center where they called it job 124-66. The
leaflet itself bore no code. Once the company was authorized all the
leaflets were eventually coded with a "246," leaflet number, and 2-digit
year like "68."
The
text on the front is:
Is this not the time to return to your family?
Which scene do you choose from above?
The
text on the back is:
How
can you live with hardships, hide in the jungle with poisoned water and
constantly worry about airstrikes, far from your family and loved ones?
You
have many hardships, but what rewards have you received? While you inhumane
and war-mongering leaders who live in North Vietnam only fight with their
mouths! Wherever you unit went it only brought death and destruction, the
people had to leave their villages and hide from you. And you claim you
fight for the right cause?
You
must think and choose. A warm house or a shallow grave in the jungle or
mountains? A loving wife and children or a place where everyone questions
you, are suspicious, and kills each other? A beautiful future or a dark way
where death is waiting for you? All this is your choice.
Leaflet 244-301-68
This leaflet depicts a soldier coming down from the North and about
to enter South Vietnam. He looks south, but everywhere he looks he sees
South Vietnamese Army troops ready to fight and possibly kill him. Where can
he safely go? The text is:
Dear Friends
You have taken a harsh journey to infiltrate into South Vietnam. We
are saddened to think what is about to come to you next. You will discover
the lies of your leaders. The people of the South don't like Communism. We
are fighting for freedom.
Regardless of the ideology we follow, we share the same Homeland as
brothers from the same family. However, we cannot accept what your leaders
have done to our country to make it miserable. Me and you, we don't hate
each other, as there is a brotherhood between us. Nonetheless on the
battlefield, as we are on the opposing sides, we will have to destroy each
other.
My family as yours are dear to us. My family however is enjoying a
better life. Thus, I will fight and give my life if necessary to the
Nation's just cause. And you, who are you fighting for? To liberate South
Vietnam? No! A thousand times no! Your leaders have forced you to fight for
a cruel ideology which is Communism that your Chinese masters have brought
upon you.
I hope you'll see the truth before it is too late. Death awaits you
should you not return.
Please think it over and promptly return to the Nation!
Leaflet 244-329-68
Although this
early leaflet is kind of crude, it is interesting because it simply depicts
an AK-47, a hand grenade, and a mine. It is surrounded by what looks like a
pine bough so that immediately makes me think this was printed around
Christmas. At the bottom of the leaflet a Vietnamese civilian point to his
right and tells an American or Vietnamese soldier where these weapons are to
be found. The text on the back
is:
ALL COMPATRIOTS - SUPPORT THE KHAI PHONG OPERATION!
Ask yourself
if you have fulfilled your duty of being a citizen of your government yet?
While the government has made and is making efforts to bring us material
benefits, what have we done to deserve such goodwill from the government. We
cannot just stand and watch our loved ones die at the cruel hands of the
Viet Cong. We must prevent such meaningless deaths. We all know too well
that the Viet Cong hideously place mines and traps in our living areas. To
save the lives of our loved ones, we must report all Viet Cong's activities
to the government or Allied forces. The government has committed rewards to
patriotic and loyal citizens. We are so proud of our homeland, let’s
contribute to the construction of a peaceful, wealthy, and free nation.
Support the Operation Khai Phong now and we'll participate in the real
revolution by the Government.
My translator
said that the grammar is awful, and that "revolution" just spoiled the text
in his opinion.
Death Card Poster
This poster is 16 x 10.25-inches in size and printed on one side only; black print
on white background; probably designed to be posted on buildings and trees. It has an ace
of spades card with skull and crossbones and below it are 4 lines of shaded verse. It is
coded “244-298-67,” so it was printed by our 244th PSYOP Company in I Corps in
1967.
The poster message is:
The owls are calling for the souls of the Viet Cong
Those wandering souls without destination
Spreading countless horrors to the people
Those wandering souls died in nameless graves
RETURN [to the National Government] OR DIE
Leaflet 244th (Q) 018-67
This leaflet was printed by the 244th PSYOP Company in 1967. It seems to be a fairly
early version of the image of the Viet Cong and Allied soldier, in this case a Korean
Marine. The 244th PSYOP Company served I Corps initially from Da Nang. The unit was
subsequently relocated to Nha Trang (in II Corps), with a detachment in Quang Ngai in I
Corps. The text on the front is:
Our people should cooperate with the Korean Marines in order to
eliminate the Viet Cong
The back of the leaflet is a fairly direct threat which basically says,
"Cooperate with the Korean Marines or else." The text is:
The Korean Marines have come here to help the South Vietnamese people. The Korean
Marines are now conducting reconnaissance missions and patrols in your villages and out on
the front lines to look for the Viet Cong. If you help, conceal, or cooperate with the
Viet Cong, allowing them to covertly shoot at the Korean Marines to kill or wound them,
your village will inevitably suffer terrible consequences.
You should cooperate with the Korean Marines when they enter your village to
eliminate the Viet Cong for the sake of your own self-preservation.
Curiously, I was talking about the Koreans with Vietnam Vet Darrell Bain, and he
said:
I like the way the Korean Marines handled their sector. Anytime they got fire
from a nearby village, they simply went in and leveled the place. It may not have made
many friends but they sure got rid of a lot of enemies.
Apparently, the Koreans were not to be trifled with.
The exact same image was depicted on another uncoded leaflet with the text
on the front being:
RALLY NOW
CHIEU HOI
The text on the back is:
My name is Le Doan Binh of C/15 unit who returned to the National Right
Cause on 3 March 1966 at Son Huong Village, Son Tinh District, Quang Ngai
Province. I was warmly received by the Army of Vietnam. I therefore want to
notify you that Comrades Loi and Tu were wounded in action and Comrades
Hoang and Loc were killed in action.
I wish that Comrades Luan, Duong, Luong, Doan, Can Dang and others of the
C/15 wait no longer and return to the Government of Vietnam. You will be
warmly welcomes as I was.
I’ll be waiting for you.
This is a B-52
The Americans believed (and rightly so) that the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong
were deathly afraid of the B-52 bomber. As a result, they printed dozens of leaflets
depicting the B-52 and dropped them over the enemy in the millions. In what might be
considered an odd campaign, the 244th PSYOP Company offered four variations of this leaflet
in their Leaflet Catalog. Each variation depicted the same picture of the giant
bomber and text on the front, but a different message on the back. The text on the of all four leaflets is:
This is a B-52
Your death will bring much grief to your family back home in the
North
The texts on the back of the four leaflets are:
FELLOW COUNTRYMEN IN THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY
The Army and people of the Free South have known about your plans for a
major offensive. The Vietnamese and the Allied armed forces are ready.
On this Year of the Monkey 1968 you will meet the same fate as the
200,000 Chinese invaders on Tet 1789. All our most modern weapons await
you.
FELLOW COUNTRYMEN IN THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY
You are preparing to die because your plan for a major offensive has
been revealed. The leaders of the Communist Party miscalculated when
they decided to launch the offensive before Tet, Year of the Monkey,
1968. The Vietnamese armed forces are ready to launch all their most
terrible and modern weapons. You will surely be defeated.
FELLOW COUNTRYMEN IN THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY
The Government of Vietnam and its Allies have known your plans for a
general offensive to gain political superiority. Therefore, all the most
modern weapons will be used by the Government of Vietnam and its Allies.
You will surely be defeated and have no chance to survive. The armed forces and people of the South will surely win.
FELLOW COUNTRYMEN IN THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY
Your plans for a general offensive have been revealed. Therefore, you
will meet the mighty counter-offensive of the Vietnamese armed forces
and the Allied armed forces. We are ready to crush the plots of the
leaders of the Communist Party. Death awaits you on the battlefield. You will be defeated like
200,000 Chinese invaders as before.
