LOUDSPEAKERS AT WAR

During the Vietnam War the “Snoopy” helicopters had two large air scoops that led to a console with a visor over it so that an operator could stick his head in there and read what was being smelled even in bright light. Since the choppers had to fly low and slow to sniff, it was a very dangerous mission. This operation was mentioned in the formerly secret United States Military Assistant Command Vietnam Command History Volume II 1967. In a section entitled “Novel Ideas and Innovations” we find the following comments:

In November the 9th Infantry Division developed a hard-hitting PSYOP plan to be used with the “People Sniffer,” a human detection device mounted on a helicopter. Once the enemy elements are located by the people sniffer, leaflets were dropped and loudspeakers were used to warn the enemy that an air or artillery attack was eminent. Following the offensive action, the enemy was reminded again by leaflets and loudspeakers of the destruction that could be brought upon them, and urged to rally to the Government of Viet Nam. Maximum psychological impact could be gained by locating the enemy in an area he thought was safe, by warning him of the destruction that was going to be brought to bear, and by following up with an appeal to him to rally to avoid future attacks.

Jimmie Hurley, in 1965, standing in front of the loudspeakers on a U10 Courier aircraft at Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam. His mission was to fly over known enemy territory, broadcasting messages and dropping leaflets

 

Loudspeaker equipped U-10s

While looking through my files I ran across a 1967 50-page report on loudspeaker tests during the Vietnam War by the 14th Air Commando Wing. The problem:

Our psychological warfare aircraft are encountering increased ground fire and are being forced to operate at higher altitudes. Broadcast messages are probably the most effective means of conducting psychological warfare operations available today. Interviews with the 1967 Hoi Chanhs (defectors that surrender through the Chieu Hoi “Open Arms” program) disclosed that more of them learned of the South Vietnam Government’s Chieu Hoi appeal through loudspeakers than any other media.

The 0-2B Aircraft

The 0-2B Speaker Test Program report dated December 1967 says in part that the purpose of the test was to determine if the University Corporation SA-1800C speaker system was effective in the 0-2B aircraft. The test was conducted by the 9th Air Commando Squadron at Nha Trang Air Base, Vietnam, with U.S. Army cooperation and assistance. It was found that satisfactory sound reception could be obtained by operating the aircraft between 3000 to 4500 feet above the target using bank angles of 20 to 30 degrees. Tape recording quality was a major factor. Without a high-quality tape recording it was questionable if the tape could be understood, even at 3000 feet. Bad tapes meant bad messages. The new system had a power output of 1800 watts, 80% more powerful than the system used in the C-47 or U-10 aircraft.

On a straight run through a target area the 60-second message could be heard from one-half to one mile away. At altitudes over 4500 feet above target the sound level was noticeably reduced. Below 3000 feet the sound became overloud and distorted. The best reception occurred during early morning hours. Altitudes between 3000 and 4500 feet were ideal. The banking angles should be between 20-30 degrees. Quality tapes should be used. The SA-1800C was better than the 1000-watt system. It was also better than the Applied Electro mechanics 2100-watt system. All 1000-watt systems should be converted to SA-1800C systems.

Tests of the new SA-1800C system found that the more powerful loudspeaker was suitable for use by the U-10, 0-2B, C-47 and C-123. The system is capable of broadcasting intelligible male speech from 10,000 feet altitude, but only under ideal circumstances. The optimum altitude is 4000 feet. The system can broadcast to a circular area up to two miles diameter from 4000 feet altitude. The frequency is completely adequate for male voices. Women's voices suffer a loss of consonants which limit the range of intelligibility. Music is recognizable but it usually not pleasant.

It is too bad that female voices may have not worked so well. Another 4th PSYOP Group Monthly Operation Report for May 1969 says about female speakers:

Recent interrogation reports have indicated that aerial tapes utilizing female voices for Chieu Hoi appeals may be very effective, especially during the hours 2000-2400 when both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army troops are resting. 4th Group interrogators are questioning Hoi Chanh to determine what hardships and burdens were suffered because of the absence while serving with the Viet Cong. Research is being conducted for the purpose of constructing short, sentimental messages to heighten the feelings of loneliness, home-sickness and worry over the welfare of the family.

