Early on the morning of Sunday, 25 June 1950, 93,000 North Korean troops with
approximately 100 Russian-made tanks attacked South Korea in an attempt to reunite the
peninsula by force. The unprepared forces of South Korea were almost pushed into the sea,
and the invading communist forces occupied the capital Seoul and much of South Korea.
President Harry S. Truman
President Harry S. Truman determined to support the Republic of South Korea
militarily and sought United Nations backing. An emergency session of the United Nations
Security Council resolved to send troops to Korea. North Korean troops pushed the United
Nations Forces into a small defensive perimeter at the tip of the Korean peninsula before
American troops, largely from the U.S. and Japan and commanded by General Douglas
MacArthur, landed at Inchon and launched a counterattack. Initial success brought the U.N.
troops to the Chinese border by late November 1950, but on 29 November, China entered the
conflict and pushed the U.N. forces southward. Seoul fell again on 4 January 1951. Another
U.N. counteroffensive in February and March drove the North Korean and Chinese troops back
to the 38th parallel. Despite much bloody fighting, the battle lines remained stable for
another two years. As the fighting moved up and down the peninsula, ravaging the land,
there were an estimated three million casualties. Armistice talks began in July 1951 but
repeatedly failed to reach agreement. A truce was signed on 27 July 1953 establishing a
demilitarized zone along the 38th parallel and creating a framework for a permanent
settlement of the war. Talks have continued fruitlessly ever since.
The C-47 Gooney Bird being loaded with leaflets.
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota was the workhorse of WWII, making
its first flight on 23 December 1941. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Douglas
aircraft one of four “Tools of Victory” that won World War II for the Allies
(together with the atom bomb, the Jeep and the bazooka). I flew on it during the Korean
War and we then called it the Gooney Bird. Some are still flying today in small
transport businesses. In the photo above, members of the First RB&L load leaflets onto
their bird.
Corporal Raymond J. Krumenacker stands by at the drop door of an
Air Force C-47 looking for Chinese troops to drop leaflets upon
Propaganda was used extensively by both sides during the Korean conflict. Aircraft
and artillery delivered United Nations leaflets. B-29 bombers dropped strategic propaganda
deep behind the enemy’s rear lines. Front-line tactical propaganda was dropped by
light bombers and spotter aircraft, or fired from 105mm howitzers. More than 20 million
leaflets a week were prepared and disseminated by United Nations Forces at the height of
the conflict.
A printer loads leaflets into a box for dissemination
All of the leaflets we will show in this article were prepared by the 1st Radio
broadcasting and Leaflet Group (1st RB&L Group). The recruitment of staff for the
first PSYOP Group to be deployed to Korea is mentioned in a reunion book entitled PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE IN KOREA - 1952 LIFE AND TIMES OF THE FIRST RADIO BROADCASTING AND LEAFLET GROUP -
50 YEARS LATER, Klein, Herguth and McConaughey, RHP Books, 2002:
The Army, to find enlisted men for jobs that required a university degree, set up
a special classification and assignment unit at Ft. Myer, in Arlington, Virginia. Towards
the end of 1950, orders went out to send all draftees with college degrees to Ft. Myer
after they finished basic training to be interviewed for possible special assignments. It
was through this process that draftees with experience in journalism, radio, advertising
and graphic arts found themselves in the 1st RB&L Group.
History, language, journalism, communications, science, graphic majors and others
with special skills were easily identified as having talents that could be applied to the
psychological warfare needs of the First RB&L. By the end of January 1951 there were
77 enlisted men assembled.
The draftee period of conscription was 24 months. The Reservist call up was for
21 months. Most of the original Group members started to return home in mid-1952 and by
early 1953 all of the original Ft. Riley men were gone. The unit was disbanded in 1954 at
the end of the war.
The
book also mentions the state of Psywar at that the start of the war (edited
for brevity):
The
Army started psychological warfare operations immediately after the North
Korean invasion in June 1950. It was able to make a tactical leaflet drop on
the first day of the war and to begin psywar radio broadcasts the next day
out of Tokyo.
The
Army was ready with psychological warfare thanks to the presence of two
senior officers with World War II experience. One was Colonel J. Woodall
Greene who had conducted psywar against Japan. In 1947, he was made head of
a Psychological Warfare Section in the Far East Command. He developed
contingency plans for various possible outbreaks of hostilities. It was he
who was able to organize leaflet operations in Korea and radio broadcasts
from Tokyo.
The
other driving force was Brigadier General Robert McClure, former chief of
psychological warfare in Eisenhower’s Supreme Headquarters Allied
Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF). McClure in October 1942 had taken charge of
Psychological Warfare Services for the invasion of North Africa. He then
directed psywar operations in Italy, and when assigned to SHAEF took on
responsibility for psywar against Germany.
On
January 15, 1951, the Army created the Office of the Chief of Psychological
Warfare and appointed General McClure as its head. General McClure conceived
of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group and sought out Lieutenant
Colonel Homer Shields to head the Group. Shields had served under McClure in
both the Italian and SHAEF operations.
In
April 1952, General McClure created a permanent psychological warfare center
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to provide training equipment, and doctrinal
support for all army psychological warfare units, including those in Korea.
Leaflet Operations
North Korean and Chinese soldiers were blanketed with leaflets.
With the UN forces enjoying complete air superiority, the Air Force was free
to use B-29 bombers to deliver leaflets anywhere in the Korean Peninsula.
Close to the front, the Air Force used small, lumbering C-47 transport
planes flying at low altitudes to dump leaflets on enemy front line
positions. Leaflets were also delivered to frontline troops by artillery
shells.
Stephen E. Pease describes these the methods of delivery in
Psywar: PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE IN KOREA, 1950-1953 (Stackpole Books,
1992) Pease:
Leaflets were delivered most often by aircraft in a special bomb
with a hinged side that blew off after a predetermined amount of time.
The bomb was known as the M16-A1 Cluster Adapter of World War II
origin. It held 45,000 four-by-five-inch leaflets or 22,500
five-by-eight-inch leaflets and weighed more than 170 pounds when fully
loaded. It was dropped by B-26s, B-29s, and probably by the T-6. The B-29
carried thirty-two such bombs, releasing 1,440,000 leaflets in one load! The
bomb carried a time delay separation charge. After release at 15,000 to
25,000 feet, the bomb halves separated at 1,000 to 2,000 feet to concentrate
the leaflets over a specific target area.
Leaflets were also dropped in huge reels like overgrown rolls of
theater tickets, and in bundles that looked like hay bales, a Korean War
development. Early in the war, the bundles were opened in the aircraft and
the leaflets dumped out by hand. Gusts of wind often blew them back into the
planes. Later, blasting caps with delay fuses were fixed to the bundles so
they could be thrown out intact, to be popped open clear of the cargo door.
Leaflets were also delivered by special artillery shells and by
hand. The 105 mm howitzer shell held 400 four-by-five-inch leaflets.
Usually, an empty smoke shell was used; smoke shells were easily modified in
the field into leaflet carriers. The range of the gun limited its use to an
area close to the front lines, but it could deliver leaflets with precision
and in any weather.
Leaflet design had to take account of the ability of the enemy
troops to read. Thanks to universal primary school education instituted by
the Japanese, the literacy rate of the North Korean troops was high.
However, large numbers of Chinese soldiers could not read, or could read
with only a limited vocabulary. Much use of graphics was needed, and care
had to be taken to use language that was easily understood.
Was psychological warfare effective?
Leaflets, radio broadcasts, and loudspeakers were credited as a
major factor in the heavy increase in prisoners after July 1951, and
interrogations of Communist prisoners of war showed that one in three were
influenced to surrender by leaflets. Interrogations of civilians in North
and South Korea further revealed that UN radio broadcasts reached a
considerable audience and stirred some civilian opposition to the Communist
regime. One authority has determined that Chinese enlisted men were found
the most amenable to UN psychological warfare messages, while the hardcore
North Korean officer corps were least inclined to believe or act on such
appeals.
By and large, 1st RB&L junior reserve officers and enlisted
draftees were left to design leaflet and radio operations without excessive
interference and second guessing by the regular senior army officers at the
top. This happened not by chance but because psychological warfare in Korea
was ably managed. First, the recruitment process worked very well, with
well-qualified men being selected both among officers and enlisted men.
Secondly, the officers at the top were very able, and the credit
belongs to General McClure. General McClure chose excellent subordinates,
including Homer Shields. Very likely the staff selection process for
officers and enlisted men was monitored and overseen by McClure himself.
General McClure was the right man in the right place, and we had a very
credible psywar operation in the Korean War.
The Website EYE mentioned the 1st
RB&L Group in its issue of Spring 2002, in the article "Graphic Leaflets
Rained Down from the Sky." The article says in part:
On 12 July 1952, American warplanes, following orders from UN Headquarters,
Far East Command, Psychological Warfare Section, dropped 50,000 leaflets
warning North Korean civilians to leave their homes or die. 'Obey this
warning and you will live,' goes the translation of this Korean language
flyer. 'Leave this area immediately. Take your families with you. Warn your
friends to do the same. If the Communists force you to remain in the danger
area, send your women and children to safety.'
How many people heeded this airborne communication is not known. The leaflet
was just one of dozens designed to force civilians who were in battle zones
- and Chinese military personnel who were fighting in the Korean theatre -
to flee, surrender, and otherwise disrupt strategic efforts on the ground.
The goal of this psychological effort during the Korean conflict by
the First Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group was threefold: to avoid
extensive civilian casualties; to leave doubts about the enemy's ultimate
motives; and to encourage defections from the military and militia ranks.
Towards this aim, the graphic design was unambiguous and utilitarian. Some
flyers with maps highlighted target areas along roads and railway routes,
while others showed destroyed facilities under dire headlines such as "You
Were Warned." Although raining leaflets may have been less lethal than
raining bombs, it was no less frightening to realize that the United
Nations' air attacks were inevitable.
Fear was a principal weapon, and every avenue into the psyche was
exploited. For example, one graphic leaflet, printed in red and black and
showing a photograph of four Chinese soldiers with an X striking out one of
them, announces a "secret plan" to eliminate 100 million Chinese. "Will you
be one of those sacrificed? One out of every four is to be killed!" The text
explains that famine will take these lives because the Chinese Communists
are refusing American food aid.
Comic strips were employed in addition to written warnings. Some
illustrated the injustices perpetrated by Communist occupiers. Others were
simple instructions on how to surrender to UN troops, who would distribute
food and administer medicine. In one leaflet, directed at North Korean
forces, a cartoon shows soldiers discussing a UN Safe Conduct Pass, then
destroying their rifles and walking towards the nearest UN Forces
Headquarters by the open road with upraised hands
[Perhaps leaflet 1095 below?]. Another leaflet informs the North Korean
soldiers that they are merely clearing a path for Chinese Communist troops
and are thus being placed in greater danger than their Chinese allies.
The safe conduct passes, issued in 1951, printed in Korean and
English, provide instructions to UN soldiers as to the good treatment
guaranteed to any soldier who ceases fighting. Another "Good Treatment"
leaflet further promises warm clothing and cigarettes for all. And "you will
all be given the opportunity for health-restoring recreation". It is not
clear how many hearts and minds these leaflets affected, but it was an
inexpensive way to make tactical profit.
The unit was first organized 8 November 1950 in the Regular Army at Fort Riley,
Kansas, as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet
Group. It was reorganized and redesignated 1 September 1951 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, 8239th Army Unit. So, this
unit could be recognized with two different organizational titles. The printing unit of
the Group was originally the 303rd PSYOP Company. It was reorganized and redesignated 1
September 1951 as the 3rd Reproduction Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group,
8239th Army Unit.
Those early days are also mentioned in an undated and unsigned
10-page document in my files. It says in part:
In the early days of 1951, the groundwork for a Psychological
Warfare School was being laid at the Army General School at Ft. Riley,
Kansas, an old cavalry post. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel John
O. Weaver, the PSYWAR Division of the Army General School was born. By June
of 1951, it had not only graduated its first officers' class, but it was
also training several PSYWAR troop units. Shortly afterwards, several
additional units were also added, and two Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet
groups and two Loudspeaker and Leaflet Companies had received assignments to
Europe and the Far East Command.
With the advent of the Korean War, military psychological warfare
was carried on under the auspices of the United Nations. It is difficult to
measure the effect of PSYWAR by land taken, victories won, enemy troops
killed, or the number of prisoners captured. Yet, General Mark Clark, the
Commander in Chief of the of the United Nations Forces in the Far East,
credited PSYWAR with contributing greatly to the war against the Communists
in Korea. Speaking in 1952, General Clark revealed that more than 65% of all
prisoners taken were "directly influenced" by the intense United Nations
propaganda campaign.
Martin J. Manning and Clarence R. Wyatt edited the 2-volume set
titled Encyclopedia of Media and Propaganda in Wartime America. The
articles featured the various wars that the United States was involved in
and I have added a brief part of what was written about the 1st RB&L Group.
The
sole tactical psywar U.S. Army unit was the Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company
(L&L) stationed at the
war's outbreak at Fort Riley, Kansas. By the fall of 1950, the company was
in Korea, where it became part of the newly organized Radio Broadcasting and
Leaflet Group (RB&L). Leaflets varying in size from three by five inches to
newspaper
dimensions were distributed by either aircraft or artillery. At peak
production, 20 million
leaflets were produced weekly, with more than 2 billion leaflets delivered
during the war.
