[Korean War]. [Eighth United States Army in Korea, Psychological Warfare Division]

[Group of Original Korean War Propaganda Materials]

[EUSAK Headquarters, Seoul, South Korea]: 1952-1953. Thirty original leaflets, twenty-one stapled to original typed descriptive text. Minor wear, soiling, and occasional minor chips to some leaflets. Overall a very nice group. Very good. Item #2742

A fascinating assemblage of original Korean War propaganda leaflets, most accompanied by original explanatory sheets issued by the Eighth United States Army in Korea's Psychological Warfare Division. The leaflets were printed in Chinese, to target Chinese soldiers, North Korean soldiers, and North Korean civilians with information designed to influence them to defect or lay down their arms, or in the case of the civilians, to escape to South Korea.

The descriptive sheets provide a wealth of information about the leaflets, their purpose, their design, and their message. A few examples of the leaflets variously picture an American military figure smoking with two members of the Chinese Army (designed to introduce the American Army to various Chinese units when they met in the field), a drawing of members of the Chinese Army dying in the field ("to point up the futility of continuing the attacks and facing a useless death"), a skeleton of an NKPA soldier holding a picture of Kim Il Sung ("to alienate the NKPA soldier from communism by predicting a needless death if he continues to serve in the NKPA"), an escaping North Korean farmer being greeted by a South Korean soldier ("designed to discourage the NK Farmer and to induce his escape to ROK [the Republic of Korea]"), a Chinese soldier and American GI sporting a thumbs up ("designed to dispel fear of Chinese soldiers in surrendering"), a photograph of starving Chinese people begging for food ("designed to alienate affection on the part of the Chinese soldier for his Communist masters by showing him that his families back home are starving"), a streamer exploiting reports that the Chinese front line soldiers were not equipped with steel helmets, and much more. A number of the leaflets focus on the fair treatment given to Chinese soldiers captured by the American Army or attempt to convince members of the CCF to surrender or defect.

There are also three issues of the Free World Weekly Digest, which exclusively contain news unsuitable to the ears of communists in China and North Korea, and three safe conduct passes issued by the United Nations. An intriguing and diverse collection of Korean War propaganda issued by the United States Army.

Price: $1,750.00