Since we talk about loudspeaker use in 1967 above, perhaps we should show the readers some of the many messages that were broadcast. Here are a few from the 1967 Tet Campaign:

Tape 76. Attention men of the Front! How many defeats have you suffered lately? If you stay with the front you will continue to be led to defeat. If you continue to fight, then it is sure that death waits for you. As the new spring approaches, choose a new life. Choose Open Arms and stay alive. Choose Open Arms!

Tape 78. Attention fighters of the Front! The new spring approaches. Will it be your last? Your revolution has been misled. If you stay with the Front, you face only defeat and death. A warm welcome awaits you if you rally to the National Cause. Join the Social Revolution of the GVN through Open Arms - Open Arms! Open Arms! Open Arms!

Tape 80. Your family and people welcome their misled sons with love. The nation opens its arms to welcome you with good treatment, food, clothing, and a new life. On Tet, awake and return to the GVN and to the great family of the nation to fulfill your duty as a cherished son of the country. We wish you a Happy Tet!

Tape 82. Attention! You men who have fought so hard for the Front - You wanted to help the people and the nation but now you can see the mistakes of your leaders have only done harm - Do not continue to be misled. If you want to help the people, come back to the National Cause and join the true social revolution. A warm welcome awaits all who return - Rally now through Open Arms.

Retired USAF Colonel Jerry L. Thigpen adds in The Praetorian Starship: The Untold Story of the Combat Talon:

In March 1973, the 1st Special Operations Squadron received the more advanced SA-1800CC airborne speaker system, project codenamed Big Mouth, to augment its PSYOP capabilities. On 9 May the system was tested over the Ie Shima training range, and optimum operational altitudes were established. The speaker system provided either a microphone or tape input capability that was amplified and then transmitted outside the aircraft through the left paratroop door. Although not immediately employed in Southeast Asia, the new system promised to improve PSYOPS capabilities for the squadron.

Loudspeaker Team Leader SP5 Mario Villamarzo

Specialist Fifth Class Mario Villamarzo told me about his leaflet operations in Vietnam as part of the 245th PSYOP Company in 1966-1967:

I also flew in U-10s on loudspeaker and leaflet missions. The aircraft would come from Nha Trang where the 5th Air commando Squadron was stationed and I would wait for it the airfield in Pleiku. I would load the U-10 with my leaflets and put my recorded tape in my cassette player and hook it up to the speaker on the aircraft. Once I got us to the target area we would fly in a circle around the target dropping leaflets and playing the loudspeakers.

John Schlight mentioned loudspeakers on the U-10s in The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: The War in South Vietnam - The Years of the Offensive 1965-1968:

The American buildup late in September and December of 1965 was accompanied by attempts to centralize and improve several psychological warfare programs already under way. On the 20th of November, seventeen U-10 Super Courier light observation planes were assembled and flown to Nha Trang to join four C-47s in a recently organized Air Force squadron, the 5th Air Commando "For nearly a year, a handful of Vietnamese light planes had been beaming broadcasts and dropping leaflets in both North and South Vietnam. Their equipment, however, was unequal to the task, and the mounting volume of enemy ground fire was forcing them to higher altitudes from which their messages could not be heard. Loudspeakers mounted under the wings of the U.S. planes were 4 times as powerful as those of the Vietnamese, allowing the ships to fly safely at 3,000 feet and the messages to be heard from that altitude" Leaflets and broadcasts warned of impending airstrikes and herbicide missions, provided information on current events and explained government programs.