PSYWAR - A Major Weapon
PSYWAR - A Major Weapon is a 15-page
information bulletin. It is an official publication of the United States
Army Europe. It is dated 30 December 1952. The cover depicts a group of
Communists in a bullseye as what might be an American B-25 bomber flies over
them dropping leaflets. We also see radio towers and loudspeakers. The
bulletin mentions Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet groups:
A Colonel commands the Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet group which
is authorized 305 officers and men. The new strategic PSYWAR unit consists
of three companies: a Group Headquarters and Headquarters Company, a
Reproduction Company, and a mobile Radio Broadcasting Company.
The Headquarters Company
handles supply and administration for the unit. An Operations Section of the
Company has linguists, layout artists, draftsmen and script writers to
produce leaflets and posters. Processing the special types of intelligence
needed in PSYWAR is the job of an Intelligence Section.
Equipped with the latest type of offset presses, the Reproduction
Company prints the output of the Headquarters Company Operations Section.
Company personnel are trained to repair and use any press they might capture
in an enemy country. Though it is not the unit's main function, the company
can help tactical units when they need a big press run.
Each of the three platoons in the Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company
is equipped with a mobile, easily-set-up transmitter. Company personnel can
fix and operate captured transmitters and other equipment. Each platoon also
has a Monitoring Section to screen enemy propaganda broadcasts. A Program
Section processes, and schedules scripts prepared by the Headquarters
Company Operation Section, and a Radio Section maintains equipment.
The Far Eastern Command Psychological Warfare Operation: Intelligence, produced for the Operations Research
Office (ORO) on 28 April 1952 was printed in 250 copies is a study made
during the period of August thru December 1951, designed to describe,
analyze, and evaluate theater-level psywar intelligence operations in the
Far East Command. We see that the Group helped in the
collection of Intelligence.
Psywar intelligence, for the purposes of this memorandum, consists of
whatever intelligence is demonstrably required for the rational conduct of
the psywar campaign in the Korean War, as discerned in the campaign's
day-to-day operations. Responsibility for providing psywar intelligence in
FEC is divided between the Intelligence Division of the Psychological
Warfare Section (PWS, GHQ) and the Research and Development Section of the
1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group (R&D Section, 1st RB&L Group). The
PWS Intelligence Division conducts the major psywar intelligence operations.
R&D functions mainly as a reference service in support of propaganda
preparation activities.
The agencies responsible for theater-level psychological warfare in the
present phase of the Korean War are the Psychological Warfare Section (PWS),
GHQ, FEC, and the First Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group (1st RB&L
Group), 8239th Army Unit, GHQ, FEC. PWS, which is responsible for making
policy, formulating plans, and supervising operations, is a special staff
section monitored by G-3 and reporting to the Chief of Staff. The 1st RB&L
Group, which is responsible for conducting theater-level psywar operations,
is formally assigned to Headquarters and Service Command, under the
operational control of PWS. Each of these two agencies has its own
intelligence unit. A subsidiary or supporting role in FEC psywar
intelligence is performed by the Research and Development Section of the 1st
RB&L Group.
The USNS General A.W. Brewster
By March the unit was 200+ enlisted men and officers. Their training consisted of
basic infantry fundamentals, general PSYWAR subjects, and six weeks of specific PSYWAR
activities. About this time the unit started publishing their newspaper The Proper
Gander. The first issue was 22 March. Some of the wives drove to a nearby farm and
actually bought a gander as the unit’s mascot. On what appeared to be a bad omen, on
Friday the 13th of April, the unit was alerted for deployment to the Far East. In mid-June
the advance party flew to Tokyo. The heavy printing presses were shipped to Japan on 4
July 1951. The entire unit started its deployment on 12 July, soon arrived at San
Francisco where they boarded the USNS General Brewster on 18 July
An Introduction to Psychological Warfare
Since the United States had not kept up with the concept of
psychological warfare since the end of WWII, this small booklet was issued
to the troops about 1950 to explain the background of the specialty, the
types and duties of units, and the concept of themes such as symbols,
emotive words, sociological information, negative propaganda, and dozens
more. It had a short introduction to the Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet
Group concept:
The RB & L works at Theater level to wage Military strategic
psychological warfare. The reproduction company is a stationary company
moving only within Theater headquarters. The three mobile radio platoons
can, however, be attached to any combat zone where the need might arise.
On 6 August 1951 the Unit arrived in Japan. Headquarters and the Radio Section were
housed in the former Japanese Government Finance building in Tokyo. Their work would be
done at the Empire House, about 20 blocks away. The printers were based in the Far East
Command Printing and Publication building outside Yokohama. A second complement of unit
members left their Fort Riley, Kansas base on 17 September 1951, eventually sailing to
Japan on the USS General John Pope.
Major Steve A Fondacaro mentioned the 1st RB&L Group in his 1988
Command and General Staff College Master of Military Art and Science Thesis
titled:Strategic Analysis of
U.S. Special Operations during the Korean Conflict, 1950-1953. He said
in part:
Not until the arrival of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet
Group from Fort Riley in August, 1951, did full-scale strategic operations
take place. This unit had the capability for large scale production of
newspapers and leaflets, as well as radio broadcasting. It also produced the
Voice of the United Nations throughout the conflict.
They went right to work. By August-September 1951 the Group was producing 13 million
leaflets a week. By December they were joined by 45 civilians. On 28 February 1952 they
printed their first 4-color leaflet. The radio unit had transmitted 25 million words. They
had printed 650 million leaflets.
How many propaganda leaflets were printed by U.N. forces during the Korean War?
According the Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces Far East, the total number of leaflets
disseminated were 2,460,084,000. Yes, that is two billion. This information was listed in:
HQ, USAFFE, SUBJECT: Psychological Warfare Activities, 28 June 1950 through 27 July
1953. In the Report on the Psychological Warfare Conducted By the Eighth Army Units in
Korea, 25 June 1950 thru 27 July 1953, Air Operations state that they dropped 1,
411,255,700 leaflets so the rest were probably fired by artillery or disseminated by
patrols.
Lieutenant Colonel Homer E. Shields
Veritas, Volume 7, Number 2, 2011
The First Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group was formed in Ft. Riley Kansas. It
was created by Fifth Army General Order #176, April 1951. The first commander was LTC
Homer E. Shields, former Chief of Psywar section of the Sixth Army Group, and later
executive officer to General McClure, head of the Psychological Warfare Division, Supreme
Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). General McClure personally selected
Shields for this post.
Klein tells us more about Shields. In 1944 he was appointed Executive Officer of the
7th Army Combat Propaganda Team and served in North Africa, Italy, and Southern France. He
was promoted to Chief of the PSYWAR Section of the 6th Army Group. In 1945, he was
Executive Officer to General McClure, head of the Psychological Warfare Division at SHAEF.
Coordinating the work of the First RB&L Group was complicated. There was a
Headquarters Company in Tokyo where radio programs and leaflet operations were designed
and written. There was a printing plant in Yokohama. There were broadcasting stations in
Pusan, Taegu and Seoul that required both backup from Tokyo and freedom to carry out
individual tasks. Shields managed them all with great efficiency.
Shields was a hand-on type of Commander. When there were problems getting leaflets
dropped by the Air Force he went on combat missions in a C-47 and later a B-29 to see how
the system could be made more efficient. Both missions ran into trouble and could have
ended in his death. In the first mission his plane was struck by lightning, ran into heavy
anti-aircraft fire and the wings and propellers started to ice up and the pilot had to do
a “touch and go” before he could safely land.
On the B-29 mission his left outside engine died early and they continued the
mission with three engines. They were in heavy cloud cover all the way back and did not
see the field until they broke through the clouds at 150 feet altitude and saw the field
directly in front of them. That mission was nine hours of terror on three engines flying
at about half speed. Shields wrote home:
I was back safe and sound, and never again for me. No more combat missions with
the air force. Stay on the ground, that’s my motto, but think of those poor guys in
the Air Force, they have to do it again and again and again.
Mark R. Jacobson wrote about the Group in his PhD dissertation Minds then hearts:
U.S. Political and Psychological Warfare during the Korean War, the Ohio State
University, 2005:
Elements of the 1st RB&L first arrived in Korea in June, 1951. In July the
soldiers relieved the Psychological Warfare Branch of the Far East Command of its
operational functions but the RB&L did not become fully operational until late August
1951. The Army had originally activated the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, was
activated at Ft. Riley, Kansas on 7 October, 1950, to serve as the “Psychological
Warfare Branch” of a theater headquarters in order to conduct strategic radio and
leaflet operations. In other words, the Group would add to a theater’s skeletal
PSYWAR staff in order to plan and direct overall PSYWAR efforts and actually conduct the
strategic missions.
A Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet (RB&L) Group, commanded by a Colonel
contained about 300 personnel organized into three companies: A Headquarters Company for
staff and administration as well as PSYWAR strategy and planning; a Reproduction Company
for the development of leaflets, newspapers, and other visual materials; and the heart of
the unit, a Mobile Radio Broadcast Company responsible for broadcasting operations. Each
of the Mobile Radio Broadcast Companies’ three platoons had a complete mobile
transmitter setup that could be attached to theater elements when more powerful,
commercial radio stations were not available for use. Not until 1953 did the Army add a
Consolidation Company to the organization, recognizing the need to have units that focused
specifically on propaganda directed at civilians in rear or occupied areas under military
control.
The United Nations forces delivered tactical and strategic leaflets to target
audiences by B-29 bombers, a variety of transport aircraft, artillery shell, and even by
hand. At times Far East Command with the assistance of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and
Loudspeaker Group (1st RB&L) distributed more than 20 million leaflets per week. At
the same time the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet (1st L&L) Company focused on the
development of surrender leaflets for North Korean and Chinese forces and conducted
hundreds of loudspeaker broadcasts to harass Communist forces and convince them to desert,
malinger, or surrender. By the end of the war about 2.5 billion leaflets had been
distributed by air, artillery, and even by hand.
With the coming of the Korean War, General Robert McClure was named Chief,
Psychological Warfare Division. McClure had been a Psywar officer in WWII and was the most
experienced man for the job. His accomplishments were mentioned in Colonel Alfred H.
Paddock’s book U.S. Army Special Warfare - Its Origins.
McClure's primary concern was with FECOM's organization for psychological
warfare. He recommended that the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet (RB&L) Group
become the theater operating agency for psychological warfare when it arrived from the
United States later in 1951. At this point, in early 1951, the only US psychological
warfare unit that the Department of the Army had been able to provide to FECOM was the
Tactical Information Detachment, a small unit of a little over 20 personnel. The 1st Radio
Broadcasting and Leaflet (RB&L) Group was organized at Fort Riley and shipped to Korea
in July 1951.
The 1st RB&L Group was specifically designed to conduct strategic propaganda
in direct support of military operations. Strategic propaganda was intended to further
long-term strategic aims, and was directed at enemy forces, populations, or enemy-occupied
areas. To accomplish these tasks the 1st RB&L Group had the equipment and capability
to produce newspapers and leaflets, and to augment or replace other means of broadcasting
radio propaganda. The group supervised a radio station network known as the Voice of the
United Nations, and often produced more than 200 million propaganda leaflets a week that
were disseminated by aircraft or by specially designed artillery shells. The leaflets
expressed various themes. Some, for example, offered inducements for enemy soldiers to
surrender; others were intended to bolster the morale of Korean civilians by proclaiming
U.N. support.
Although the RB&L group was a concept accelerated to meet the requirements of
the Korean conflict, it performed functions similar to those deemed necessary to the
conduct of psychological warfare in World War II. Both the strategic propaganda concept
embodied in the RB&L group and the tactical propaganda idea expressed by the
Loudspeaker &Leaflet company were to figure prominently in the psychological warfare.
By April 1952, when the military situation was at a stalemate along the 38th
parallel, three different kinds of psychological warfare were underway in Korea.
"Strategic" psychological warfare was carried out by the Psychological Warfare
Section, General Headquarters, Far East Command, located in Tokyo. The 1st RB&L Group,
whose headquarters were also in Tokyo, assisted GHQ FECOM in this endeavor. Leaflet
operations blanketed North Korea with the exception of a 40-mile zone due north of the
military lines; radio operations covered North and South Korea as well as parts of
Manchuria and China. "Tactical" psychological warfare was directed by the
Psychological Warfare Division, G-3, of HQ 8th Army, eventually located in Seoul. Assisted
by the 1st L&L Company, this division directed leaflet and loudspeaker operations
within 40 miles of the military line of contact. "Consolidation" propaganda was
carried out by the State Department's US Information Service, based in Pusan. Its printed
and visual media operations were confined to that part of Korea under the civil
administration of the Republic of Korea government. Radio operations in this area were
under the control of field teams of the 1st RB&L Group's Mobile Radio Broadcasting
Company.
Organization of the 1st RB&L Group
Veritas, Volume 7, Number 2, 2011
The Group arrived in Tokyo, Japan, on 6 August 1951. They were headquartered on the
6th floor of Empire House. The enlisted personnel were quartered in the Japanese
government Finance Building on B Avenue in the heart of Tokyo. The Officers were billeted
in Officer's Clubs around Tokyo. The group consisted of three companies.
USASOC Command Historian Charles H. Briscoe, PhD says in Veritas Vol.
