The birth of psychological war : propaganda, espionage, and military violence from WWII to the Vietnam War / Jeffrey Whyte

Table Of Contents -- Cover -- Half-title -- Series information -- Title page -- Copyright information -- Table of contents -- List of figures -- Introduction: ‘Switching Back to Good Old PSYOP’ -- 1 ‘A New Geography of Defense’ -- Fifth column lessons -- Into the front -- Morale panic -- Ewald Banse and the psychological geography of war -- American geographers and psychological war -- Anti-geopolitics and the strategy of truth -- Conclusion -- 2 Truth, Territory, Terror -- Psychological war and the politics of truth -- The cynicism of the deadly parallel -- When did critique run out of steam? -- The strategy of candour -- Psychological war and the politics of territory -- North Africa’s other Eisenhower -- The mechanical heart -- ‘With a rifle, not a shotgun’ -- Psychological war and the politics of terror -- Wo ist der Luftwaffe? Operation Pointblank -- ‘For support not illumination’ -- Conclusion -- 3 Covert Crusade -- Uncertainty and caution -- CIA at the reins -- March of the truth dollars -- Tell me who you are -- Parting the Iron Curtain -- The mighty Wurlitzer -- Conclusion: Psywar is dead, long live psywar! -- 4 Psywar in Vietnam -- The United States Information Agency and the counterinsurgency turn -- Establishing government -- The American war pastoral -- Psywar on the ground -- The JUSPAO revolution -- Mediating violence -- The television war -- Evaluating psychological war -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.

The Birth of Psychological War explores the history, politics, and geography of United States psychological warfare in the 20th century against the backdrop of the contemporary 'post-truth era'. From its origins in the Second World War, to the United States' counterinsurgency campaigns in Vietnam, Whyte traces how the theory and practice of psychological warfare transformed the relationship between the home front and theatres of war. Whyte interrogates the broader political mythologies that animate popular conceptions of psychological war, such as its claim to make war more humane and less violent. On the contrary, The Birth of Psychological War demonstrates the role of psychological warfare in expanding the scope and scale of military violence amidst ostensible efforts to 'win hearts and minds'. While casting a critical eye on psychological warfare, Whyte establishes its continued significance for the contemporary student of international relations.