Vietnamese songs are often used as PSYOP media. They are composed by the most competent and best known composers in South Vietnam. Many of these songs are, in effect, appeals from Vietnamese young ladies to their erring husbands and lovers who are with the Viet Cong to come back home and resume their marital responsibilities. Songs are printed as sheet music and they are tape recorded by the foremost singers of Vietnam for broadcast by radio stations and loudspeakers, both aerial and ground. They are produced as films featuring attractive young female singers for television showings and are released as 35 mm. films for the theaters and 16 mm. films for showing in rural areas. In fact, songs are one of the most effective mediums. In the case of the 1968 TET (Lunar New Year) Nguyen Song, the South Vietnamese Army Staff advised against playing it where it could be heard by GVN troops, since it might make them so homesick they would desert.

An HH-46A Sea Knight helicopter with a 1400-watt AEM-SYS-2 sound
system and related loudspeaker, visible here on the helicopter's left front.
The sound system is generally referred to as the Loud Hailer.

Close up of Sea Knight's 1400-watt loudspeaker.

A PSYOP officer uses a loudspeaker to encourage the Viet Cong to surrender
Staying the Course

Eric B. Villard mentions loudspeakers in his book: Staying the Course, Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 2017:

Between 1 November 1967 and 31 January 1968, U.S. forces in the 4th Division’s tactical area of responsibility delivered 61 million leaflets, 302 hours of airborne and 318 hours of ground loudspeaker broadcasts, and 32 hours of audiovisual presentations.

Huey Helicopter with mounted loudspeakers

There was also an incident that as I recall was reported in “Stars & Stripes” where a field team in IV Corps; I think they were from the 10th Battalion, headed out for an aerial night loudspeaker mission. Once airborne, they discovered they had grabbed their personal tapes rather than the propaganda tapes. So, they performed the mission playing Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Apparently, that song terrified the Viet Cong enough that three of them walked out of the boonies and surrendered the next morning. It might have been reported in Credibilis [The 4th PSYOP Group official publication] too. It would have been in 1969 or 1970, I think; in any event it would have been during my time in the Republic of Vietnam.

`

Guidelines for Production of Taped Propaganda

On 27 March 1970, the 4th PSYOP Group published the classified Guidelines for Production of Taped Propaganda, Number 1. The procedures were intended only as guidelines for writing and producing taped propaganda to be used on aerial loudspeaker systems, ground loudspeaker systems, River Patrol Boat speaker systems, or over radio stations in the Republic of Vietnam. The questions are valid for any propaganda medium used, whether it is a leaflet or a radio broadcast. I will just mention some of the more important points:

Does it gain attention? Is it clear and easily understood? Is it geared to the needs of the audience? Does it offer a solution? Does it have cultural acceptability? Is it credible? Does it balance logic and emotion? Is it mainly positive in tone? Does it use repetition? Is it consistent with what has been said before, and what is to follow?

PRODUCTION GUIDELINES FOR AERIAL LOUDSPEAKER TAPES

The first type of tape to be considered is for use with an aerial loudspeaker system. In some respects, it is the most difficult tape to produce due to the limitations placed upon the product by the means of dissemination. Because of the limited time an aerial tape can be heard by the target audience in one pass of the aircraft, the message should be short, simple, and clear. If the script is written in English, the length should not exceed 25 seconds read aloud at a slow rate of speech. If the script is written in Vietnamese, the total length should not exceed 40 seconds read aloud at a slow rate of speech.

PRODUCTION GUIDELINES FOR GROUND/RIVER PATROL BOAT
LOUDSPEAKER TAPES

Tapes to be produced for ground loudspeaker systems and PBR loudspeaker systems offer some of the same challenges as aerial tapes. Depending on the military situation, tapes to be used on ground based or river boat-based speaker systems will vary in length and complexity. Preparation of tapes for these two media does not significantly differ. In tactical situations the loudspeaker team is likely to come under fire if it stays in one position too long. MEDCAP missions may allow for tapes of a half hour to an hour in length. The length of the tape message will depend on the mission.

