1945-1953, Philippines

 

The U.S. military fought leftist forces (Huks) even while they were fighting against the Japanese invaders.  After the war, the U.S. continued to fight the Huks, defeating them and then installing a series of dictators, culminating with Ferdinand Marcos.

 Source: William Blum, "A Brief History of U.S. Interventions," Z Magazine, June 1999. 

Psywar Terror Tactics

By Jon Elliston, Dossier Editor, Parascope.

 

Lansdale believed the key to psychological war is a thorough understanding of the target's beliefs and values. The mores and myths that shape a society's culture must be exploited. Lansdale applied this ruthlessly against the Huks.  "To the superstitious, the Huk battleground was a haunted place filled with ghosts and eerie creatures," Lansdale later wrote. One of his favorite 'psywar' stunts "played upon the popular dread of asuang or vampire:"

      "A combat psywar squad planted stories of an asuang living on the hill where the Huks were based. Two nights later, when a Huk patrol came along, the psywar squad ambushers silently snatched the last man. They punctured his neck with two holes, vampire-fashion, held the body up by the heels, drained it of blood and put the corpse back on the trail. When the Huks returned for the missing man and found their bloodless comrade, every member of the patrol believed the asuang had got him and that one of them would be next if they remained on that hill. When daylight came, the whole Huk squadron moved out of the vicinity."

 

Source: www.parascope.com/ds/1096/psy.htm

 

 

  

Edward G. Lansdale

(1909-1987)

 


 Used propaganda, folklore, superstition and military might to suppress communist rebels in the Philippines and Vietnam and to oppose Cuba's revolutionary government.