Defoliation
I seldom add all-text leaflet because I think the reader deserves interesting
images. However, I think this one is worth adding because it is about defoliation. The
Americans and Republic of Vietnam produced many different leaflets that talked of all the
benefits of spraying Agent Orange and other defoliants. They apparently had no idea of the
long-term medical problems these chemicals would cause. The text on the front of this
leaflet is:
To the Citizens:
The Army of Vietnam uses chemicals to destroy trees, bushes and all types of
vegetation. Because of this, the Viet Cong do not have a concealed place to live, thus
making the the conduct of guerrilla operations limited.
This chemical will not harm people, now will it harm animals such as cattle.
After the harvest, the ground will be more fertile.
There is more good news for the farmer on the back:
Do not believe the Viet Cong’s invented propaganda that these chemicals are
very poisonous because it is a trick.
The Army of Vietnam has made sure that these chemicals are not poisonous. They
will not harm people or animals, but will only destroy vegetation.
After the vegetation is destroyed, the Viet Cong will not have a place to hide
and sabotage. Then the people will live in peace.
23 February 1967
Sergeant Bobby May at a MEDCAP
Staff Sergeant Ronald Schatte, the Historian of the 244th PSYOP Company was
kind enough to send me a copy of a short talk with a former 244th PSYOP
Company soldier in Vietnam. Some of the discussion is quoted here, edited
for brevity:
Bobby May Photograph from an unknown newspaper.
He wears a manpack loudspeaker while supporting the 3rd brigade of
the 25th Infantry.
Bobby “Bob” Mays Sr. was in the 244th PSYOP Company
in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. He was attached to and supported the 3rd
Marine Division at Dong Ha on the demilitarized Zone, then the 25th Infantry
Division at Duc Pho. He spent the last 3 months at Da Nang loading leaflets
on a C-130 Hercules. He remembers two members killed in action in October
1967. He thought the most critical
or
worrisome times were when he went on patrol along the DMZ.
Little Nguyen
Children should be
giver a bath with soap and water every day
Don’t wash food in
the river or in impure water
In Vietnam, Army PSYOP teams were assigned to support combat units
of the American and Allied forces. In this case, an Army PSYOP team
supported the 1st Marines. A small booklet was found held together by a
typical military clasp that had the comment on the front: Health and
Sanitation Leaflets by S-3 Psywar. An introductory letter inside was
signed by G. R. Kesser, Captain, USMR. I have edited the letter for
brevity:
The results of poor personal and public sanitation and hygiene have
been evident to every MEDCAP team that has ventured into the villages and
hamlets in Vietnam. The concern for this situation expressed by American
medical personnel throughout the country is shared by Vietnamese officials
at all levels of government. These conditions are most acute in rural areas
where adequate educational and medical facilities are yet to be
established…The idea of health and sanitation leaflets is nothing more than
another approach to this problem.
The use of caricature to influence public opinion is not a new
technique to modern advertising…The wording of the pamphlet has been kept
simple and produced in bold letters. It is recognized by experts in the
field of Psychological Warfare (and advertising) that the hand-to-hand
dissemination of leaflets, pamphlets, and brochures is the most effective
method. These leaflets therefore are envisioned to be as much a part of the
treatment received from the MEDCAP as is the Band-Aid. “Little Nguyen” is a
caricature associated with helpful sanitation, hygiene, and medical advice
to be used as a tool to promote pro-government propaganda.
The assistance of First Lieutenant James Cully, 244th PSYOP
Company, his staff, and counterparts at the 3rd PSYWAR Battalion in
originating the caricature and preparing the leaflets is appreciated.
Tribute must be also given to the U.S. Navy Doctors and Corpsmen attached to
the 1st Marines. It is expected that “Little Nguyen” will serve his country
well.
The booklet contains many leaflets and their translation. In all
cases, Little Nguyen wears a bright golden conical hat (the only color on
the leaflet) and his face is never seen. Some of the other leaflets are:
Little Nguyen sick in bed with the text on front and back:
When you are sick,
rest in your room alone
Don’t sleep in the
same room with a sick person
Little Nguyen in the shower:
Use soap when bathing
Brush your teeth upon
waking up of going to bed
Little Nguyen pooping in the bush:
Dig a hole in which
to excrete
Fill the hole
carefully with dirt when finished
Little Nguyen and a female friend coughing:
Coughing in someone
else’s presence can spread disease/p>
When you cough, use a
handkerchief to cover your mouth
244th Psychological Operations Company Awards
and Decorations
Presidential Unit Citation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for Vietnam 1967-1968
Navy Unit Commendation for Vietnam 1967-1968
244th PSYOP Detachment Awards
and Decorations
Presidential Unit Citation
Meritorious Unit
Commendation
Valorous Unit Award
The Return of the 244th PSYOP Detachment
The reader will see directly below this section that the 244th became the
7th PSYOP Battalion and in theory ceased to exist. We know that as the
United States pulled out of Vietnam in 1972-1973 just about all the PSYOP
units turned over their printing presses and other equipment to Vietnamese
forces under President Nixon’s “Vietnamization” plan. Combat units still in
the field were told to order the leaflets and loudspeaker mission they
needed from the Vietnam PSYOP units. There were still some Americans there,
though very few. In fact, some American troops that wanted to stay in the
field of PSYOP were told to apply for entrance into the 7th PSYOP Group in
Okinawa. I assume that there was a need for a dedicated PSYOP unit in
Vietnam because the 244th PSYOP Detachment was reconstituted.
The 244th was reactivated on 1 May 1972 under the command of Lieutenant
Colonel David G. Underhill who we mention often in our articles on the 7th
PSYOP Group and Operation Jilli. He handpicked his staff. Captain Richard
Sanders was Executive Order, Civilian GS-13 Billy F. Hunt was Operations
Officer, First Lieutenant Joseph L. Tebor was the Intelligence Liaison
Officer, Sergeant First Class Robert Durbin was the noncommissioned officer
in charge, and Specialist Five Robert Leach was Administrative Clerk.
The Detachment took over the Strategic Leaflet Operation from the Military
Assistance Command Vietnam on 1 July 1972 and Underhill, Hunt, and Tebor
were in Vietnam from September 1972 until 24 April 1973 when combat
operations ended. Mr. Hunt went to Vietnam first to interview 150 applicants
to fill 12 positions. He hired 2
females (both illustrators) and 10 males (1 former newspaper editor, 1
former magazine editor, 1 interpreter and 7 writers). All twelve were born and raised in North Vietnam.
Retired Army Major Joseph L. Tebor was interviewed in March 2022 about his
duties during the Vietnam War with the 244th PSYOP Detachment of the 7th
PSYOP Group in Okinawa and Vietnam. Later he spoke to me. Some of his
comments are:
As the war neared its end, the 7th PSYOP Battalion had nothing to do with
strategic leafleting. We took that over and were sent on temporary duty to
Vietnam as the Leaflet Development Unit (LDU). On 1 July 1972, we took over
the product development, pre- and post-testing of the leaflets, and the
dissemination of the leaflets. We wore civilian clothes, kept to ourselves,
and had a low profile. We were part of the 7th PSYOP Group. When Underhill
left, I became the commander of the 244th PSYOP Detachment.
I am referring to Psychological Warfare, and the use of Propaganda Leaflets,
radios, flotation bags, the dissemination of leaflets from various aircraft
like helicopters, Jets, cargo planes and drones. We also delivered
transistor radios by balloon launched from submarines. That was a
complicated process. The radios were in a Styrofoam box attached to a wooden
stick we called a mast. The radio floated using the tides and when a timer
activated a balloon it expanded and lifted the radio into the air and after
a certain desired time the balloon burst, a parachute was deployed, and the
box and radio gently fell to the ground in the desired location.
We disseminated leaflets printed in 3 different denominations (1, 2 and 5
dong) of North Vietnamese currency, printed in full color front and back.
Originally the banknotes were designed to just have one serial number.
Someone later decided that they would work better if all the serial numbers
were different. That change by the printers in the Philippines made it
possible for the North Vietnamese to claim we were counterfeiting their
money. If all the notes had the same serial number, it would have been clear
they were not meant to be spent. If we wanted them to be spent, we would
have perforated them for easier separation of the propaganda tag.