7, No. 2, 2011:
Part of being integrated into the FECOM staff meant the 1st RB&L would grow
in size. By 4 October 1951 the Psywar Group had been augmented by forty-five civilians,
American, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, in the Empire House and Motor Pool.
1st RB&L headquarters - The Empire Building
Veritas, Volume 7, Number 2, 2011
Ten Japanese typists, four illustrators, and five drivers were assigned. The
Chinese and Korean drawing styles of Liang Ying Min and Kim Kyo Tek proved more believable
to Asian audiences than those of the Americans. This influx of civilians was followed
shortly by the arrival of the Group Rear Detachment in mid-October—another seven
officers and sixty-three men accompanying the organic equipment. Now, the 1st RB&L had
the personnel, printing presses, and mobile radio vans to become fully operational.
Chinese Artist Liang Ying Min at Work
Klein adds that it was believed the Asian illustrators would simply put the
finishing touches on the American illustrator’s work. However, the Chinese and Korean
artists were so good, and knew the customs of their people so much better than their
American counterparts that they often took the lead in the drawing of the leaflets.
The 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company
Paul Linebarger discusses them in Psychological Warfare, Combat Forces Press,
Washington DC, 1954. He says:
The Headquarters and Headquarters Company contained the command, administrative,
supervisory and creative personnel necessary for propaganda operations. The 3rd
Reproduction Company contained intricate equipment and skilled personnel capable of
producing leaflets and newspapers of varying sizes and multiple colors. The 4th Mobile
Radio Broadcasting Company was designed to replace or augment other means of broadcasting
radio propaganda.
2LT Eddie Deerfield supervised the pre-recording of President Syngman Rhee’s
speeches in Pusan. The bulky tape recorders pictured were also used in the field to
collect live interviews and cover significant current events.
VERITAS Vol. 8, No. 1, 2012
Dr. Charles H. Briscoe Mentions this operation in “Radio Pusan - The Voice of
South Korea” in VERITAS Vol. 8, No. 1, 2012. I paraphrase his comments for brevity:
The 1st RB&L was tasked with rebuilding KBS (the Korean Broadcasting System)
facility in Pusan. The men selected to do that job were to write and broadcast daily news
and commentaries on current events. This was critical because the South Korean President,
Syngman Rhee, and his government had returned to Pusan. The radio personnel were to build
a transmission capability to deliver Psywar beyond the 38th Parallel into North Korea. The
team was dedicated to making Radio Seoul into the “Voice of South Korea.” The
programs were consistent with overall theater policy based on the best available
intelligence. Truthful, accurate news was the backbone of American programming. The Free
World proclaimed that its Psywar was based on truth while that from the Communist world
was built on lies.
By April 1952, Radio Pusan had a staff of forty-four personnel. By late spring 1953,
the original 1st RB&L Group had undergone a 90+ percent turnover in personnel and its
organic companies (minus the 4th MRBC in Korea) had become assimilated into the Far East
Command Psywar staff and Publications Command. The Far East Command Table of Distribution
for the 4th MRBC dated 1 May 1953 reduced the Radio Broadcasting Platoons from three to
one and the company headquarters to a third of its 1951 strength. Following the Armistice
the mission was radio broadcast sustainment and public information instead of Psywar. By
April 1953, the network of fixed KBS stations that originated with Pusan had spread
throughout the Republic to Taegu, Seoul, Taejon, Mamwon, and Kangnung.
VICTORY THROUGH INFLUENCE
In 2022, about
10 years after I wrote this article, Dr. Jared M. Tracy, Deputy Command
Historian for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command wrote a book titled
VICTORY THROUGH INFLUENCE, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, that
discussed the history of Psychological Operations in WWI, WWII, and the
Korean War. The book mentions the First Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group
and I have cut down a 32-page chapter to just under 700 words and edited for
brevity:
The 1st RBL
provided senior U.S. and Republic of Korea officials with a vehicle to
advance military objectives and promote democratic, anti-Communist ideas. On
16 November 1950. The Army approved the activation of the 1st RB&L Group at
Ft. Riley, Kansas. The 1st RB&L had a Headquarters, the 3rd Reproduction
Company, and the 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company. Initially thought to
be heading for Europe the 1st RB&L learned of its actual destination on 13
April 1951. From May to July, the main body continued preparing for
deployment. It received new equipment, such as a Harris 17 x 22-inch press
capable of 5,500 impressions an hour. The main body arrived in Japan on 6
August 1951. The group had a three-pronged mission: "conduct strategic
propaganda operations in direct support of military operations;" "support
the national worldwide propaganda effort;" and "provide operational support,
when required to tactical operations in the theater of operations."
The 1st RB&L
wrote and printed its first leaflet on 16-17 August. In the first month of
operations, the group produced 13,000,000 leaflets a week. On 13 August, the
Group assumed responsibility for writing programs for the 10-station Korean
Broadcasting System. On 23 January 1952, the Far East Command ordered most
of the 4th MRBC from Japan to Korea. Attached to the 4th MRBC were
Nationalist Chinese and Korean civilians who helped develop, record, and
broadcast Chinese and Korean language programs.
There were
several named plans used in Korea, meant to point out certain facts or flaws in the
Communist system or tactics. They bore names such as Patriot, United,
Mist, Strike, Patriot, Fraud, Goodfellow, etc. Since I have written an
article on that subject all the comments on these various special campaigns
will be found in that article.
The 86,584,000
leaflets disseminated during the month of August 1952 backed Plans Fraud,
Strike, Deadlock, Liberator, Goodfellow and other themes. In September, 95
million leaflets and various printed products promoted the usual plans.
Among other campaigns, radio broadcasts supported Plan Parley, which
portrayed China as a Russian puppet in light of recent talks between the two
nations.
I have not
mentioned specific radio broadcasts in this short synopsis because there are
far too many to list. However, I will add one paragraph here on just one
month's programs.
Radio programs
in October backed Plans Fraud, Strike, Deadlock, Parley, Contrast and
Hardships of Winter. Chinese language programs that month included Another
Winter, They see the Light, Red Sail, and Drain on China. Programs in Korean
included The Vital Choice, Divide and Conquer, Who in Korea, The Uninvited,
and Two Years of The United Nations Civil Assistance Corps Korea. A Korean
tape team visited two prisoner-of-war camps, collecting 161 minutes of audio
recording and 11 reels of footage. Out of this came 34 usable cuts
highlighting United Nations Humanitarianism, efforts toward peace,
agricultural initiatives, good treatment of POWs, as well as Soviet
exploitation on other nations and Korean nationalism.
The 1st RB&L
disseminated 989,550, 900 leaflets in 1952. On 27 April, launched a major
new campaign called Plan Moolah, bolstered by radio broadcasts and the "$100,000 leaflet" in
Korean Chinese and Russian. General Clark offered $50,000 to any pilot who
turned in his "modern, complete, combat type jet aircraft in flyable
condition to UN forces" and a $50,000 bonus to the first person to do so.
Theater PSYWAR
elements had produced and disseminated an enormous amount of material
between 28 June 1950 and 27 July 1953, including some 2.2 billion leaflets.
The ceasefire ended PSYWAR at the front and over North Korea. PSYOP still
occurred in UN-controlled areas targeting such audiences as civilians,
lingering Communist guerrillas, and prisoners-of-war.
Former radio sportscaster Yun Chul Sung became the
"Voice of Philosophy" commentator for Radio Pusan.
Yun Chul Sung, a well-known sports commentator, regained his
'star' status
shortly after Radio Pusan began broadcasting again. While his English was poor, Sung spoke
Korean with a deep, melodious voice. He got the most fan mail.
The 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet
Group was involved in regular broadcasting and also broadcast fake bomb warning
announcements as part of Plan Hoax for Radio Seoul. Here is an example:
We interrupt this program to bring a special bomb warning to the citizens of
Sinchon [a North Korean rail and highway crossroads].
This is URGENT.
United Nations bombers will destroy Communist war supplies, industries, and
military targets in your town tonight. I’ll repeat that. United Nations bombers will
be over tonight to destroy military targets. Leave Sinchon now. Seek shelter! Get out of
the danger area! The United Nations wants to save your life. The UN Air Force seeks only
to destroy the war materials of the Communist aggressors. Don’t be destroyed with
them! Leave Sinchon now!
The Radio Company had three platoons, each with a complete mobile transmitter that
could be attached to more powerful theater elements. In 1953, a Consolidation Company was
added to the group when it became clear that there was a need to prepare propaganda
specifically aimed at civilians in the rear or in occupied areas under Allied control.
Charles H. Briscoe writes about the Group in Veritas, Volume 7, No. 1, 2011.
He says that the Headquarters Company was based in Tokyo, Japan, with the strength of 19
officers, three warrant officers and 111 enlisted personnel.
A Four-Color Experiment by the 3rd Reproduction Company
U.S. Army Private Charles R. Gaush was a photo-lithographer assigned to the 3rd
Reproduction Company, 8239th Army Unit, 1st Radio Broadcasting & Leaflet Group. He was
deployed to Japan in early 1953. He told me about a very difficult printing job his unit
did producing a four-color leaflet for Korea. He said:
We did a 5.5 x 8.5-inch job which included a four-color printing from a painting
done at HQ in Tokyo. The Harris LTV is a single-color press, so if you want two or more
colors, you have to run the sheets as many times as you have colors. My point is that our
unit was not equipped to do four-color halftones both because of the difficult
photolithography and the printing. However, we had a very smart Section Chief named Master
Sergeant William E Stewart and he was anxious to try running it through four times in
perfect alignment. We did it and the leaflet turned out perfect and was disseminated.
Another problem we had with printing multicolored leaflets was due to the rapid humidity
changes which varied the size of the sheets between colors. It was very difficult to keep
the image in register. Sometimes it would be a week or so before the pressmen could get to
the next color. We managed to turn those leaflets out because of our dedicated men and
leaders.
Decades after I first spoke to the now
Dr. Gaush, he wrote again to tell me about some mistakes that had been made.
These are common when there is a rush to get a leaflet out for some tactical
reason and the text and image is not studied in detail. He said:
One was a leaflet that depicted a hungry Korean girl holding an
empty rice bowl. The leaflet was
printed and distributed which resulted in a flurry of objections. The bowl was drawn by a Japanese artist who inadvertently drew a
Japanese bowl instead of a Korean bowl which is different, further
alienating the Koreans against the Japanese.
As it was explained to me, the Japanese bowls have a flat bottom
while the Korean bowls have a round bottom.
Another incident was a 16 x 20" poster drawn after the war for
instructing the population on how to obtain potable water.
The copy came to the camera section, and I refused to shoot it since
the copy contained the word "portable" water. I informed my non-com
superiors and the commander about the error, but they were skeptical.
They asked me if I would talk to HQ about it and I said yes. The result was that the copy was withdrawn and returned with the
corrections.
Far East Command PSYWAR Section
Veritas, Volume 7, Number 2, 2011
The Printing of leaflets was the responsibility of the 3rd Reproduction Company of
the 1st RB&L Group. Leaflets were prepared at the Far East Command Printing and
Publication Center outside Yokohama near a railroad station called
"Motosumiyoshi." About 250 Americans and 900 Japanese civilian employees worked
in the Center. After the leaflets were printed and cut they were rolled and placed inside
leaflet bombs by the 3rd Reproduction Company troops. They were then delivered to
Tachikawa air base to the planes that dropped them on the Chinese or North Korean troops.
From August to September 1951 the Group produced about 13 million leaflets a week. By
December 1951 the 50-millionth leaflet was produced. Meanwhile, in Korea, the leaflet
missions were planned and organized by the Operations Officer, Kimpo Air Base, Seoul. Its
strength was three officers and 54 enlisted personnel. They were tasked with leaflet
production and were authorized cameras, lithographic plates, printing presses and the use
of USAF aircraft to include C-47s, C-46s, B-26s and B-29s.
Dr. Charles H. Briscoe mentions the 3rd Reproduction Company in an article titled
“HARRIS PRESSES & PSYWAR LEAFLETS - The 3rd Reproduction Company, 1st Radio
Broadcasting & Leaflet Group, 1951-1953” in Veritas, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2011:
By early September 1951, the 3rd Reproduction Company was handling the entire G-2
Psywar mission by itself… 28 December 1951 was an auspicious day for G-2 Psywar when
the billionth leaflet was dropped in Korea. It marked eighteen months of Psywar leaflet
activity that began 27 June 1950. However, since its arrival on 6 August 1951, the 1st
RB&L had written, illustrated, and produced 50 percent of that total. More
significantly, over two hundred different leaflets had been prepared by the
“Ganders.” Included was a stepped-up effort to explain UN humanitarian
assistance to the Korean people that began on 1 December 1951. A hundred million simple
leaflets in four colors, barely calling card size, had “plugged the UN as the
guardian of world peace” for fourteen days. Another “full court press”
raised the weekly leaflet “high score” to 65,907,000 dropped between 26 December
1951 and 1 January 1952.
3rd Repro offset print men working in the Far East Command Print
& Publications Center
produce 1st RB&L propaganda leaflets on Webendorfer Offset Lithographic 11 x 22 inch
presses.
A 3rd Repro pressman operates a Harris LTV press at the
Motosumiyoshi facility, April 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Veritas magazine)
In mid-January 1952, the 3rd Reproduction Company was attached to the 8234th AU, the
new designation for the Far East Command Print & Publications Center. The 1st RB&L
became the 8239th AU.
