Guess The Meaning of the War Propaganda Poster (blown up from leaflets) More than One Billion Delivered by the US Military During the War US Korean War Propaganda Techniques (explanations at bottom) |
1 2 3 4 5 The Meanings: Most of these images were from US attempts to sow discord among the forces on the enemy side during the Korean War: communist North Koreans, Chinese and Soviets.  Explanations: clockwise from the top left image, showing Joseph Stalin. 1. See translation above. 2. “Korean Rice for the Chinese (Army in North Korea)? Empty Rice Bowls for Koreans?” 3. The figure of death is “Communism,’ the giant soldier represents the combined countries of the US/UN force. 4-5. “Behavior of the CCF (Chinese) Soldier.” Related text says that while the North Korean soldier is at the front, the Chinese are taking advantage of his family. …a classic propaganda technique. Image at top: The skeleton in Chinese uniform in the title of this page was directed to communist Chinese soldiers. The specific Chinese characters near it are difficult to translate exactly, but the sense is: “Death is coming for you.” Related text is more specific and involves the deadly cold winters in Korea: “Winter is coming to North Korea…Death will visit you during the cold…Make your way to the rear. Go home!” Note: Psychological operations (PsyOps), from these tactical leaflets to widely-televised debate at the UN, was a signature feature of the Korean War. The US military reported dropping more than one billion leaflets during the Korean War. It refined techniques or propaganda — from the leaflets to aircraft with loudspeakers — through the war and interrogated captured enemy prisoners about the effectiveness of the efforts. |