As the Intelligence Liaison Officer for the 244th Det, 7th PSYOP Group, I
was responsible for selecting the targets for every Vietnamese Language
Strategic Leaflet Drop throughout all North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, and
Laos from 1 May 1972, until combat ended in April 1973. I provided the 7th
Air Force with 60 targets every month; 30 primary and 30 alternate. They
flew at least 1 mission every day and every mission included a minimum of
15,000,000 leaflets. I prearranged codes that were Field Goal, Rice River
(Cambodia), Prairie Lightning, and Trail (Laos). That made the targets more secure because nobody knew the codes and
could tell where the missions would occur except for the people that knew
the codes.
I also selected the targets for the last 6 missions involving the delivery
of leaflets by remote controlled Drones. My collection includes a box
specially made for drone missions, that is packed with the same leaflets
that were dropped from these drones over North Vietnam.
I also contracted with the Union Carbide Corporation for special paper and
ink that were waterproof and would last for years. I put one of our safe
conduct passes in a jar full of water and sealed it. It looks as good today
as the day we printed it about five decades ago.
Major Tebor has donated his collection to the National Vietnam War Museum in
Texas.
I
was interested in seeing if my PSYOP records mentioned the return of the
244th PSYOP Unit. This happened so late in the war, July 1972 to be exact,
and my last copy of the PSYOP POLWAR Newsletter is April 1972, which
by coincidence is the last issue published. Vietnam was on its way to
disappearing as a viable nation. I saw no mention of the unit but did see
that the only tactical PSYOP assets remaining in-country were two C-47 PSYOP
aircraft based at Tin Son Nhut airbase. They flew daily leaflet and
loudspeaker missions In Pleiku and Kontun Provinces. Possibly by coincidence
Tebor told me that the 244th was based at Ton Son Nhut close to the Navy
Commander’s headquarters. I also see a request for American PSYOP
specialists to apply to the 7th PSYOP Group in Okinawa. They ask for
interviewers, intelligence analysts, writers, artists, and clerk typists. It
says that more than 200 troops responded to the request. So, we see the last
of the Americans PSYOP troops leaving Vietnam and heading for Okinawa.
The 7th PSYOP Battalion in Vietnam
7th PSYOP Battalion Headquarters in Vietnam
7th PSYOP Battalion area of responsibility in Vietnam
PSYOP team member announces information on a movie that will be
projected from his vehicle in Vietnam
Specialist Pasquale Vallese told me on a second occasion:
To be honest, our operations in northern I Corps, as far as the NVA
were concerned, was a losing battle. All these North Vietnamese troops
were “gung-ho” to kick some butt, and the last thing they wanted to
hear after just crossing over the DMZ was some guy playing loudspeaker
messages about them being homesick. We tried using an Order of Battle
Handbook to talk directly to the Regular Units, even adding a name
here and there of their dead or people known to be in these Units. The
people we did manage to talk in usually did not have much to offer in
the way of intelligence. To win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese
people, we had to go into their villages, and show them respect. While
in the villages, we used our ARVN interpreters. They were very
helpful, broke the ice, so to speak, and provided our G2 shop with
lots of intelligence about VC movement, caches, and strong holds. When
we had field operations, we were to use Kit Carson Scouts
[Author: The Army used former Viet Cong, called “Hoi Chanhs” as Scouts
and sometimes as entertainers talking about their awful life in the
Viet Cong. The Marines called them Kit Carson Scouts and were very
proud of them, all ex-Viet Cong who knew their ways and could speak
their language]. I always had mistrust for these greasy turncoats.
When they were broadcasting, without our interpreter, I was never
quite sure what they were saying, were they traitors to their own
cause? After many complaints, our team was allowed to use just our
Vietnamese Army translator, Sergeant Be, a real nice guy.
On some nights we could see movement on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Up
in the mountains we could see the battleship USS New Jersey shell impacts
and hear the shells whizzing overhead. I saw two Arc Light runs, B-52s
hitting the enemy from about 3 miles out. If you thought Disneyworld had a
lightshow, you never saw Puff the Magic Dragon
[Author, gunships were aircraft fitted with mini-guns and sometimes even
artillery. In Vietnam they
went from C47s to C119s to C130s and the name kept changing from Puff to
Spooky to Specter.] doing her gunship thing.
I suppose the difference between people who come back whole, and those who
are troubled about the war are the people who can lock away the bad
memories. So, as I write this all I can conjure up is spending my 21st
birthday, in the field, eating pound cake with melted chocolate bar as
icing, using napalm to cook my dinner (was a ton of the stuff everywhere I
walked up in those mountains), walking thru fields of Marijuana, It was
quite an adventure for me. Nothing I was expecting while attending Ft.
Holabird. Took my Rest and Relaxation time in Sydney and watched an
anti-war protest at the University of Sydney. I also went to Bangkok and
Hong Kong.
Little did I know I would be faced with the same greetings when I returned
home. Walking thru the Seattle Airport trying to get to the USO between
flights; walking in a semi formation, we got a lot of "Baby Killer"
shout-outs. Most people would put their heads down when they passed you in
uniform. It seemed that the only place you were welcomed was in Vietnam,
or the Bob Hope House. I have never seen a “score card” for how the PSYOP
did all those years. It’s something I would like to know. I'd also like to
hear of some other accounts of other PSYOP troops. Oh, and most
importantly, I learned to appreciate Jim Beam during this year. It’s still
my only drink to date.
[Author: there are various claims for the number of Viet Cong and
NVA that surrendered using Chieu Hoi (open Arms) safe conduct passes. They
are as low as 80,000+ and as high as 200,000. It all depends on who did
the counting.]
Sergeant Rich Hosier with a Viet Cong Colonel who went Chieu Hoi
Rich Hosier was originally assigned to the 6th PSYOP Battalion in Vietnam in August
1967. He was later sent to the 244th PSYOP Company and 7th PSYOP Battalion in Da Nang. He
was then sent to Chu Lai to support the 23rd Infantry (Amercal) Division where he started
his “On-the-Job training.” He went on various missions winning “hearts and
minds” and showing movies. He always started with hygiene movie to explain the proper
way to brush your teeth or bathe a child, and then he would show a real Hollywood movie.
The favorites were Westerns. The Vietnamese loved the horses! Once his team was laughing
as they watched “The Green Berets” although it was in English and most of them
couldn't understand a word of it. Rich told me:
We were an HB Team (Loudspeaker), with no team members. We would broadcast on the
ground and from helicopters using a cassette player with tapes sent to us from Da Nang. We
usually had a script so we knew what the message was and sometimes we took the S3
(Operations) interpreter on missions for live broadcasting. We dropped leaflets by the
thousands. Leaflet drops were very sophisticated. We would identify a target; usually a
village and the pilot would help us with wind direction and tell us when to drop. Some
missions we flew while a battle was going on. I remember at least three times when our
tactical leaflets identified the enemy units so the messages were very personal.
Broadcasting and dropping leaflets was very dangerous as we flew very slowly at an
altitude of about 1,500 feet. I can't ever remember not getting shot at when doing this.
One of the great problems with writing these stories is digging information out of the
vets who had boots on the ground. After this story was complete I talked to Rich Hosier
and he agreed to send me more data and photographs. I want to thank Rich personally for
taking the time to put this material together for our readers.
Preparing for a Mission
Rich Hosier and Marine Staff-Sergeant Conticelli (his first Team Leader), preparing for
a mission in December 1967. This was in support of Operation Muscatine, which was a
Division size operation in the Southern I Corps. They ran daybreak and dusk missions for
27 straight days. The flights were provided by the 123rd aviation company.
The Viet Cong tend to shoot at Loudspeakers
Rich told me:
On those days we were not in the field, we would take a couple of our Chieu Hoi's on
a drive up Highway 1 find what looked like a Viet Cong trail, point the jeep toward a tree
line or village and broadcast messages. In March 1968, we were coming off LZ Baldy in
Quang Tin Province, south of Da Nang and north of Tam Ky, province capital. Our Chieu Hoi
was sitting in the back seat broadcasting and we suddenly took several rounds of fire one
of which hit our jeep. The bullet went right by the broadcaster and hit our spare tire!