Klein talks about the Reproduction Company:
Counting the men in 3rd Repro and the staff of the center, there were about 250
or so American military and civilian personnel and about 900 Japanese employees. The
artwork and finished product was done by the guys in Tokyo and then sent to 3rd Repro for
reproduction and distribution. After the leaflets were printed and cut they would be
assembled in rolls to fit on shelves in a cylinder-shaped bomb. Third Repro men would load
the bombs on a vehicle and deliver them to Tachikawa Airbase.
First Lieutenant Marvin R. Warshaw (Ret.) was the wartime commander of the Leaflet
Company of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group. He said:
Fort Riley at the time was headquarters for the Adjutant General’s
Publishing and Printing Department. I recruited a staff for my printing company by going
to the department, and offering promotions to anyone applying for transfer to my outfit.
As commanding officer of the printing company, I worked with a civilian from a
printing press making company; together he and I designed a mobile printing press, sitting
on a steel bed that could be jacked up and leveled in the field.
I asked a B-29 squadron leader for permission to modify an empty 500 pound finned
bomb casing by cutting the casing in half vertically, and having five shelves welded into
half of the casing, so that when the casing was closed and held together by a proximity
fuse, the shelves each covered the entire interior diameter of the casing. We used these
bombs by inserting what we called “leaflet pies” curled up and held together by
a piece of string.
The Fourth Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company was based in Tokyo, Pusan and Seoul.
It consisted of 16 officers and 99 enlisted personnel. It was authorized various mobile
radio broadcasting systems to transmit Psywar messages in the field in a variety of
languages and dialects.
A Korean Worker loads a Leaflet Artillery Shell for his American
Allies
Alfred H. Paddock Jr., lists the duties in greater detail in U.S. Army Special
Warfare, University Press of Kansas, 2002:
The 1st RB&L Group was specifically designed to conduct strategic propaganda
in direct support of military operations. Directed at enemy forces, populations, or
enemy-occupied areas, strategic propaganda was intended to further long-term aims. The
Group supervised a radio station network known as the Voice of the United Nations and
often produced more than 200 million leaflets a week disseminated by aircraft or by
specially designed artillery shells.
Putting the 1st RB&L together was no easy task. Paddock mentions a letter to the harried commander of the 1st Radio
Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, being readied at Fort Riley for deployment
to the Far East, that vividly depicts the situation:
In order that you will be better able to appreciate the personnel problems
facing us here, I would like to give you a little indication of our
immediate requirements for officers. We must find 39 officers for your
Group, 24 officers for a student body for the first unit officers' course in
the Psychological Warfare School, 14 officers for the Staff and Faculty of
the Psychological Warfare School, 5 officers for the 1st Loudspeaker and
Leaflet Company, 8 officers for the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company,
which is to be activated in the near future, and approximately 20 additional
officers for this office. That totals 109 officers needed in the immediate
future and there are additional miscellaneous slots to be filled. To meet
this requirement, we have so far requested approximately 100 officers. We
are finding that we get only fifty percent of those we request. Those now
being requested will not be available at the earliest until late April or
May. However, we hope to have enough available by Mid-April to provide a
minimum staff for the units at Riley, a minimum staff for the school, and a
small student body for the first unit officers' course.
The spring 2002 issue of Eye Magazine featured an article titled
“Graphic Leaflets Rained Down from the Sky. It said in part:
The goal of this psychological effort during the Korean conflict by the First
Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group was threefold: to avoid extensive civilian
casualties; to leave doubts about the enemy’s ultimate motives; and to encourage
defections from the military and militia ranks. Towards this aim, the graphic design was
unambiguous and utilitarian. Some flyers with maps highlighted target areas along roads
and railway routes, while others showed destroyed facilities under dire headlines such as
“You Were Warned.” Although raining leaflets may have been less lethal than
raining bombs, it was no less frightening to realize that the United Nations’ air
attacks were inevitable.
Fear was a principal weapon, and every avenue into the psyche was exploited. For
example, one graphic leaflet, printed in red and black and showing a photograph of four
Chinese soldiers with an X striking out one of them, announces a “secret plan”
to eliminate 100 million Chinese. “Will you be one of those sacrificed? One out of
every four is to be killed!” The text explains that famine will take these lives
because the Chinese Communists are refusing American food aid.
Comic strips were employed in addition to written warnings. Some illustrated the
injustices perpetrated by Communist occupiers. Others were simple instructions on how to
surrender to UN troops, who would distribute food and administer medicine. In one leaflet,
directed at North Korean forces, a cartoon shows soldiers discussing a UN Safe Conduct
Pass, then destroying their rifles and walking towards the nearest UN Forces Headquarters
by the open road with upraised hands. Another leaflet informs the North Korean soldiers
that they are merely clearing a path for Chinese Communist troops, and are thus being
placed in greater danger than their Chinese allies.
The safe conduct passes, issued in 1951, printed in Korean and English; provide
instructions to UN soldiers as to the good treatment guaranteed to any soldier who ceases
fighting. Another “Good Treatment” leaflet further promises warm clothing and
cigarettes for all. And “you will all be given the opportunity for health-restoring
recreation.” It is not clear how many hearts and minds these leaflets affected, but
it was an inexpensive way to make tactical profit.
Two graphic artists of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Radio Group
draw leaflets in Tokyo, 1951
National Archives
The “Text Section” compiled the text used on leaflets
prepared by the 1st Radio Broadcast and Leaflet Group
National Archives Photo
The 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet (RB&L) Group Symbol
1st Radio Broadcast and Leaflet Group Korean War Christmas card
Every PSYOP unit has a printing section they can print such items as calendars,
stationery pads, menus and of course, Christmas cards. This Christmas card from the main
American PSYOP unit in Korea features their mascot “the Proper Gander” on the
front. The gander is in front of a microphone, representing the “Radio
Broadcasting” section and surrounded by falling paper representing the leaflet
section. Inside the card here were four little Korean dolls, three women and one a goose
in Korean garb. The text on the inside was:
We’ve thought and thought and thought of how to make you surrender. We’ve
tried it in Chinese and we’ve tried it in Korean; but every time we come out
with…MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Veritas adds:
"Proper Gander" was featured on 1st RB&L Christmas cards designed
by the Graphics Section. They sold for a piddling 3.5 cents when beer cost a
nickel and a high ball sold for a quarter in Japan. A Christmas card was an
easy way to claim credit for writing home.
Psychological Warfare
The United States Army produced a classified propaganda film about their
PSYWAR forces in the Korean War titled Psychological Warfare - A Combat
Weapon in Korea. The entire film was shot by the 1st RB&L and depicted
their men at work. We show a scene above from the movie where the unit is
actually named.
The Central Printing Plant near Tokyo
Boards Showing those Leaflets Prepared for Various Campaigns
THE LEAFLETS
Charles Scalion in Korea – 1951
The majority of the leaflets we will depict in this article are the personal
collection of Charles Scalion. I have added some leaflets from my own collection to give a
more rounded view of the work of the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group. On 27
September 1923, Scalion enlisted in the U.S. Army in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By 1941 he
was a staff sergeant. In 1942 he served as a Recruiting and Enlistment Officer in
Baltimore, where he administered the oath to all enlistees. On 3 July 1947, he was
promoted to major. He resigned his commission after WWII. During the Korean War, Scalion
reenlisted as a Master Sergeant. Scalion was assigned to the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet
Company, where he worked as a printer for propaganda to be dropped behind enemy lines as a
part of psychological warfare. His oldest son, Charles A. Scalion, also served in the
Korean War as a member of the United States Air Force.
I was sent these leaflets by Mrs. Amie Dryer, a teacher at Calvert High School in
Calvert County, Maryland. She asked me to credit Mr. Jim Scalion (the son of Major Charles
Scalion), for providing artifacts, conversation, emails, and sharing his father’s
story.
My intention is to select about two dozen leaflets that display a good mix of
themes, images and color to show the scope of the propaganda printed by the 1st Radio
Broadcasting and Leaflet Group. Remember that the U.S. Army was starting from scratch and
learning as it went along. The Group was very imaginative and produced a great number of
really interesting and colorful leaflets.
In the July-August 2002 issue of The Greybeards, the official publication of the
Korean War Veterans Association, Lieutenant Eddie Deerfield (retired) says:
But what of the prime target—the Red soldier fording the Yalu ... marching down
Korea’s tortured roads ... holed up in a hillside along the Imjin? He has no radio,
and even if he did he would be severely punished for listening to such capitalist heresy.
The United Nations other kind of air war hits him too—with leaflets. Exhorting him to
surrender; telling him and the local populace about the free world beyond the Iron
Curtain; warning against the minions of Moscow; and driving home some 70 other
themes— the UN has blanketed his path from Manchuria to the foxholes with more than
one and one-half billion leaflets!
During an average week, Japan-based bombers drop 5,000,000 leaflets in rear areas
near the Chinese border, reminding the newly arrived “volunteer” of the
traditional US-Chinese friendship, explaining the United Nations organization and playing
on relatively mild themes in the same vein. But as he moves south, the leaflets increase
in both intensity and language. By the time he reaches the front, he is all but smothered
by a deluge of paper proclaiming the falsity of the Russian peace proposals, warning of
skull-duggery among Communist masters, pounding away at homesickness and always urging
surrender. More than 15,000,000 such front-line messages flutter down each week.
In addition, leaflets are stuffed into artillery shells and fired across the lines
at pin-point targets. If a division Commander needs a leaflet in a hurry, he’s likely
to call Eighth Army’s small but prolific printing plant. The real long-range results
of Uncle Sam’s war of ideas are intangible. They can’t be run up on an adding
machine or drawn on a chart. They defy measurement.
Leaflet 1064
This 1951 threatening leaflet depicts a lone North Korean soldier facing tanks and what
appears to be F-86 Sabrejet fighters, their air scoops enlarged to appear like giant
hungry mouths. The same leaflet was printed in Chinese and coded 7049. The text on the
front is in the form of a question:
Now! The Choice is Yours! Life or Death?
The text on the back is:
North Korean Officers and Men
You have been committed to a suicidal attack by your Communist leaders. You have the
opportunity to come over to the UN side. The choice is yours, Life or Death?
Leaflet 1070
I like this 1951 leaflet because it is very Biblical, using the “Prodigal Son” as
is theme. The title of this leaflet is,
“Good Treatment for North
Korean Party members. On one side, the prodigal son returns home, perhaps from
the Army, and is greeted by his family. On the other side, a Korean Communist officer
surrenders to the United Nations holding a safe conduct pass and is treated
like a son returning home. This leaflet was also printed in a Chinese
language version coded 7055. The text on the front is:
A good father
does not discriminate between his sons. A troubled and defeated son is
always welcome in the house of his father.
The text on
the back is:
United Nations
Forces do not discriminate against the North Korean soldiers who come to the
U. N. side.
Whether you
are a Communist Party member or an ordinary soldier, you can expect the same
treatment promised by the United Nations.
Leaflet 1073
A North Korean
officer looks down at dead and wounded soldiers to his right, and soldiers
being treated by a medic at his left. This leaflet was also printed in
Chinese coded 7058. The text is:
North Korean soldiers to the hopeless
pit of war?
North Korean soldiers to the safe
United Nations side?
The back of the
leaflet depicts North Korean surrendering holding safe conduct passes. The
text says in part:
The good officer's first responsibility
is to his men.
The real
commanders know that if the war is difficult for them and there are great
dangers for their soldiers the wisest thing for them to do is surrender.
Continuing this war for the Communists only brings death to you and your
subordinates. The wisest North Korean commanders are continuously coming
over to the United Nations side with their units. The U.N. forces guarantee
equal treatment to all North Korean soldiers. Your subordinates are waiting
for you wise leadership.
Leaflet 1077
The front of this leaflet depicts a starving North Korean soldier,
the center shows North Korean soldiers being killed by rifles, tanks, and
F-80 fighters, and at the right a soldier is walking dejectedly. The
official data sheet for this leaflet states that the title is "Three
Choices." It is aimed at the North Korean Army and depicts starvation, shell
fire and exhaustion. There is a Chinese-language Companion Chinese leaflet
coded 7064. The text is:
There are just three things the Communists can give to the soldiers of North
Korea:
Starvation - Bombardment - Tiredness
At the bottom there is a skull and the word:
Death
The back of the leaflet depicts a Ridgway safe conduct pass along
with a vignette of Communist soldiers walking toward a U.N. Tent that is
shown to be well stocked with medical goods. The text on the back is:
But the U.N. soldiers offer you another way!
Life - Good food - Security - Good treatment
Follow the thousands of your comrades who came to the
U.N. side for an honorable surrender!
Leaflet 1078
This July 1951 leaflet targets North Korean soldiers and depicts a mass of them dead on
the battlefield. The title of this leaflet is Mass Casualties.
The text on front is:
A Mountain of North Korean Dead
To Your Communist Leaders Your Lives Have No More Value Than Sandbags.
The text on back is:
The total Communist Troop Casualties to date are 1,060,526. Don’t let your name
become a number on this casualty list tomorrow. The reverse side of the leaflet contains
Communist Killed-in-Action figures for one week in May 1951. During that seven-day period
Communist soldiers were killed at an average of 10,172 per day for a cumulative total of
1,060,526 dead since the war’s beginning in June 1950.