Setting up a Loudspeaker System on a Jeep
Rich spoke about setting up his jeep and his former Chieu Hoi team mamber. He said:
This is January 1968 on LZ Baldy. I send this to show how we had our speakers
attached to our jeep. The Chieu Hoi in the background was our first, who came from the Tam
Ky Center. His name was Tran Loi. He was 19 years old, had been a school teacher in a
small village and when the VC came on recruiting tours the villagers hid Loi. Finally they
knew they couldn't hide him forever and brought him to Tam Ky. The colonel reached out to
us and told us Loi was smart and would make a good man for our team. Good call on his
part; he was outstanding.
After Tet 68, a Viet Cong has had enough
This picture shows a Viet Cong guerrilla who gave up as Rich and his team were
broadcasting. They were with an ARVN company in Quang Tin province shortly after TET, in
March 1968. This guerrilla was so close to where they we were broadcasting that they
didn't even know he was there until he stood up and walked toward them.
More Viet Cong call it Quits!
The Viet Cong were almost wiped out in Tet 68. 37,000 may have been killed during the
heavy fighting. Here, a group of VC soldiers who gave up in March of 1968 near Tam Ky,
where a Chieu Hoi center was located.
Supporting the Marines with a Loudspeaker Mission
In June of 1968, the Marines were taking heavy fire and Rich was called upon to set up
his loudspeakers on an Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) and broadcast to the enemy on Highway
1, just south of Hoi An.
A Former Viet Cong Speaks to his old Comrades.
Here is one of the Hoi Chanhs attached to the PSYOP Detachment on top of the APC shown
above broadcasting to his friends still fighting the Vietnamese government and their
allies.
The Marines make a House Call
Hosier stated that:
Lieutenant Stewart Clark III was the 7th PSYOP’s Detachment 3 Commander and
supported the Amercal Division located in Chu Lai. Here Clark, Hosier and Marine Sergeant
Major Roger Fahrengruh are on the river from Chu Lai to a local village to perform a
United States Medical civic action program (MEDCAP). Treating the local Vietnamese for
various diseases and medical problem was an excellent way to win hearts and minds. This
was April 1969, and Hosier went along for the ride and was happy to report that there was
no unfriendly fire!
A 7th Battalion audiovisual truck
Homer Hodge was a 7th PSYOP Battalion audio/visual team leader that operated from
Detachment 3, in Chu Lai. He told me:
I was a newly commissioned Field Artillery officer right out of Officer Candidates
School when I arrived in Vietnam in December 1968, but I had eight years previous
intelligence work and PSYOP training as an enlisted man with tours in Korea and Japan. I
believe that early experience provided me a better understanding of Vietnamese culture and
much greater insight into the rural people, their daily lives and hardships, and
community. As a result I developed much respect for and empathy toward those Vietnamese
with whom I met and associated. This understanding enabled my team to tailor our message
to the maximum extent possible, considering available tools and material.
The team prepares to ride boats to a remote village with its loudspeaker
equipment
During my tour, I provided PSYOP audio/visual support to rifle companies on
operations, Military Assistance Command-Vietnam advisor teams, Vietnamese Army Special
Forces teams, and even a U.S. Marine Combined Action Program team. My team spent numerous
days and nights in rural villages and drew hostile fire a few times. Our Vietnamese Kit
Carson scout (a former Viet Cong who went Chieu Hoi) saved our lives more than once with
his advice on where to go and not go.
Team members Specialist Four Esch, Kit Carson scout Loi, and Homer Hodge
Our Kit Carsen Scout Loi seemed to have an intuitive sense of areas and villages
where Viet Cong might be waiting in ambush for us. On one occasion, we were accompanying
U.S. MACV advisors to a village, when Loi said we should turn back. We did but the MACV
advisors continued on and ran into small arms fire and had to execute a rapid retreat.
CREDIBILIS
All the PSYOP Battalions, the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 10th, were
subordinate to the 4th PSYOP Group. The Group was activated in the U.S. Army
on 7 November 1967 and activated with headquarters in Saigon on 1 December
1967. The Group published a monthly magazine called Credibilis (“Credible,
worthy of belief”) that told of the exploits of the Group and the
Battalions. It is a nice way of keeping track of what any battalion was
doing at any specific time.
In December 1968, Credibilis looked back on that year in Vietnam
and said in part about the 7th Battalion:
The 7th PSYOP Battalion supports five U.S. Army and Marine
Divisions from the Demilitarized Zone to the ancient capital of Hue. Over
the past year more than 2,500 enemy soldiers have rallied to the Government
of Vietnam under the Chieu Hoi Program. The Battalion works closely with the
Vietnamese Army 10th Political Warfare Battalion, sharing the same compound.
In January, 33,785,000 leaflets were dropped around the Khe Sanh area while
it was under siege. “Operation Homefront” was developed by the Battalion in
April, with packages containing safe conduct passes and a general Chieu Hoi
appeal. The Peace Talks Campaign in June began with four basic leaflets. A
logical progression of more leaflets was added to attain maximum
exploitation of Hanoi’s role in the talks. In June, the Battalion set a
record of printing 25 million leaflets in 10 days. Support of the Phoenix
Program was begun in July.
7th Battalion Field Teams Take to the Waterways
The December 1969 issue had a short story about the 7th PSYOP
Battalion using a small flat-bottomed police boat borrowed from the 198th
Light Infantry Brigade to reach Vietnamese citizens otherwise inaccessible:
Reminiscent of the riverine force operations in the Delta, a 7th
PSYOP Battalion field team has taken to the water to increase the
effectiveness of loudspeaker broadcasts north of the I Corps city of Chu
Lai. The members of HB (Loudspeaker) team 8, operating with the Americal
Division, has found reaching the people in the area extremely difficult
because of the numerous waterways, islands, and inlets there…Other teams in
the area have also taken to the water aboard Navy swift boats for broadcasts
along the coast.
The Monthly Operations Report
The Magazine Credibilis is usually about 20-pages long, highly
illustrated, and mostly light news for the Group members. The Monthly
Operations Report is a completely different animal. It has no fancy cover.
It would be sent back to Ft. Bragg and perhaps the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs
of Staff. Its length was decided by how much the Group and Battalions did in
a month, it is single-spaced, usually with no illustrations and it mentions
everything that was done in each month. It is highly detailed. If a
Battalion had 18 loudspeakers teams, it would mention each one of them. I
was going to give an example of some of the comments on several such
reports, but because they give so much information’s I will just mention a
few comments from the December 1969 report. The reader will understand I am
ignoring 98% of the text.
According to the 7th PSYOP Battalion, the waterproof
characteristics of the AM 2524 amplifier are lost after repair of the unit.
Fixed rallying points identified by a column of smoke and advertised by
leaflets and broadcasts do not achieve the success planned. The Battalion
motivated 5,993 ralliers to come over to the Government of Vietnam during
1969. In December, the Battalion developed posters and leaflets for use by
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols. The monsoon season decreased activities
in December, 3,706 leaflet targets were requested, and 2,726 loudspeaker
tapes missions were requested. The Battalion formatted a plan for Tet 1970.
The number of impressions prepared was 9,228,636 and the number of leaflets
printed was 32,300,226. The Battalion's “High price of rice” campaign
stressed denial of rice to the Viet Cong. This led to 414 enemy dead and
20,924 pounds of rice captured. Two Vietnamese Army pressmen were added to
the 1250W Multilith Press. All day shift presses are now run by ARVN.
Working with the 1st Marine Division, the Battalion is working toward
cooperation and participation by the people in the local rewards program.
The combat loudspeaker team collected 211 pieces of ordnance. Detachments
are currently supporting the 5th Infantry Division and the Americal
Division. The Battalion’s Product Development Center (PDC) has developed an
interrogation center with the Region 1 Chieu Hoi Center for middle rank Viet
Cong ralliers. The PDC has also completed a “Rallier’s Guide” to explain to
the men in the field how to exploit new Hoi Chanhs. The current guide was
difficult to fill out since it contained many questions which were not
actually needed. An example of some of the questions in the new guide below:
Combat Intelligence Lessons
Before I start to depict the
leaflets, I thought I would add this comment from the 4th PSYOP Group, found
in the classified confidential report Combat
Intelligence Lessons, printed from about 1968 to 1971 that talks about
the need for better coordination:
PSYOP/Intelligence Staff Coordination in staff operations.
Psychological operations (PSYOP) personnel in Vietnam have not been
integrated adequately into the normal activities of military staffs. The
average staff officer does not appreciate fully the importance of PSYOP and
occasionally PSYOP staff members have isolated themselves and have failed to
utilize the staff resources which are available to them. This lack of staff
integration has been especially critical in coordination with G2 and S2
sections. In Vietnam there has been a tendency to isolate so called PSYOP
intelligence from the normal intelligence gathering process. The
intelligence required for effective PSYOP is an all-encompassing type of
intelligence which requires an integration of all factors bearing on the
conduct of the war.
The Leaflets
The 7th PSYOP Battalion Leaflet Catalog
My copy of this catalog is dated 1 July 1969. It depicts and translates
about 100 leaflets and even breaks them down according to PSYOP campaign. There are five
main types of leaflet. They are: Chieu Hoi; Pro-Republic of Vietnam; Anti-Viet Cong; Anti-
People’s Army of North Vietnam; and Rewards.
Each PSYOP Battalion published a catalog list of 600 to 800 available
leaflets. The catalog was numerically indexed and gave data on leaflet number, theme,
target, size and color of the leaflet together with the leaflet and English translation.
Catalogs were inventoried and screened periodically to maintain current leaflets. Catalogs
were distributed to tactical units and PSYOP customers to facilitate ordering specific
leaflets for the target audiences.
There are probably thousands of leaflets prepared by the 7th PSYOP Battalion. I have
selected just a few. Otherwise, the next 40-50 pages would be all Vietnam leaflets.
Leaflet 7-134-68
This is a strange leaflet because the background in all black. That
is a lot of ink and supplies were sometimes tight in Vietnam. It depicts
an unhappy Vietnamese family waving to their son who is leaving to join
the Viet Cong. They wonder if he will ever return. The text on the front
is:
Your family mourns
your leaving.
The back is all text and says in part:
TO OUR FRIENDS THE
VILLAGE AND HAMLET GUERILLA AND CADRES
We wonder how long you have been far from your family and home. How
long will this situation continue, one month, or one or more years?
But one thing that is sure is that you are far away from home, your
parents, your wife, and your children because your leaders are compelled
to move you up to fill the serious strength shortages caused by the
Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces and their Allies to your regional and
regular forces. This fact will thwart completely any hope you have of
being near to your family and wife and children again….
7-151-68
The leaflet is
all text and I never like to add such leaflets without an interesting
picture, but the text tells of a Viet Cong atrocity, so it is worth adding
just for the story. The text on the front and back is:
Attention, people of Quang Ham!
On the night
of March, the 5th, a group of Viet Cong armed with AK-47 automatic rifles
entered the home of Mr. Dang Tu in Quang Nam hamlet. They forced Miss Dang
Thi Lu, an 18-year-old child being the child of Mr. Tu, to join the group.
To protect her
loving daughter, the mother of Miss Lu showed immediate resistance in
order not to let the Viet Cong capture her child. She was then cruelly
treated and killed on the spot. While the Viet Cong were still full of
fury, without mercy they also killed Miss Lu.
Back
This is an
undeniable proof denouncing the cowardly action of the South Vietnam
Liberation Front gang in their massacre of women and children. They have
not missed any possible opportunity to carry out their contemptible acts
since their advocacy is always to kill and burn down to gain civilians'
support by terrorism.
But they have
made a serious error: the more they kill and burn the more civilians hate
them and side closely with the Government of Vietnam to stand against
them.
Let’s rise up
and fight them! Do not let the South Vietnam Liberation Front gang gain
any profitable opportunity that might help them perform their contemptible
atrocities again. Immediately report any information on enemy action to
the authorities or Allied forces for severe punishment and destruction.
Leaflet 7-163-68
I guess if we had to give this leaflet a nickname it would be “the Airborne
leaflet.” The front depicts the insignia of both the 101st and 82nd Airborne
Divisions. The text is very long on the front and back so I will just translate a few
lines:
To the People of Quan Huong-Thuy
In order to effectively protect your lives and property, the U.S. Airborne with
full experience in battle has just arrived in your area. These brave allies desire to
contribute to the struggle for the freedom and peace of humankind…The Airborne will
stay here to protect your country until the aggressive communists stop their attempt to
invade South Vietnam…Cooperate with the Airborne in annihilating the aggressive
communists who are destroying this land and trying to enslave the Vietnamese people.
Leaflet 7-191-68
Since we are talking about the 7th PSYOP Battalion, the Marines and Khe Sanh, this
seems a nice place for this leaflet. If you want to piss off a Marine, tell him how the
Army and Air Force saved the Leathernecks during the 1968 seventy-seven day siege of Khe
Sanh. Marines will tell you that they were doing just fine and had the enemy right where
they wanted them. Ask the Army and you will hear that the Marines were getting the Hell
kicked out of them by the NVA. During the ferocious battle for Khe Sanh, the 7th PSYOP
Battalion prepared a leaflet for the North Vietnamese forces taking part in the attack.
The front of the leaflet depicts a map of Khe Sanh and a Huey helicopter and F4 Phantom
jet attacking the forces encircling the Marine base. Curiously, there is no mention of the
Marines. The text beneath the picture is:
The North Vietnamese will fail in their attempts to seize Quang Tri and Thua Thien
Provinces. The Government of Vietnam and Allied firepower is defending every part of the
South. You cannot survive if your invasion continues. You will be destroyed at Khe Sanh.
The text on the back is:
To the Men who Attack Khe Sanh
The march to Khe Sanh was a long and dangerous one. Many of your comrades who have
come over to us speak of the misery you faced before you reached the desolate battlefield.
Since arriving you have seen nothing but suffering and death. You have seen the tremendous
B-52 strikes with bombs which will soon find you as they have found your comrades. From
the artillery that has poured on you all day and night do you now realize how strong the
Army of Vietnam and the Allied forces are? Now look at the valley to which you have been
sent to die. You are surrounded instead of us. You are in the kill zone. To stay here
means suffering, death and ultimate failure in a place far from your dear family.
If you want to get safely back to your family, leave now or rally to the National
Government of Vietnam cause. Otherwise, Khe Sanh will be your useless grave.
In 1969 the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense studied the
effectiveness of U.S PSYOP leaflets in Vietnam. A sample of 1,757 Vietnamese was used to
represent the target audience. They included the inhabitants of Viet Cong controlled
areas, Hoi Chanh who had defected, and prisoners of war. The questions asked of the panels
was the effectiveness of symbols, appeals both locally and national, and the vulnerability
of certain groups. Leaflets were judged on a scale of very good, good, fair, bad, and very
bad. One problem was to reduce the number of leaflets to a workable size. In this test,
798 leaflets were judged and the leaflets were reduced to 77. Unfortunately, the report
did not explain why certain leaflets were good or bad. Leaflet 7-191-68 was rated VERY BAD
by the panel.
Leaflet 7-202-68
This is an interesting leaflet because it bears a photograph on each side.
Unfortunately, the paper is thin and some of the ink comes through making the pictures
difficult to see clearly. The front depicts Vietnamese farmer working in his field. The
text is:
Continue to work when U.S. Forces come. Do not run away because there is nothing to
be afraid of.
The back depicts the same farmer shaking hands with a U.S. soldier. The text is:
U.S. soldiers are your friends; they help to secure your safety. When they come, if
you run away, it is very difficult for them to distinguish innocent people from the Viet
Cong. So, do not run away but continue to do your work.