Leaflet 1094
Map of Korea
showing depicting a Communist hand trying to cut it into two pieces. United
Nations ships and bombers are in the North and tanks are crossing the 38th
Parallel. There is a Chinese version of this leaflet coded 7075. The leaflet is called "Demilitarized zone," and points out that the
Communists want to make the 38th parallel the border again although UN
forces are 20 to 30 miles north of that line. The text on the front is:
The Communists claim that the 38th
parallel is the border while prolonging the war
The current front line is 20 to 30
miles deeper into the north well over the 38th parallel
Text in the
back says in part:
The
battleground is about 20 to 30 miles north of the 38th parallel. The Air and
naval fronts are up to the Yellow River. United Nations soldiers are trying
to establish a buffer zone along the current frontline to finish the war.
The Communist leaders want to extend their front line to the 38th parallel
which was the symbol of Korean division for the past 5 years. What reason
can there be to continue the suffering and the bleeding for a few more miles
of ground? Demand a ceasefire to this useless war...
Leaflet 1095
Surrender leaflets are among the most popular of all the propaganda leaflets. This 1951
leaflet is in the form of a four panel cartoon, telling the enemy the way to come over to
the South Koreans and Americans. There is a Safe conduct pass on back along with the
instructions: Follow the picture instructions on the reverse side to insure safe
arrival behind UN lines. Food, medical care and good treatment await you. This same
leaflet was printed in the Chinese language coded 7076. The title of the leaflet is Methods
of Surrender.
At the top right panel a North Koran soldier reads a U.N. safe conduct pass.
The second panel at bottom right shows a North Korean soldier destroying his rifle and
the text: Destroy or Bury Your Weapons. Come Over the Open Roads Only.
The top left panel depicts a North Korean soldier surrendering while another helps a
wounded comrade and the text: Hold Your Hands High over Your Head. Bring Your Wounded
Brothers with You.
The bottom left panel depicts the three POWs living happily in a warm room and the
text:
You will receive food, medical treatment and humane treatment.
Leaflet 1103
North and South Korean soldiers shake hands under Dangun, the
legendary founder of Korea. The leaflet mentions reunion and unification.
The text on the front is:
One Father - One blood - One race!
There is a long message on the back that says in part.
One Father - One blood - One race!
To those South Korean soldiers who unavoidably joined the Communist
forces:
No Korean will ever forget the first lesson when they learned the
history of their Fatherland. That is, they were united with the blood of the
Dangun founding father and should live together in love and friendship.
Today the Korean people must be united more than any other time in Korean
history. It is the fervent desire of all faithful Koreans. Several thousand
former South Korean soldiers who unavoidably joined the Communists have left
their ranks and returned to the Republic of Korea in the past few weeks.
Your former comrades and the United Nations soldiers want you to promptly
return to the Republic
Author's note: Dangun is traditionally credited with creating the
entire Korean race and ruling over the kingdom of Gojoseon, ancient Korea's
first proper state, which was founded in 2333 BCE. He is said to be the
"grandson of heaven" and the "son of a bear." As the North Korean Army moved
up and down the peninsula, many south Koreans were coerced to join the
Communists, and some might have been convinced they would win and be the
wave of the future. In this leaflet, those soldiers are invited to return to
the Republic of Korea side. Notice that there is no bad feeling and no loss
of face or betrayal. Their joining the enemy was simply "unavoidable."
Leaflet 1106
In this
nostalgic leaflet, a lone North Korean soldier stares at harvest moon and
sees his home and family. The autumn festival occurs on August 15 of the
lunar calendar. The short message on the back is:
While the autumn festival is near, home
is far away
Leaflet 1110
In this 27 September 1951 leaflet a Freezing North Korean soldier
visualizes food, heat, and medical
care. This leaflet was printed by the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet
Group on 27 September 1951. This is the Korean version; a Chinese version is
coded 7000. The text on the front is:
Will help come?
The text on the
back says in part:
If you are wounded in action or grow
seriously ill this winter, what will happen to you?
Must we fight
again this winter? Communist soldiers must fight once again in the severe
cold of winter because their leaders are delaying the armistice talks.
Therefore, thousands of Communist soldiers will die by air raids, the
bombardments of the United Nations, and the lack of food. Who is the cause
all this? Is this for Korea? No, this is for the Soviet Union's selfish
political ambition. Soldiers, you are fighting for this reason.
Leaflet 1114
In this 30
October 1951 leaflet a Korean woman and baby look up from the rubble at an
uncaring Chinese soldier. The theme is "the Chinese colonization of Korea."
This leaflet was printed by the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet group on
30 October 1951. The text on the front is:
Korea: A Chinese Colony or a Free Nation?
The text on the back is:
To make Korea a Chinese colony - Is this the present aim of the
Chinese Communists, just as it has been China's aim for a great many years?
Ask yourself these questions: Since Red China has interfered in the
Korean War, why does she insist on holding this dominant position in the
military operations? Since the Chinese Communist Army has come to Korea, why
does she insist upon secretly controlling the Korean Communist government?
And why does Red China insist on secretly directing the peace talks instead
of allowing Korea to decide its own future? The attacks to these questions
point to only one conclusion: The Communist are preparing Korea to become
China's slave state - an age-old dream.
UNIFICATION AND FULL SOVEREIGNTY WILL COME TO KOREA ONLY WHEN THE COMMUNIST
INVADERS ARE EXPELLED
Leaflet 1115
This 13 December 1951 leaflet depicts a Korean woman and her children kneeling in the
snow. She has an empty food bowl and clearly she and her children are starving. This
leaflet was part of Plan Deadline, an attempt to get the stalled peace discussion started
again. The text on the front is:
WHILE THE COMMUNISTS STALL…
The text on the back is:
Now that winter is here what will happen to this homeless woman and her children?
WHERE WILL THEY FIND FOOD AND WARMTH?
Because Communist officials continue to stall at the peace talks they force
thousands of innocent Korean women and children to face death this winter.
YOUR WIFE, MOTHER, OR CHILDREN MAY BE AMONG THEM.
Leaflet 1119
The 9 October 1951 surrender appeal was also printed in Chinese and
coded 7100. It was common for the same leaflet to be printed with a low code
number in Korean and a high code number in Chinese. The front of this
leaflet depicts a band of Korean soldier surrendering. The back
depicts many soldiers in a prisoner-of-war camp. The text on the front is:
A unit of Korean Communist soldiers, led by their officer, crosses over to
UN lines
Here's news for you soldier! Recently, entire squads and platoons
of the North Korean Army, led by their officers, have crossed over the
United Nations lines where they now enjoy life away from this war. Why wait?
Tomorrow you may not be alive to think this over.
Leaflet 1120
This 22 October 1951 leaflet is in honor of United Nations Day. It depicts masses of
Korean people around a United Nations flag. This leaflet was also printed in Chinese coded
7101. The text on the back is:
Over the world, United Nations day is being celebrated with great rejoicing, for its
noble principles were born out of the hearts and minds of freedom loving men.
Leaflet 1123
The 24 November 1951 leaflet is in the form of a bomb warning. The front depicts bombs
falling on a munitions factory. The back shows Allied propaganda leaflets being suppressed
by North Korean Security Forces while civilians are forced to work at gunpoint. The text
on the front is:
WARNING
SAVE YOUR LIFE
The text on the back says in part:
COMMUNIST POLICE KEEP CIVILIANS FROM READING UNITED NATIONS BOMB
WARNINGS
COMMUNIST POLICE ARE TO BLAME FOR NEEDLESS SUFFERING
Although it must destroy communist militants and their installations, the United
Nations Command seeks to keep civilians from harm. Many warnings are given to civilians to
warn them.
Stay away from military factories
Stay away from airfields
Stay away from entrenchments
Stay away from soldiers
Stay off railroads
Stay off main highways and crossroads…
Leaflet 1130
This 4 December 1951 leaflet depicts a bunch of
North Korean officers looking at a map of Korea while surrounded by the
bodies of their dead troops. The title of this leaflet is: Battle Line
Casualties “Needless Death” Some of the text on the front and back of
this leaflet is:
Four months
delay – 72,275 killed or wounded Korean soldiers.
Over the last four months of delay, while the Communist officials recklessly
stalled, 72,275 Korean soldiers were needlessly killed or wounded. This is
equal to more than 250 of your full-strength infantry companies.
The reverse of this leaflet explains that in a
meeting between UN and Communist forces in July 1951, the UN delegation
proposed a cease-fire line. The Communist delegation refused to commit,
arguing that it needed approval from Moscow (which it did not receive until
November 1951 with tens of thousands more NKPA soldiers being killed in the
meantime). This leaflet was intended to shake NKPA soldiers’ confidence in
their leadership, make them realize that their fate is being determined by
Moscow, and to make them believe in the futility of continuing the conflict.
Leaflet 1131
This 4 December
1951 leaflet depicts unified Koreans marching through Seoul's Independence
Gate. The text on the front is:
Independence Gate
The gateway to free and unified and
independent Korea.
The text on the
back says in part:
Free elections or Communist elections?
Most of the
Korean people want to build a democratic Korea. To do this, they need to
democratically elect their leaders. In the Republic of Korea, you can vote
freely for the candidate you favor among many candidates. In fact, the
people can elect whoever they want.
In North Korea,
you can only vote yes or no for the one candidate who was appointed by the
Communists. In fact, a few communists elect themselves. This kind of
communist election system leads to suffering, an authoritarian dictatorship
and war. Free elections bring freedom, peace, and true democracy. The free
elections in the Republic of Korea is one of the points favored by the
United Nations.
The communist
can only bring dictatorship and authoritarianism to Korea. Through
democracy, Korea can be built as an independent, free, and unified nation!
Leaflet 1136A
The letter “A” attached to the code of this leaflet is interesting. It means
it is an alternate version, usually this would indicate a minor change in text, a
correction, or a second printing, though that would usually be signified with a
“R.” In this case we know that the original 1136 was dated 12 December 1951.
This alternate version above is dated 6 February 1952. The leaflet is a morale leaflet
intended to depress the soldiers and remind them of their family at home. Its official
title was: “Think of your family.” It depicts four female members of a North
Korean family. This was part of a UN campaign called: “Plan Deadline” that
claimed the communists were stalling at the peace table and troops were dying for nothing.
A very short message on the back blames the Soviet Union for the continuance of the war.
On the front, the daughter asks:
Where’s Daddy?
Leaflet 1152
This 9 February 1952 leaflet tells the enemy that under Communist
rule they will never own their own farm. On the front, the North Korean
soldier imagines the farm he dreams to own someday. On the back the same
slogan is repeated over and over, "Communism has reduced farmers to
slavery!"
The text on the front is:
Korean Soldier:
The fallacy of the Communist land reform becomes more evident each
day. Under Communist dictatorship the Korean farmer can never hope to become
a real landowner. (Chinese farmers already know this). In place of your old
landlords are new greedier ones, the Communists. When they give you land, it
is only a paper arrangement, because the Communists confiscate all but a
small portion of farmer's crops. And this portion reduces the farmer's
family to starvation! The so-called Communist land reform succeeds only in
making farmers slaves.
Leaflet 1159
This is a handsome leaflet showing people from all the various Armies helping the
Republic of Korea looking at a map of the world while their flags wave in the background.
They are united in peace. The back has the flag of the United Nations and text. The
leaflet is dated 16 February 1952. It is titled “The Nature of the United
Nations” and explains the might of the United Nations forces. The text on the front
is:
The United Nations – Protectors of Peace
Some of the long message on the back is:
The United Nations is friendly toward all democratic and peaceful nations –
until a government resorts to force and bloodshed to overpower a neighbor nation. When
this happens, the United Nations defends that nation against aggression. That is why the
United Nations fights in Korea today, and will continue to fight until the oppression and
bloodshed caused by the Communists are stopped…
The text goes on the mention all of the nations fighting to protect the Republic of
Korea.
Leaflet 1163*
The front of this leaflet depicts a six-panel cartoon showing North Korean soldiers
finding a leaflet and deciding to defect to the United Nations. This is one of several
leaflet found in a bright orange that would stand out in the field or on the snow and with
the title Story of an Escape. This is story number 2 dated 20 March 1952. It has an
asterisk in the code number that indicates it was requested by the U.S. Eighth Army. The
text on the front is:
DON’T FIGHT FOR THE RUSSIANS, KOREA NEED YOU!
Look, United Nations leaflets. This is a letter from former soldiers of the North
Korean 45th Division.
What they say is true. I have wanted to go over to the UN lines for some time now.
This letter convinces me. Are you with me?
By leaving at night we will not be seen.
Now that we are near the UN lines we will hide here until morning and then bury our
weapons.
See, I told you we would make it safely.
The back of the leaflet is the letter sent from former members of the 45th North Korean
Division.
Leaflet 1179
This 9 April 1952 leaflet depicts a Communist thug-like soldier moving forward with an
entire town burning behind him. The leaflet was part of Plan Fraud. Plan Fraud was
designed to convince the target audience that Soviet control of Korea is the aim of the
North Korean leaders and that the alleged reforms in China are not real and that the
Chinese Communists have deprived people of their individual freedoms. The campaign ran
from April 1952 to June 1952. The text on front is:
Communist Aggression Writes the Korean Tragedy
The text on back is:
Communism – Divide by Hate, Conquer by Force. Oppose Communism,
Resist Russia!
Leaflet 1181
This 16 April 1952 leaflet depicts Communists at banquet on
the left, and a poor Korean family with one bowl of rice on the right. The
title is "Corruption in North Korea." The leaflet targets both North Korean
soldiers and civilians. It was part of Plan Fraud. The text on the front is:
Communist officials feast – while the people live in poverty.