We mentioned earlier that the report U.S PSYOP leaflets in Vietnam hated leaflet
7-191-68. On the bright side, leaflet 7-202-68 was rated VERY GOOD by the panel.
Leaflet 7-361-68
In general, American PSYOP is told not to show dead or disfigured enemy bodies
because it can be mistaken for gloating and the enemy tends to fight harder after seeing
such leaflets. Still, Americans like them and believe they scare the hell out of an enemy.
This 7th PSYOP Battalion leaflet coded 7-361-68 depicts a row of dead Communist Viet Cong.
The leaflet was picked up near Landing Zone Bronco, Dac Pho village, I Corps, by a SP4 of
the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division's 11th Light Infantry Brigade in 1968. Text below
the photograph on the front is:
These people are dead. Will you be just like them?
The text on the back is in part:
To the cadres of the [South Vietnam] Liberation Front in
Quang Ngai Province
Leaflet 7-406-68
Leaflet 7-406-68 reveals a photo of a body of a dead Viet Cong guerrilla left in the
jungle, abandoned by his comrades who left so quickly they didn't even bother to retrieve
his weapons (note the grenade still on his belt). The text on the leaflet is:
Don't let this happen to you!
Leaflet 7-459-68
This is an
interesting leaflet in that it is instructional for three of the Allied
armies in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese, United States, and the South
Koreans. On the front of the leaflet the message is in English and
Vietnamese. On the back, the message is in Korean. Reading the text, we
can see that there was a propaganda campaign called, "Denounce VC Cadre."
This would be an attempt to catch the civilian infrastructure of the
National Liberation Front movement. The leaflet mentions the Phoenix
program, Phung Huang in Vietnamese and I assume they were the
original requestors of the leaflet. Looking through my 7th PSYOP Battalion
files I see that the leaflets numbered 7-433-68 through 7-426-68 were all
titled "Denounce VC Cadre."
Leaflet 7-474-68
The 7 th produced many anti-Communist leaflets that depicted the bodies of innocent
civilians killed by the Viet Cong. This leaflet shows a civilian crying near a dead person
on the street. Text at the right is:
This is a crazy and senseless death
The text on
the back is:
FOR THE ATTENTION OF COMPATRIOTS IN THE LONG THANH WARD.
On August 18,
1968, a Lambretta passenger vehicle hit a VC mine while commuting on
National Road 1 near Long Thành ward. In result, ten civilians were killed
on the spot, one being seriously wounded. This unjust murder by the VC has
exposed their true evil face, their complete disregard for the life of
women and children. To stop this killing by the VC, report to authorities
of the RVN or US Army all spots where the VC has planted mines. In doing
so, not only will you support the Government of the RVN and Allied in
their hunt for the bloodthirsty VC, but you will be meritoriously
rewarded. Your identity will be undisclosed.
Leaflet 7-549-68
I liked the image on this leaflet a lot. Two North Vietnamese Army
soldiers resting in the bush, one seeming to massage his foot. It reminded
me of the military when a couple of American soldiers would sit on their
foot lockers, maybe shining their boots and just have a pleasant talk. It
was always a very comfortable time. I liked the color of the leaflet, blue
being my favorite color. It is a tactical leaflet aimed specifically at
the 1st Regiment of the North Vietnamese 2nd Division. The text on the
front is:
FRIENDS, NEVER SUFFER TRIBULATION!
The text on the back is:
TO THE ATTENTION OF DISCONTENTED
SOLDIERS OF THE REGULAR
1ST REGIMENT OF THE NORTH VIETNAMESE REGULAR 2ND
DIVISION.
We know you are afraid of the prolonged death, and it has made your
life in the jungle an exhausting misery. You do not have medicine when
sick. More than 500 of your friends were killed in August. Do you want to
become one of them? Your fellow soldiers were buried
[The actual word was “burned”] in unmarked graves.
You have two choices - to die where you are, or to return
[They use the term “Chieu Hoi” but if these soldiers came from the North
how can they return to the South?] to the Government of the Republic of
Viet Nam. You will be warmly received upon returning.
I have written about Viet Cong leaflets and Japanese leaflets in
WWII. I love the way Americans laugh at the leaflets our enemies send to
us, talking about the poor spelling, grammar, and the foolish arguments
they make. In this case, my translator says:
I assume the translation was by an American because the grammar was
awful and the text read unnatural.
Apparently, the enemy troops laughed when they read this leaflet.
It just shows that everyone is imperfect when it comes to other languages.
We like to think that our leaflets are perfect but that is seldom the
case. I have read some wartime critiques of our leaflets by our own
experts and have been shocked when 8 or 9 errors are pointed out and the
leaflets are ordered taken out of distribution and destroyed.
Leaflet 7-567-68
This
leaflet depicts the unmarked graves of Viet Cong fighters deep in the
jungle. The text on the front is:
UNKNOWN GRAVES
The
text on the back is:
DEAR
FRIEND,
You
are setting foot on ground filled with the bones of countless of your
comrades.
They
fell because they were accidentally or forced to sacrifice for the
ambitions of the Communist leaders.
They
fell because of the outrageous rhetoric of the Communist propaganda
machine. There are so many people who have been given beautiful titles by
the Party, such as "heroes who destroyed the enemy" and "heroes of
production"; but ask yourself, do you remember those people? Soldiers, you
will be praised, flattered, and listened to until you are fascinated. But
when you fall, your memory is immediately erased, no one in the unit is
allowed to mention your name to offend you. Only your family mourns you
day and night, but no one knows where you are buried!
We, the emotional national soldiers [South Vietnam Army], do
not want this land to be mixed with your bones anymore.
We
sincerely wish to welcome you at Chieu Hoi Centers.
Leaflet 7-850-69
This is a
rather crude leaflet that depicts Allied soldiers killing some Viet Cong
soldiers that were stealing the farmer’s rice. This theme was used quite
often. There are numerous leaflets that warn the farmers to protect and
hide their rice. The theme is usually expressed as “Rice Denial.” The text
on the back is:
Attention, compatriots,
The communist
bandits are risking their life in collecting rice this harvest. Forty-six
bandits have been killed this September while robbing rice in Thua Thien
and Quang Tri. They got nothing despite losing their life. Due to your
support, our army has stopped the robbing actions by the bandits. Do
adamantly denounce the robbers. Don't let them get your rice!
7th PSYOP Battalion Death Card
This card coded 7-1040-69 was printed by the U.S. Army 7th PSYOP Battalion in 1969. The
skull on the front is a bit odd and perhaps more Asian than American. The back is all text
with a green Chieu Hoi symbol in the background. What I find most strange about this item
was that the official U.S. line on death cards was that they were useless and there were
even some attempts to ban the troops from using them. Yet, here an American PSYOP unit
actually produced one. I suspect an informal off-the-cuff request from some supported
combat unit that wanted them and the PSYOP Battalion prepared them just as a courtesy. The
text on the back is:
No place is safe for you. You have no place to hide. Your only option is to return
to the just nationalist cause by rallying in order to stay alive.
CAP 1-3-9 Ace of Spade
In spring of 1970 the United States Marine Combined Action Platoon (CAP) 1-3-9
stationed in Binh Song about 14 kilometers east of Tra Bong received intelligence
indicating that they were about to be attacked by a large force of regular North
Vietnamese Army troops. PSYOP was called in to help with the defense of the unit and they
dropped a standard 3 x 6 leaflet coded 7-301-70 depicting an ace of spades on the front with the text:
DIE! The Angel of death will come...
The back of the leaflet is all text:
Do you remember that 116 of
your comrades died on 13 September 1969 near the village of An Phong? Stop
your useless fighting before you also die needlessly. Chieu Hoi.
Leaflet 7-650-70
In 1970, the 7th PSYOP Battalion produced several leaflets that
were meant to frighten the enemy with various symbols of death and bad luck.
They were tactical in nature and targeted specific enemy units by various
American units. The leaflet above depicts a skeleton and targets the 107th
Battalion and is from the Americal Division. The text on the front is:
ATTENTION MEN OF THE 107TH BATTALION.
DEATH IS FOLLOWING YOU.
The text on the back is:
Death is following you day and night.
Our artillery, aircraft, and gunships are ready to attack you.
Here is no safe place for you to hide from death.
The only way you can save your life is to rally.
Rally now!
Leaflet-651-70
Like leaflet 7-650-70, this leaflet targets an enemy unit, the 38th
Battalion, and is also from the Americal Division. Instead of a skeleton,
this one features a black cat. The text is basically the same except for
naming a different unit.
Leaflet 7-697-70
One of the more interesting PSYOP campaigns supported by the 7th PSYOP
Battalion was Operation Searchlight. It was launched in Military Region I and was
designed to influence enemy soldiers to defect during the Tet truce period of 19-29
January 1971. Giant searchlights would be aimed at the sky and the enemy urged to follow
the beam to the searchlight where they could safely surrender. During an earlier test of
the searchlight operation on 1 January, eleven Viet Cong defected. In the major operation
the U.S. 101st Airborne Division used six lights, the 2nd Vietnamese Army Division, the
U.S. 1st Marine Division and the U.S. 23rd Infantry Division all used five lights each.
The operation was not a great success, and estimates of from zero to seven to thirty-seven
defectors were rumored. The above leaflet was prepared by the 7th PSYOP Battalion
for Operation Searchlight. It depicts a pair of searchlights aimed skyward and the Chieu
Hoi Symbol. The PSYOP theme was “Rally to the light of freedom and start a new life
with the Government of Vietnam.” Two broadcast tapes were prepared and 6,000,000
leaflets, 500,000 handbills and 10,000 posters were printed and disseminated. The text is:
THE LIGHT OF FREEDOM
During the cease fire period of Tan Hoi New Year, all United States, Vietnam, and
other Allied bases will turn on their searchlight at night. The searchlight will help you
to find freedom. Move toward the direction of light, hide your weapon and wait until the
daylight to rally. When getting close to the Government of Vietnam or Allied units, shout
aloud “CHIEU HOI.” You will be welcomes and receive good treatment. Guide the
Government of Vietnam or Allied forces to recover your weapon for a reward.
MOVE TO THE SEARCHLIGHT
DO NOT LET YOURSELF GET KILLED IN THE DARK
VC surrenders holding Chieu Hoi leaflet
It is impossible to determine how many Chieu Hoi leaflets were produced during the
length of the war. The Leaflet Catalog, 7th PSYOP Battalion, Danang, 1969, lists no less
than 65 leaflets in the special category "Chieu Hoi." The first is 7-757-68,
"Soldier of North Vietnam," the last is 7-528-69, "The Nguyen Trai
Campaign." The latter was a campaign to psychologically attack enemy cadre and
soldiers to cause them to rally. These 65 leaflets are just from a single battalion in a
bit more than one year of the war.
The 7th PSYOP catalog also mentions various mixes of Chieu Hoi leaflets that were
designed to be dropped together. For instance, mix 4 consists of 7-565-68 "With
aching Heart," 7-690-68 "Chieu Hoi Poems," and 7-757-68 "Chieu Hoi is
for VC/NVA." Mix 12 consists of JUSPAO leaflets SP3210 "I can't stop
weeping," and SP3211 "Rallying helps you return to your friends."
British Malaya Leaflet 3211/HPWS/18
It is interesting to note that in the 1950s the British has successfully
conquered a Communist insurrection in Malaya. American propagandists studied the British
techniques carefully. Note that British Leaflet 3211/HPWS/18 was printed about 1954 and
depicts three guerillas discussing a searchlight in the distance. It is clear that the
Americans copied the concept of the searchlight leaflet 16 years later. The text on the
back is:
SEARCH LIGHT LEADS YOU TO THE ROAD OF ESCAPE
Look for the bright ray of the searchlight in the night sky. The searchlight is shining
from the road.
If you want to escape from the forest to start a bright new life then run in the
direction of the light to reach the road. The road will take you to a brand new happy and
peaceful living environment.
Before you reach the road, please hide your weapons and ammunition. Then run to the
road, raise both your hands high above your head and try to stop the first car that passes
by.
All military drivers have been ordered to help you, and at the same time, civilians
that assist you will receive a cash award.
If you stay in the jungle you will definitely be either shot dead ravaged by disease
and hunger. A lot of people have escaped from the jungle and saved their own lives.
Don’t you want to save your life? Sacrificing yourself for an unnecessary and losing
battle is a stupid thing to do.
You will definitely not be abused and you will immediately receive good food and
medical treatment.
Come and join the side where your friends have already begun a new life.
Leaflet 7-249-68
For some reason the 7th PSYOP Battalion seemed to really enjoy printing reward
leaflets. I find more from them than from most other units. Leaflet 7-249-68 depicts a
happy black-pajama clad VC handing his rifle to an Army of Vietnam (ARVN) soldier. In his
left hand, the happy former terrorist holds a big wad of banknotes. The text reads:
All Patriots who support the "Operation Search for the Enemy's
Weapons" will be rewarded.
Leaflet 7-213-69
The Battalion printed about a dozen reward leaflets in 1969 alone. Most of them
actually show cash being handed to the informers. On the front of this leaflet a local
farmer leads government forces to armaments hidden in a cave and a handful of cash
appears. The text is:
This place contains murderous communist weapons
On the back we see the smiling farmer’s hut and his wife and child. The text is:
It can give you and your family a happy and prosperous life if you report the
location of Communist weapons caches to the local authorities or to Allied troops. Your
name will be kept secret.
Leaflet 7-281-69
Leaflet 7-281-69 depicts two Viet Cong guerrillas handling a large rocket while a
hidden Vietnamese civilian peers at them from the bushes. On the back, the same villager
is shown being handed a reward by a soldier of the South Vietnamese Army, so it is obvious
that the villager has informed on the two Viet Cong insurgents. The text on the front is:
We want you to know that the Rocket the Viet Cong make you carry and hide is very
dangerous. There is great danger that the Rocket will kill and wound innocent people. If
you know someone who has the rocket, you need to immediately tell the nearest Government
or Army personal so that they can stop these blood thirsty rockets.
Text on the back is:
You are not only doing a great job for the people, you will also
receive a great reward.
Poster P7-316-69
The above poster also depicts a Vietnamese seeing some Viet Cong
rockets ready to be fired and thinks of the death and destruction they will
cause. He then thinks that if he tells the government troops about the
rockets, he will receive a reward. It bears the code P7-316-69. The code
indicates that it is a 5.25 X 16-inch poster prepared by the 7th PSYOP
Battalion in 1969. The text is:
Do report to the authorities or the Armed
Forces all enemy weapons which can harm our families. You will be rewarded!
American PSYOP specialists often printed leaflets in the form of
stationery assuming that the enemy in the bush would have nothing to write
home on. This was done most often during the Korean War. Of course, the
stationery bore Allied propaganda, so if the soldier read it, he saw the
propaganda and when the letter got home, his family saw it. In this case, an
American soldier found or took this leaflet as a souvenir and used the blank
back to write a letter home to his family. Notes on leaflets are not common,
but a complete letter is. I have edited the letter for brevity:
August 24, 1969
Hello again,
This stationery may be a little odd but thought
it might interest you. It is what was handed out by our PSYOP Team. It bears
some type of pro-American or pro- Saigon propaganda. Our main mission here
is putting in and improving roads, also installing bridges and culverts.Rarely do we go out and hunt Charles, but the “Combat” after our
Engineer Battalion shows that we know how to fight when necessary. The Chieu
Hoi leaflet is quite self-explanatory. I am already feeling “short” and I’ve
still got three months to go. There are better days ahead because we are
moving from our landing zone on September 5-7 and back to a Chieu Hoi Base
Camp. We will probably be there for the whole Monsoon season so I will
return home from that location. I hate to put up with all the “lifer” rules
and regulations, but that base is almost as safe as Ft. Sill…
Leaflet 7-323-69
I like this leaflet because it pulls no punches. It shows a large Chinese
explosive shell and asks the Viet Cong why they side with the Chinese and
the Communist Party while they kill their own people. It seems a fair
question. The text on the front is:
You fire on
your compatriots with this Chinese shell. Your people on one side, your
party on the other side. Which side is dearer to you?