This leaflet shows the "credibility gap" between Communist promises and
reality—leaders enjoy lavish lifestyles while common people starve and live
in poverty.
Leaflet 1182
This rather bland leaflet bears a small image of a Korean worker
being watched by Communist guards on the front and back. There is a great
amount of text on the front and back and the theme is "Fallacious Reforms,"
implying that all the Communist reforms are just means to lower the living
standard of the people. The text is far too long to translate, so I will
just add a few pertinent lines from the front page:
THE FALLACY OF THE KOREAN COMMUNISTS "REFORMS"
The Communists have deceived the North Korean people through
so-called "reforms." The Communists promised the laborer an 8-hour day. They
also promised him a share of the profits of his factory, paid vacations, and
medical care. They told the
farmer that he would own his own land, that he would no longer have to pay
rent and high taxes. But the Communists betrayed both the laborer and the
farmer.
How the Communists Betrayed the Laborer
The promise of an 8-hour day has not been kept. The laborer must
work many extra hours to meet the production quotas set by the Communists.
He must also contribute many hours of so called patriotic labor. All the
while, he is near starvation. The Communists share the profits of industry
in North Korea only among themselves, and the Communist leaders are the only
ones who can take advantage of the paid vacations...
Leaflet 1189
This 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group leaflet dated 17 June 1952 depicts a
North Korean soldier being strangled by a Communist snake. It claims that the USSR wants
to control North Korea. Some of the text is:
THE COMMUNIST AGGRESSIVE WAR STRANGLES THE PEOPLE TO DEATH
The Korean Communists deceive you when they say they want a free, united,
independent Korea. They are really attempting to make all Korea a slave state of Soviet
Russia by force. This is what they mean by “unification.” Korean communists,
obediently following instructions from their Russian masters, obstructed every prewar
effort of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations to unify Korea by peaceful means.
On 25 June 1950, the North Korean army attacked the Republic of Korea beginning a war that
for two years has brought nothing but destruction, suffering and death…
Leaflet 1207
The theme that the Communists will exploit all of Korea for their own purposes is shown
in the leaflet from the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group dated 6 August 1952. The
leaflet depicts Mao Tse Tung hoarding all of Korea's industry while Kim Il Sung acts as
his puppet. The text on the front of the leaflet states:
Warriors of the North Korean People’s Army
Do you know the Puppet Kim Il Sung has sold your beloved country to
the Chinese?
The text on the back of the leaflet says in part:
Brave North Korean Soldiers
Do you know that the hated Chinese now control all of North Korea’s government,
industry, railroads, economy and people? Nearly 700,000 Chinese soldiers now occupy your
beloved country. Your families are filled with misery, terror and poverty. Has the CCF
brought you victory? Or has it brought suffering, death and enslavement? What is the
future of the North Korean people who now live under the brutal heel of the CCF? Soldiers,
beware of your real enemy the CCF! Korea is for the Koreans!
Leaflet 1217
This leaflet depicts Mao standing with a rifle as chained and enslaved Koreans walk
past. It
is intended to undermine Communist alliances by playing on Koreans’ historic
fears of foreign imperialism. The text on the front is:
AID
The text on the back is:
The Chinese Army is enslaving Korea in the good name of Korean aid. Red China is
driving you to death with the so-called “Aid.”
Leaflet 1242
This 1 December 1952 leaflet uses a very familiar theme of Russian leader
Stalin smiling as Chinese leader Mao whips the poor North Korean leader Kim
Il-sung as he pulls a plow in the form of a hammer and sickle. The United
Nations hoped to divide the enemy by having them at each other’s throats.
The text on the front is:
Korean Ox, Chinese Servant, Russian Master!
The back is all text:
The
dumb ox Kin II-sung plows up your land for master Stalin, as good servant
Mao Tse-tung plies the whip.
Just
as a farmer never lets his ox decide where to plow, so Stalin never asks Kim
Il- sung’s advice. Recently Stalin called his Chinese servants to Moscow to
talk about Korea. Of course, he invited no Korean to come along. Chinese
servants brought messages back from Stalin: Koreans will keep on fighting;
Koreans will keep on dying.
True Koreans are ashamed to have a dumb ox as their leader.
Resist the Dumb Ox, Kim Il Sung.
Fight Communism!
Leaflet 1244
The 19 November 1952 leaflet's theme was
"Communism drive the weary." The front depicts Korean farmers on a work
detail. The back shows the weary workers being forced to attend a political
meeting late at night instead of being allowed to sleep. This leaflet was
part of the Named Plan PW 52/19. The text on the front is:
Farmers of Hwang Hae-do!
When you work on labor details you help the Communists prolong the war.
Be crafty and avoid labor details.
The text on the back is:
Farmers of Hwang Hae-do!
How can you work all day when you are forced to attend long senseless
meetings at night?
Be
crafty. Pretend sickness. Avoid political meetings
Leaflet 1245
The RB&L Group was not afraid of showing very violent scenes. Some of their
images are quite shocking. This leaflet depicts a snake wearing a North Korean Army cap
squeezing a civilian on the front and a 3-panel cartoon of Communist troops taking all the
food from a farmer on the back. It was printed on 18 November 1952 in the Korean language.
It targets the farmers of Hwang Hao Do. It was part of the Psywar campaign
named PW 52/19. The back depicts a North Korean tax collector collecting
“voluntary contributions,” and an empty handed North Korean farmer. The same image was printed just a few days earlier as 1243. The text on the front is:
THE COMMUNIST SQUEEZE
The text on the back is:
Official Tax
Volunteer Donations
Agricultural instructors – Propagandists – Self-defense squad
Cell chairman – Appraisal committee and People’s committee.
Farmer’s Reward
He gets a “Hero” certificate. Farmers of Hwang Hao
Do, don’t work for the Communists! Hide your grain!
Leaflet 1261
Leaflet 1261 is dated 29 September 1952 and is based on a Time
Magazine cover of 6 October 1952, but Kim Il Sung has replaced that of
Malenkov, a politician who briefly was the Premier of the Soviet Union after
the death of Stalin. Stalin holds Kim on his lap like a ventriloquists’
dummy. The purpose was to show that Kim was just another flunky of the
Soviet dictator. The text is:
This is my faithful
servant Kim Il Sung. He serves only Russia.
The back of the leaflet has four paragraphs of Kim and Stalin
having a conversation. The text is:
Kim: Master Stalin, I serve you well. I gave you control of
Chongjin, Lajin and Unagi. I also sent industrial facilities and raw
materials to Russia. I let you control North Korea. I refused to let my
subjects vote in the free United Nations election for an independence and
united Government of Korea. I kept them enslaved to Russia, while the
Republic of Korea became independent.
Kim: Master, I also started the aggressive war you plotted by
attacking the Republic of Korea. Since 1950 I have sacrificed thousands of
Korean lives. I refused to accept peace at your command. All this was
according to your orders.
Stalin: Don’t talk of the past. I don’t care about your past
actions. What can you do for me in the future, servant Kim?
Kim: For making me what I am, I will serve you faithfully in the
future. Your wish will be my command, Master Stalin.
Leaflet 1263
The 13 January 1953 leaflet commemorates the 5th anniversary of the
North Korean Army. The front
depicts a miserable North Korean soldier in front of his wounded comrades,
while the back depicts young and old North Korean soldiers. The text was
written by a Korean advisor. The text on the front is:
This is the North Korean Army after Five Years!
The Army that denies Freedom will Perish!
The back text says in part:
WHERE IS THE SO-CALLED "PEOPLE'S ARMY" HEADING?
The North Korean Army was born to carry aggression to the Republic
of Korea to the sound of the Russian flute. Now, on its fifth anniversary,
that army is a band of ghosts. The Communist's war has caused over 500,000
of Korea's finest young men to fall as battle casualties. Even now the
Communists are forced to mobilize the teenagers and old people to replace
those lost.
DON'T DIE WITH A DYING ARMY! ESCAPE TO THE UNITED NATIONS!
Leaflet 1266
On this 2 January 1953 Korean-language leaflet, Death holds a picture of Kim
Il-sung for a North Korean soldier to look at. The message on the front is:
Comrades! I died needlessly for the Communist boss, Kim Il-Sung.
Will that be your fate too?
Aimed at North Korean soldiers, this leaflet underscores the needless deaths
of so many on behalf of Kim Il Sung and the futility of continued aggression
against UN forces.
Leaflet 1267
When Christian nations fight each other they often use Christmas scenes and themes
because they know it causes nostalgia and depression. This 27 January 1953 leaflet uses
the Lunar New Year as a theme. We see a lonely North Korean soldier shivering in the snow.
The text on the front is:
1953 LUNAR NEW YEAR OFFICERS AND SOLDIER OF NORTH KOREA
Kim Il Sung brought you as present for the Lunar New Year:
Sorrow instead of smiles, strain instead of repose, and terror instead of hope!
The soldier’s wife and children are shivering on the back of the leaflet:
To the people of North Korea. It is the Communists who force you to spend such a
miserable Lunar New Year. The Communists are your enemies. Support those who fight
Communists!
Leaflet 1271
Sex is a very popular theme in psychological warfare. This leaflet dated 19 January
1953 depicts a Communist Chinese soldier in the process of raping a Korean woman. Text to
the right of the vignette is:
SAVE YOUR WIVES AND SISTERS FROM THE EVIL HANDS OF THE CHINESE
COMMUNISTS!
The text on the back says in part:
Front line soldiers and officers often lay awake thinking of their dear ones at home
– especially of their beautiful wives.
But Lee Won Sop, platoon leader of the 50th regiment, 15th Division, saw a terrible
scene involving one of those wives. He wants you to know about it and the heartbreaking
tears that he felt.
When Lee went back to the rear for training, he was asked to carry a message to
Private Kang’s wife.
When he reached Kang’s house, he heard a woman screaming.
Lee peeped through the window and saw a Communist Chinese soldier trying to rape
Kang’s wife.
At that moment, Lee realized that the true enemy of Korea is the Chinese Communist
forces.
North Korean people and soldiers! The Chinese Communist dogs, by meddling in the
Korean War, not only prolong the war and kill your blood brothers, but they also rape your
women while Korean men fight at the front.
Leaflet 1277
This 4 February 1953 leaflet was designed as part of
Plan Strike. It is bright red to catch the attention of the North Korean
civilian, with the one word at the center and three B-29s dropping bombs at
the top. The word on the front is:
WARNING!
The back of the leaflet shows four scenes of normal
of possible bombing targets with the text:
STAY AWAY!
SAVE YOUR LIFE!
To destroy Communism these military targets must be destroyed.
Industrial plant, military supply dump, military vehicle, troop
billet.
SAVE YOUR LIFE!
STAY AWAY!
Leaflet 1279
This 4 February 1953 leaflet shows a freezing North Korean soldier sitting
alone in a snowstorm. The text is:
DO YOU WANT TO PERISH?
The text on the back is:
To save your life, escape to the United Nations or to the rear NOW!
TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE!
Leaflet 1282
This 21 February 1953 divisive leaflet targets the North Korean
civilians and military. It attempts to drive a wedge between the people and
government of North Korea due to the high taxes. The front of the leaflet
depicts a North Korean holding a bag that is being ripped to shreds by
wolves. The bag is labelled "Income." The text on the front is:
THE COMMUNIST TAX BITE HURTS THE NORTH KOREAN PEOPLE!
Income tax
Local administrative tax
Material tax
Fees for so-and-so
Taxes for so-and-so
On the back of the leaflet the same North Korean sits on the ground
and looks at the remainder of his torn bag. The text is:
THE TAX BITE LEAVES YOU EMPTY-HANDED!
Isn't it true that workers, farmers, and fishermen - all the people
- are suffering to death from unbearable tax burdens?
This is the so-called Communist economic policy! This is the way
the Communists fulfill their promises of a better life!
DON'T SUPPORT THE COMMUNISTS' WAR!
BE CLEVER! CHEAT ON TAX PAYMENTS!
Leaflet 1306
I like this 16 April 1953 leaflet because it uses sex as a general theme. On one side
we see a lovely Korean girl. On the other side a North Korean Political Commissar lectures
his men and raises two fingers on one hand and one finger on the other hand. Some of the
text on both sides is:
At present in North Korea there are two women for every man. As the war continues,
the proportion of women will increase and the proportion of men will decrease!
The Communists bribe your soldiers by promising them each two women! The Communists
treat women like merchandise. The Communists try to undermine the high standards of Korean
morals!
When I read the text and how we mention the evil Commissar promising his men two girls,
I cannot help but think of the Jan and Dean 1966 song Surf City. They were bragging about
two girls for every boy. The lyrics of that song include:
And we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
Two girls for every boy
Leaflet 1307
This 24 April 1953 leaflet depicts a Korean family climbing up
rough terrain. Beyond, a man labelled Kim Il-sung pounds a tax notice saying
"Tax in kind" into a field of grain. The concept is that although the
farmers work hard, the Communist party takes the food for taxes and tenants
fees and demand donations to the cause that leave the farmers starving. The
text is:
FEARFUL BARLEY HILL!
Though we cross over this hill for 310 long days, suffering from
hunger, we find the tax pole already erected in the barley field over there.