The text on
the back is:
TO FRIENDS AMONG THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARTILLERYMEN.
Look at the
Soviet or Chinese shells in front of you. Do you know those shells have
killed and will kill thousands of innocent women and children? Have you
seen collective funerals, have you heard the doleful cry of the victims of
the heartless artillery strikes by the Communists? Yet your Party
considers those massacres great victories!
DEAR FRIENDS!
Think it
through before pulling the trigger. Obeying your Party is spreading more
tragedy and mourning, or listen to the voice of your conscience and ease
the pain for your Nation?
Leaflet 7-503-71
The United States has made a great effort in the last few decades to rid the world of
mines placed in the ground during wartime. Here is an anti-mine leaflet from the Vietnam
War. The 7th PSYOP Battalion printed leaflet 7-503-71. It depicts a young boy pointing out
a bomb with tripwire to a soldier. The text beneath the picture is:
Many civilians have been killed by enemy explosives and booby traps. Report to
military units or local authorities as soon as you discover Viet Cong mines, explosive,
grenades and traps.
Text on the back is:
Attention people! The communists usually set booby traps along our paths, plant
mines on our highways, and place bombs in residential areas to interfere with our daily
activities. They also hide their weapons and ammunition which they use to terrorize
innocent civilians whenever the circumstances permit them to do so. If you discover the
enemy’s weapons or see anything which resembles a booby trap, you must immediately
inform the Army of Vietnam or allied soldiers so that they can remove them. By doing so,
you can save your own life and property and those of others.
Leaflet 7-505-71
This leaflet depicts some Viet Cong rockets aimed at friendly
forces. A Vietnamese civilian has spotted them. The text is:
When you discover
Viet Cong weapons, report them immediately to
Vietnamese or Allied
forces
The back adds:
Attention People!
When you discover a mine, booby trap, grenade, rocket, or artillery
round, do not touch it but immediately report it to Vietnamese or Allied
forces who will immediately remove it. Only specialized soldiers can dispose
of it safely. If you touch it, you are risking your life.
Leaflet 7-598-68
This 7th Battalion leaflet depicts a
starving North Vietnamese or Viet Cong soldier. His ribs show through his
chest, and he seems not far from death. The text on the front is:
This is the
result of your harsh life. Suffer this absurdity no longer! Return to the
Government of The Republic of Vietnam!
The text on the back is:
TO THE SOLDIERS IN THE RANKS OF THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY AND REGULAR
NVA.
What are you waiting for before abandoning your irrational,
starving and sick life in the deep jungle to return to the Government of the
Republic of Vietnam. Your compatriots on the lowland are awaiting you.
Return now like tens of thousands of your brothers-in-arms have.
The Government of The Republic of Vietnam is ready to welcome you
and provide you with a new free and well-off life.
I chose to depict this leaflet because
when I first saw it, I had a flashback to a group of WWII leaflets where the
U.S. depicted a starving Japanese soldier on a bypassed island and told them
about the good treatment and food, they could get by coming over to the
Americans. The image was used on four different leaflets printed by the
Office of War Information on Saipan and dropped on Japanese troops.
Apparently good propaganda never gets old. he can be used over and over.
Leaflet 1054
JAPANESE SOLDIER RESCUED JUST BEFORE DEATH FROM STARVATION.
Leaflet 7-505-68
This leaflet depicts three mortar shells on the front. The text is:
These mines used by Viet Cong to kill innocent civilians were
detected by patriotic heroes in the "Find Enemy Guns" campaign. They thus
saved many lives of compatriots and will be rewarded.
I thought it was odd that these were called "mines," when they are
in fact mortar shells. My translator responded:
I believe technical correctness was not a priority here unless the
VC indeed used those mortar rounds as mines.
And of course, when I read through more reports, I found numerous
cases of mortar shells being used as mines, often connected to make the
explosion bigger and more deadly. In one case eight mortar shells had been
connected. In many cases the connecting wires had corroded due to the
constant rains and the mines did not explode.
Leaflet 7-559-68
The U.S. 7th PSYOP Battalion also printed leaflet 7-559-68. The leaflet has a photo of
two types of mines that were commonly used by the Viet Cong. The text beneath the photo
is:
Please inform [the government] about where the Viet Cong have laid mines. You
will not only save many lives, you will also earn a reward.
The back of the leaflet is all text:
Report Viet Cong Mines: All citizens of Duc Pho County who are loyal to our national
ideology will fight to destroy communist tyranny. Whenever you see communist mines [planted]
on the National Highway 1, or anywhere, please report at once to the authorities, the
soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam, or the Allies. You can earn a reward of at least 2500
piasters. Your patriotic duty is a practical way to save many lives from the murderous
Viet Cong. Your name will be kept secret.
[Signed], County Commander, Nguyen Duc Trinh.
According to the 1969 declassified report: Employment of US Army Psychological
Operations Units in Vietnam, the 7th PSYOP Battalion also printed a newspaper for the
Vietnamese:
Ban Tin (News Clips), was issued twice weekly, two pages, 72,000 copies per edition.
The 7th PSYOP Battalion printed Ban Tin for Vietnamese target audiences in Corps Tactical
Zone I.
As the war neared its end in 1970, the 7th PSYOP Battalion developed and printed
posters and leaflets for use by Long Range Reconnaissance and Force Reconnaissance units.
The posters and leaflet mixes targeted the Viet Cong and People’s Army of North
Vietnam and were designed to be disseminated in enemy base areas by the reconnaissance
units as they exited an area.
The 7th PSYOP Battalion began working with the III Marine Amphibious Force PSYOP
Intelligence Section to develop a special campaign directed against the 31st NVA Regiment
in Quang Nam Province. The III MAF PSYOP was interested in such a campaign both to target
an important enemy unit and to initiate a system by which US field units can more
effectively identify and target psychological vulnerabilities of NVA troops. Themes used
in the past in the NVA campaign had little apparent effect; fewer than four hundred NVA
soldiers rallied in 1969 In all of South Vietnam, though PW interrogation reports show
that Allied propaganda efforts do have some deleterious effect on NVA morale. The special
campaign against the 31st Regiment targeted ideological weaknesses in propaganda that made
special reference to unit personalities. Three leaflets were developed especially for use
against the unit before and during TET, and other items would be produced for use later in
1969.
Be aware of opium and heroin!
In August 1971, the 7th PSYOP Battalion supported the Vietnamese 2nd POLWAR Company in
the Joint US/Vietnamese anti-drug campaign. Specialist 5 Churchill displays an anti-drug
banner on his vehicle which reads:
Attention! Be aware of opium and heroin! They ruin your health and
future.
Leaflet 7-205-71
The 7th PSYOP Battalion on 26 September 1971 began the leaflet, poster, radio or TV and
Aerial broadcast missions for the white medical evacuation helicopter campaign. The
objective of this campaign was to persuade enemy forces to refrain from firing on medivac
helicopters.
The 7th PSYOP Battalion printed a series of leaflets showing helicopters in an attempt
to stop the Viet Cong from firing on rescue missions and provide better medical care to
the Vietnamese people. Examples are 7-205-71 which says on the front:
This is an ambulance helicopter painted in white. Like all other ambulance
helicopters, this helicopter is not armed. The only duty it performs is to save wounded
regardless of friends or foes.
DO NOT FIRE UPON THESE AMBULANCE HELICOPTERS
The message on the back is:
AMBULANCE HELICOPTER
All medical helicopters bear the Red Cross. They are used in an emergency to
transport sick and wounded people. Some new medical helicopters are painted white so that
they can be better recognized by your ranks and should not be shot at.
The U.S. Pulls out of Vietnam