On the back a man sits at a table labelled "North Korea." The food
is being grabbed and eaten by three uniformed Communists, labelled "Tax,"
"Tenant fee in kind," and donations. The text is:
Every year we repeat our farming, but we have nothing to fill our
stomachs.
OTHER PEOPLE GET THE COOKED RICE!
Leaflet 1308
This 24 April 1953 leaflet is divisive and tries to cause dissension among the Chinese
and North Korean troops. The leaflet depicts a reluctant North Korean bride being chained
to a clownish looking Chinese man with Mao as Best Man. The bride’s father is Kim Il
Sung. The text on front and back is:
KIM IL SUNG ADOPTING A SON-IN-LAW
THE BRIDEGROOM OF THE NORTH KOREAN BRIDE IS A COMMUNIST CHINESE
NEW SON-IN-LAWS MAGIC
COMMUNIST CHINA, THE ADOPTED SON-IN-LAW
TWIRLS NORTH KOREA AROUND HIS LITTLE FINGER!
Leaflet 1311
This 7 May 1953 leaflet targets the quartering of North Korean
soldiers in people's homes. Remember that one of the reasons for the
Revolutionary War was that the British would quarter troops in the home of
the American settlers. The front depicts North Korean troops occupying a
civilian home. The back shows the soldiers causing UN aircraft to bomb and
destroy the house. The text is:
If you take the People's Army into your house, you expose yourself to
needless death.
As a hunter traps his game, the UN bombers always trap the People's Army
The text on the back is:
Where the People's Army may go, they will be hit like this.
Keep the People's Army away from you!
Tell them there is a contagious disease in the house!
Leaflet 1316
This 21 May 1953 leaflet is divisive and that tells Korean farmers that their land is
being confiscated and given to Chinese farmers. The front of the leaflet depicts Communist
Chinese soldiers evicting North Korean farmers from their land and replacing them with
Chinese farmers. The text is:
ROBBERS HAVE COME AND NORTH KOREAN OWNERS ARE BEING CHASED OUT!
On the back there is a smaller image of the Chinese farmers tilling the land once owned
by the North Koreans. A Chinese flag waves over the Korean farmland. The text is:
People call Kim Il Sung a traitor, but who would believe that he actually sold out
North Korea so completely?
Now the dirty Chinese have flooded into Whang Hodo Peninsula and other areas, and
the farmers who worked the land for generations have been evicted. Should you farmers of
North Korea be driven off the land by the dirty Chinese?
DOWN WITH THE BANDIT KIM AND HIS TRAITOROUS GANG!
GIVE FOOD TO THE PARTISANS AND FIGHT TO PROTECT YOUR HOMES!
Leaflet 1321
This 25 May 1953 leaflet is designed to cause division between the North
Korean people and their communist masters. The Allies called the leaflet “No
respect.” The front depicts a revered Korean elder teaching young students’
Korean customs and morals and historical traditions. The text is:
A NATION OF COURTESY IN THE EAST
Before the communists came, Korea was known as the courteous nation of the
East. We should recover the lost courtesy and morality of our forefathers so
that future generations of Koreans can inherit them from us.
The back of the leaflet depicts Kim Il-sung forcing the respected elder to
do the work of a mule, carrying a heavy load. The text is:
FILIAL DUTY! SO WHAT?
Kim Il-sung: Get to work old man. In this new world there is no place for
humanities, courtesy, or the dignity of retirement.
Leaflet 1332
This July 1953 leaflet depicts a Russian soldier dragging a Korean boy away from his
mother. The text on the front is:
Your children are being taken away to Soviet Russia, Red China and many other
foreign lands. Korean families are being broken up and Korean culture is being destroyed.
Leaflet 1335
This July 1953 leaflet is a very attractive scene of a Korean family having a picnic;
Designed to invoke nostalgia and to alienate affection on the part of the NK soldiers and
civilians for their Communist Masters. The title of the leaflet is Homesickness.
(Jul 53). The text on the front is:
If you were not forced to fight an aggressive war for your Communist Masters, you
could be enjoying such a peaceful scene in a free and united Korea.
Leaflet 2089 -
The Free World Weekly Digest (Korean)
Whenever the United States goes to war there are certain psychological warfare weapons
that you expect to see. There will be leaflets and posters of course, radio broadcasts,
loudspeaker broadcasts and newspapers. In some wars there are so many newspapers that I
give them their own section. Since this article is about a specific unit there will just
be four so I will treat them like regular leaflets. I should mention that the Eighth Army
G3 published a newspaper called The Parachute News. Why is a newspaper important?
Most adults are used to getting all their news from a paper. They might or might not pick-up leaflets, but since they are away from home and have no idea what is happening
in the
world, they will almost surely pick up a newspaper to catch up on the news. This
Korean-language newspaper is titled the Free World Weekly Digest. My files indicate
that it was airdropped by the UN on the enemy weekly from about February 1952 to December
1954, well
after the end of the war. My highest number is issue 180. There was also a Chinese-language version with code numbers in the 5,000 series
about the same time. My highest issue is number 94.
Besides the news, the paper featured photographs and a cartoon strip. I had many issues to
choose from but picked this 9 June 1952 issue because at the upper left it depicts
President Harry Truman shaking hands with General Eisenhower who a candidate for the
presidency in 1952. At the lower left it depicts Greek Army troops arriving in Korea to
fight the Communists. Some of the other stories in this newspaper are:
Protest against forced repatriation of prisoners
Canadian troops arrive in Korea
Armistice news summary
War news summary
Korean casualties
Radio schedule
Leaflet R-7121
This leaflet was part of Plan Dragon. Plan Dragon used the theme of nostalgia and
longing for home during the lunar New Year holiday season of 1952. This leaflet is dated
14 January 1952. During the lunar holiday season, leaflets were designed to make soldiers
think of home while other leaflets targeted civilians in order to encourage
dissatisfaction with their husbands and sons continued military duty. Operations
culminated during the lunar New Year’s holiday. This campaign ran from 19 January
1952 to 27 January 1952. This leaflet depicts a lone Chinese soldier sitting in the snow
and thinking of himself lying dead in that same snow. Crows on his body are a symbol of
death. The leaflet tells him that his most valuable possession is his life, and yet one
shot can put him out like a candle. The text ends with:
Why waste it needlessly? To be alive next New Year, come over to the United
Nations lines. Your safety and well-being are guaranteed by the Geneva Convention.
Elliot Harris mentions a problem with Chinese perception in The
“Un-American” Weapon, Psychological Warfare, which might indicate that this
leaflet would not work well on the Chinese. He says:
The Chinese did not appear to identify symbols in the way U.N. leaflets had
intended. Leaflets using the picture-in-a-balloon technique to indicate the subject’s
thoughts or dreams were completely alien to the Chinese. One leaflet with three balloon
scenes was interpreted to be four unconnected pictures.
Leaflet 7122
This 14 January 1952 leaflet was printed as part of Plan Dragon. It depicts
hands reaching up to a United Nations emblem in the sky. The theme is
“Restoration of peace in Korea?” The text on the front says in part:
Will there be peace in this Year of the Dragon?
The text on the back is surrounded by a dragon and says:
The Allied High Command, representing the hopes and wills of all
the free peoples of the world, has always endeavored to restore peace to
Korea at the Panmunjom Truce Talks. However, the representatives of the
Communist side have continuously obstructed these efforts.
If the leaders of the Communist Party are willing to heed the will of
the people, and abandon the brutal orders of Communism, this new year of
the ‘Dragon’ might witness the return of peace to Korea.
Let
the Communist Party fight their own battles!
Leaflet 7131
This 4 March 1952 Chinese-language leaflet bears a portrait of Dr. Sun Yat Sen the
first president of the Republic of China; and the first leader of the Kuomintang
(Nationalist Party of China). At the lower right there is a United
Nations symbol. The leaflet commemorates the death of the great Chinese leader
and comments on the way the Soviet Union has used and has ruined China.
The text on the front is:
Mr. Sun Chung Shan, Father of China
His dreams for a free and independent China gave the world three
great principles:
Nationalism
Democracy
Livelihood
The text on the back is:
This week is the anniversary of the death of one of the world's
greatest men - Mr. Sun Chung Shan. When he died, he left the Chinese people
three great principles. These must never die.
The Communists run China as Russia directs. This is not national independence.
The Communists deny the people any effective voice in government. This is not
Democracy.
The Communists rob the people of their leisure, their food and their personal
freedom. This is not improvement of the people’s livelihood.
The Communists are destroying the three principals of the people.
Leaflet 7135
The front of this leaflet depicts Chinese and Russian
leaders signing a Sino-Soviet Treaty that the text says basically gives
China to the USSR:
INSIDIOUSLY BETRAYING THE MOTHERLAND
A photo of the signing of the Sino-Soviet
Treaty of February 14, 1950, in Moscow.
The back is all text except for a small picture of a group
of Chinese in chains. The text is:
The reverse side is a photo of the signing of the treaty.
This treaty is about agriculture and minerals. Recognize that Soviet Russia
is the master of China's land resources and, more importantly, the real
behind-the-scenes ruler of the Chinese people.
Now that you are forced to come to Korea to fight, you are
sacrificing your lives for the expansion of the Soviet Empire.
You are dying in Korea. The Soviet Communist Party is
occupying China.
Leaflets 7146
This 12 April 1952 Chinese-language
leaflet was requested by the I Corps Commander to be used against selected
Chinese regiments. The front depicts a Chinese squad leader addressing his
troops and then walking away while one of his soldiers looks at a broken
rifle he was issued. The back depicts a large red hammer and sickle and the
text: Remember this symbol - the mark of slavery and death.
The main message is on the front of this
leaflet:
DON'T BE DECEIVED
Your military leaders are deceitfully told by Communist Political
Officers to promise you oil for your rifles, better weapons, more artillery
support, better food, and trained replacements. The Communist Party leaders
even promise you, for all your sacrifice, land when you return home.
DON'T BE DECEIVED
DON'T BE FOOLED BY COMMUNIST LIES
Leaflet 7147
This 17 April 1952 leaflet depicts the
United Nations General assembly in session. It was designed as part of
Plan HOLD UP to tell the world about the principals of the United Nations. The
Chinese language text on the front is:
THE UNITED NATIONS -
CHAMPIONS OF PEACE
The back depicts the United Nations building in New York City
and a long text which says in part:
WHAT IS THE UNITED NATIONS?
In 1945, The war-weary peoples of the world established the United
Nations for one purpose - to maintain peace in the world. Peaceful
negotiations by the U.N. brought peace to such countries as Kashmir,
Palestine, and Indonesia. War was not necessary. There would have been no
war in Korea if the Communists had agreed with U.N. decisions - that is, free
elections to establish a united democratic Korean government in a peaceful
manner.
Instead, Korea was attacked by the Communists. The
U.N. had to use force to aid the Korean people. Soldiers from many countries
of the Free World raced to protect Korean freedom....
Leaflet 7148
This 21 April 1952 leaflet was designed to show North Korean
civilians and soldiers why the Republic of Korea requested help from the
United Nations. It is part of Plan HOLD UP. The text and cartoons
start on the front and continue onto the back. The text on the front is:
THE KOREAN STORY
1.
This is the story of the United Nations' efforts to establish a free,
united, independent Korea. On June 25th, 1950, Communist armies from the
north, without cause and without warning, invaded the Republic of Korea.
2.
June 25th, 1950, the United Nations immediately condemns the aggression,
calls for a cease-fire order and demands withdrawal of the invaders.
3. The
aggressors from the north ignore the United Nations demand for peace.
4. The
Republic of Korea immediately resisted the North Korea aggressors.
5. In
the meanwhile, President Rhee appealed to the United Nations to send UN
forces to Korea to repel the Red aggressors
6. The
United Nations forces arrived to repel the Red aggressors to restore peace
and permit a just solution for Korea.
Some of the text on the back is:
11.
Panmunjom - The peace talks which began 10 July 1951 at Kaesong were
continued at Panmunjom. The establishment of a military demarcation line was
formally ratified 27 November. On 19 February 1952, an "agreement in
Principle" was reached except on Communist insistence on forced repatriation
of prisoners-of-war and two other items.
12.
"People of Korea: with your assistance the United Nations will continue to
work constructively for a unified Korea, and will continue to rehabilitate
Korea's people, land and industry."
OPPOSE COMMUNISM! RESIST
RUSSIA!
Leaflet 7151
This 1 May 1952 leaflet depicts an old
man and two women working in the field. The young man of the house has been
sent to Korea to fight and die. The leaflet has a blank back which is rare
because the U.S. does not like to give blank paper to the enemy where they
can write their own pro-Communist propaganda. The message is interesting,
telling the Chinese soldier that he is cannon fodder and his family at home
is drinking wine and enjoying the onset of summer. The text is:
THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER
Chinese soldier:
You are fighting in a foreign land while your families are
celebrating the beginning of summer.
Your families are drinking wine. The little girls are wearing
flowers in their hair. Fields of grain will be ripening soon. The beginning
of summer.
The beginning of summer, and you Chinese soldiers are being forced
to fight by the Communist aggressors for the benefit of alien masters.
The beginning of summer, and you are cannon fodder.
Leaflet 7152
This leaflet was designed to convince soldiers and civilians of North Korea that the
war could have been over long ago except for the communists' long range plan for world
conquest. The 9 June 1952 leaflet depicts three communist leaders who are gleefully
applying the torch of aggression to North Korean soldiers. The back of the leaflet depicts
dead North Korean soldiers. The text on the back is:
Examine These Facts That Tell the Truth About the Korean War
You know for a fact that two years ago (25 June 1950) the North Korean
Communist ruthlessly attacked the peaceful Republic of Korea.
You know for a fact that the war was nearly over (mid-November 1950). And
you know that your soldiers were forced to fight in Korea to prevent the Soviet Russians
from losing face since they had nearly lost control of North Korea.
You know for a fact that the United Nations never intended to cross the
Yalu. The Chinese Communists were assured of this, so your leaders lied when they said the
soldiers fight to defend China.
You know for a fact that Communist aggression in Korea is another part of
a long range communist plan for world conquest by force.
You know for a fact that the Communists' two year old war has brought
nothing but suffering, misery and death to countless thousands of people.
You know for a fact that the Communists have constantly blocked efforts to
conclude an armistice.
You know for a fact that since the Communists started this war and now
realize they cannot win, it is their responsibility to end it - Now, to prevent more
needless bloodshed!
Leaflet 7173
This 26 June 1952 leaflet depicts a Chinese soldier reading a paper, a letter on the
floor beside him. It is designed to discredit the Chinese communists because of their
disastrous reforms. The newspaper says “More paper reforms” and the letter
begins “Dear Son.” Some of the text is:
Dear Son,
Here at home, things are not going well. Consistently the Communists talk about
reform; but conditions in China are now worse than ever. The Communist reforms are only
empty paper ones. In Canton, over 200,000 are out of work. On the street we see rags and
starvation. Political and self-criticism meetings take many hours away from our work;
factory production lags because of the Communist’ lack of technical skill. Purges and
mass execution rob us of our scholars and professional men. On paper, the Communists call
this mass murder a reform; but it is how they install their own people who know loyalty
only to the Russians…
Leaflet 7181*
This 16 July 1952 leaflet features three photographs showing good
treatment of Chinese POWs on the front. The back is all text. The language
is Mandarin Chinese. The leaflet is titled :"Story of an escape." The
asterisk shows that the leaflet requested by EUSAK. It is the personal story
of a sergeant of the Chinese army who escaped to UN forces. The text on the
front is:
Ding How! [Excellent! Exceptionally good! The best!]
Your former comrades enjoy sports and games and live happily in United
Nations Camps!
You do not have to worry about having no chance to develop your skills on
the United Nations side!
The back is an exceedingly long text telling of a sergeant's
escape. I shall paraphrase it for the reader:
The sergeant received a letter from home over seven months.
Conditions were unbelievably bad, and his mother was sick. His neighbors had
been arrested by the Communists without any reasons given. The Sergeant read
the letter many times wondering why he was in Korea fighting a war for the
Russians? He decided that the Communist Cadre was lying to him right from
the start. On May 31st, United Nations aircraft strafed his unit killing
many troops. The following day, he decided to defect. That night he crawled
to within 500 feet of the American front lines. As dawn broke, he crawled
closer and called "Hello." The Americans answered, he stood up, raised his
hands, and walked forward. That night he slept peacefully in a tent with
three other Chinese POWs. He was living a happy life and feels extremely
fortunate.
Leaflet 7185*
This 6 August 1952 leaflet is printed on a cardboard instead of the usual paper. On
the front it depicts a Commissar forcing Chinese soldiers into a wall of fire. On the
back, Chinese soldiers run toward the UN flag to surrender. EUSAK PSYWAR requested this
leaflet. The text on the front and back is:
Comrades – if you hesitate and wait
You leaders will force you to an instant death
Comrades- if you want liberty and happiness
Lay down your arms and come over to the UN side.
Leaflet 7186
This 9 August 1952 leaflet was designed to show that the Communist Chinese are
helping to enslave Korea and stalling at the peace table, while the UN is working toward
peaceful reunification and Korean freedom. The leaflet above depicts the Korean people in
chains watched by an armed Communist soldier with the hammer and sickle symbol. The
leaflet was prepared on 9 August 1952. Some of the text is:
AID FOR SLAVERY
Chinese soldiers! Your leaders say they send you into battle to aid Korea. But
Koreans want unification of their country and peace, not death and destruction. It is your
communist leaders, puppets of Russia, who want death and destruction in Korea. Why? They
want to enslave Korea. To put freedom loving people in chains they know they must kill and
destroy.
CHINESE SOLDIERS! YOU ARE “AIDING” KOREA INTO SLAVERY?
Leaflet 7190*
This is a small, square, blue leaflet but I think the image is powerful. It depicts
a Chinese soldier trying to return to his family but chained to the war by the Chinese
communists. The asterisk * means it was requested by the Eighth Army. This 25 August 1952
leaflet attacks the Chinese Army’s practice of indefinite service and no leaves. The
back depicts a Chinese mother looking at a tomb marked “Chinese war dead.” The
text on the front is:
WHEN WILL YOU SEE YOUR BELOVED HOMELAND AGAIN?
The text on the back says in part in the form of a jingle:
The Communists have driven the people into a great distress.
They have forced you to join the Army to come to Korea
As you are confined in the Army year after year,
You can never go back to see your parents, wife and children.
You lead a pitiful life like a horse or ox.
You will have grievances if you die on a foreign soil.
Resist Communism at once.
So as to regain your freedom to see the blue sky. [Chinese term for Freedom].
Leaflet 7192
This 20 September 1952 leaflet was part of Plan Good Fellow,
designed to show the Chinese the good treatment that awaited them in a
United Nations Prison Camp with educational and recreational facilities.
Chinese prisoners-of-war are shown in in various activities. The text on the
front is:
Dear Chinese Soldiers:
I am sending this message to my comrades so you will know about my
life in a United Nations prisoner-of-war camp in the Republic of Korea. My
friends and I am safe, well cared for and happy. Here, under UN protection,
we enjoy ourselves in many ways.
1. We spend time in sports.
2. Some of my friends are building miniature
models outside our tent.
3. We often enjoy playing the fiddle and singing
folk songs.
The text on the back is more of the same images and text.
Leaflet 7194
This 8 September 1952 leaflet depicts and unhappy Chinese soldier looking at the
Moon and seeing his mother’s face. The back shows the mother praying before a table
decorated for the Moon Festival. The theme is nostalgia and homesickness. The text on the
front is:
The Moon is bright and I am far from home
The is a poem of three stanzas. It says in part:
The Moon is especially bright on the 15th of the 8th month
Every home is eating moon cakes
The thousand vicious communists
Have forced us to join the army and die in Korea…
In WWII we talked about the poor weapons of the Japanese, their low calibers and the
tendency to break down. This leaflet points out the unreliability of the soviet rifle used
by the Chinese and Korean soldiers. The front of this 30 September 1952 leaflet depicts a
Russian rifle with the text both in Korean and Chinese:
Old Russian Weapons Bring Death!
Escape! Don't Die for Russia!
The back of the leaflet is a cartoon strip illustrating how weapons are obtained and
showing their faults. It depicts the Soviets giving arms to Mao Tse-tung who in turn gives
it to a young Chinese soldier and forces him to fight in the war. You see the soldier
having trouble with the Russian rifle and in the next panel he is getting shot at. Finally
in the last panel you see a happier Chinese soldier as he surrenders to UN Forces holding
a safe conduct pass.
1. Stalin: Take these old guns. They are no longer any good.
2. Mao: Take this old gun and invade Korea.
3. Soldier: The gun is heavy!
4. Soldier: It jams! It won't shoot!
5. Soldier: It misfires!
6. Don't die! Throw down your obsolete weapons! Surrender for UN protection!
7203 – No Steel Pot for the Chinese
Leaflet coded 7203 was produced by the 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group on 15
October 1952 and entitled “The Communist Cap of Death.” It targeted Chinese
communist forces in Korea. One side shows a skull wearing a Communist soft cap with
shrapnel passing through it. The other side shows a United Nations soldier with shrapnel
bouncing off his helmet. The text argues that the Communist leadership doesn't care about
the lives of its soldiers, while “The United Nations protects its men.” The
importance of having a helmet becomes painfully obvious on this two-sided leaflet.
The blue side with the United Nations soldier reads:
The United Nations helmets save their soldiers. The United Nations always takes care
of their soldiers. The United Nations has the most sophisticated weapons for their
soldiers. There is no United Nations soldier without a helmet. The United Nations General
is not like the Communist boss who has prepared only for his own personal safety. The
United Nations Commander doesn't waste his soldiers for his own personal benefit. Why do
you waste your life for a horrible boss who won't even give you a helmet? Save your life.
It is well known that the Communist troops are on the run.
The red side reads:
Save your life, desert! The Communists don't even give you a helmet. They only give
you a "bunk hat". It cannot protect you from a bullet. Your boss doesn't care if
you die. He doesn't have to worry; he isn't fighting in the field. Your bosses just reap
the benefits of your sacrifice. Don't waste your life for the son of a bitch. Why do you
waste your life for your boss? Save your skin.
Leaflet 7203 was written in Chinese for the members of the Chinese
“Volunteer” Army. The same leaflet was written for the North Korean troops in
the Korean Language coded 1227.
Leaflet 7227
We depicted a leaflet using rape as a theme above. Here is another one.
Whereas the earlier leaflet featured a Chinese rapist, this 19 January 1953 leaflet
features a Russian rapist. The image depicts a school girl (identified by her bag being
labeled "book bag" and her book labeled "High school," being raped by
a horrific looking Soviet soldier while two other soldiers hold another poor woman
prisoner while they wait their turn. It seeks to divide the Chinese from their Russian
allies. The text is in part:
Don't forget the shame inflicted upon the Chinese people during the Soviet
advance into Northeast China during the autumn of 1945. Even Chinese mothers and sisters
did not escape! Russia is still walking boldly there. Against continued Soviet aggression:
GUARD YOUR HOMES AND PROTECT YOUR COUNTRY.
Leaflet 7230
This 2 February 1953 leaflet is designed
to drive apart the Chinese and Soviets by showing that the USSR does not
fully support the Chinese fighting in Korea. The front depicts Chou En-lai
begging Stalin for help and a petition reading:
THE SOVIET UNION HOLDS BACK FULL SUPPORT FROM CHINA
Please help us - Mao Tse-sung
Since entering the Korean War we have sustained nearly a million
casualties and deaths! We cannot count the number of weapons we've lost!
Please help!
On the back of the leaflet Stalin meets
with his advisors and generals:
MOSCOW'S TRAITOROUS CONFERENCE
Malenkov:For propaganda purposes we must give him something.
Beria: Let's give him some old obsolete weapons.
Voroshilov: Good idea, but he must agree to continue our aggressive war in
Korea.
RUSSIA HOLDS BACK FULL SUPPORT FROM CHINA BECAUSE RUSSIA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT
YOUR LIVES.
There is a small message in the Korean
language at the bottom that says: "This is a United Nations message to the
Chinese. Post it for them to see."
Leaflet 7232*
This is a rather striking leaflet in a dark blue color depicting a freezing Chinese
soldier in an icy wind. The title of the leaflet is “Cold.” As always, the
asterisk tells us that the leaflet was requested by the PSYWAR people of the Eighth Army.
The leaflet is dated 4 February 1953. It is a morale leaflet aimed at telling the freezing
Chinese troops that they can survive by surrendering. There is a small message for any
Korean that finds this leaflet: “This is a United Nations message to the Chinese
forces. Post it for them to see.” The text on the front is:
Soon You May Freeze to Death!
The back is all text:
Save your Life Now!
Escape to the United Nations or to the Rear!
TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE!
Leaflet 7249
This is a full-color leaflet of a beautiful Chinese woman meditating among the flowers
budding on a tree. The back is blank. The leaflet is called “Russia’s War,”
is dated 20 May 1953, and targets the Chinese troops in Korea. The text on the front is in
a formal Chinese and below each line is a phonetic version:
Members of the Chinese Volunteer Forces:
She meditates with the blossoms alone because you were forced to
“volunteer” to fight Russia’s war in Korea.
Off to the side there is a message for any Korean finder of the leaflet:
This is a message for the Chinese Communist Forces from the United Nations. Post it
where they can see it.
What I particularly like about this leaflet, the style and the color, is that it
will be used again in the Vietnam War where their TET New Year is celebrated with spring
flowers, and many American anti-Communist leaflets depicted pretty girls with flowers.
Leaflet 8-319
As I mention above, here is a leaflet prepared by the U.S. 8th PSYOP Battalion in 1969
in Vietnam. Notice the similarity. The propaganda leaflet printed 16 years after the
Korean one above features a beautiful Vietnamese maiden holding flowering branches. At the
lower left is the Chieu Hoi (“Open Arms”) emblem in full color. The text
is:
Happy New Year
Leaflet 7250
This colorful 29 May 1953 leaflet depicts dragon boat races in the
old China. The Chinese are reminded of the old days but how they now must
fight in Korea for Stalin. The text on the front and back is:
The dragon boats once raced happily along on the fifth day of the fifth
month.
Now you must stay in Korea and die for Soviet Russia!
The fifth day of the fifth month is "Tuan Yang" when shining gongs
and drums cheer the dragon boat races. You hang "rush sabers" on the door
and eat Chuang Tse. Waving the banners, everyone happily celebrates.
The rush sabers seem to be fake swords made from plants. The Chuang
Tse seems to be party favorites made in the shape of small pyramids.