Enemy use: During the Route 9-Tri Thien campaign, the department provided staff advice for the General Political Department’s effort to produce and ship hundreds of thousands of leaflets, consisting of 16 different types of leaflets targeted on puppet army troops and four different types of leaflets targeted against American troops and to ship to the front lines 560 leaflet rockets, 7,200 leaflet mortar rounds, 238 megaphones, and 19 loudspeakers.

Government of Vietnam Armed Propaganda Team

Problems: Second Lieutenant Winston Groom of the 245th PSYOP Company in Vietnam talks about the problems that sometimes occurred when using local interpreters and translators:

One curious situation arose when I received word from Nha Trang not to use the standard surrender tapes they had made for us in Saigon and which we played over the bullhorn or over the loudspeaker system in the U-10 aircraft if the enemy were encountered. Somebody had discovered that the Vietnamese who translated the tapes was apparently Viet Cong, because he told the guerrillas not to surrender but to fight on. After that, we made our own tapes on a small and unreliable recorder using our own interpreters, who hopefully were not Viet Cong. I believe that after a month or so, they sent us new vetted tapes out of Saigon. It should not have taken that long. It should have taken only a few days.

When you talk to numerous PSYOP veterans, certain stories seem to be heard over and over again. One is their reaction to receiving fire while flying overhead and dropping leaflets or broadcasting messages. I have been told by several PSYOP troops that after receiving ground fire they began following their leaflet or loudspeaker aircraft with a blacked-out gunship. This is all very good as far as killing the enemy goes, but if we were trying to gain their trust and have them read our propaganda, this firing on the readers and listeners was counter-productive. No Viet Cong guerrilla is coming out of the woods to pick up a Chieu Hoi leaflet and possibly defect if he fears being shot to pieces by a blacked out gunship hiding just out of sight.

This use of PSYOP to kill the enemy was practiced often in Viet Nam. In 1966, under an operation known as “Quick Speak,” the USAF 5th Air Commando Squadron flew C-47 aircraft equipped with 3000 watt loudspeakers over the enemy. They would fly over a target at 3,500 feet broadcasting a propaganda message. When the enemy fired at the aircraft, an AC-47 “Spooky” gunship flying escort behind and below the loudspeaker aircraft would open fire with three 7.62 mm mini-guns that loosed 16,000 rounds a minute.

An Army PSYOP Lieutenant recalls:

I remember when the PSYOP squadron I worked for got shot up particularly bad one night while playing Robert Brown's “Fire” to the Viet Cong over the big University 1000-Watt speaker. The next night they went up again but “Spooky” flew with them. Our speaker plane flew a wide orbit playing “Fire” again, and Spooky flew opposing orbit. It was night and the speaker plane was lit up like a Christmas tree to draw attention. Spooky was blacked out. The enemy opened fire with everything they had. Spooky opened up with all three miniguns on at high cyclic rate and mysteriously all of the ground fire suddenly ceased.

A Loudspeaker-equipped Patrol Boat

It wasn’t only men, vehicles and aircraft that used loudspeakers. Vietnam was covered by creeks, streams and rivers all of which could be easily entered and watched by small patrol boats called PBRs. They did well on psychological operations because they could get so close to the people who lived along the delta's rivers and canals. These PBRs were rigged with a tape recorder and large speakers to broadcast their message, an appeal for the South Vietnamese Government's Chieu Hoi program. A sign on each side of the PBR said in Vietnamese:

This is a Chieu Hoi Rally Point. You will be welcomed here.

The PSYOP Newsletter, 14 September 1967 reminds the Army that the Navy has loudspeakers too:

U.S. Navy patrol craft operating off the coast or in the rivers of Vietnam can conduct loudspeaker broadcasts to known enemy locations along the seashore and river banks. In April of this year, one hundred and thirty-eight 350-watt loudspeaker systems with adaptable tape recorders were ordered for Naval Forces, Vietnam. As an interim measure, the U.S. Navy PSYOP Officer in the I Combat Tactical Zone has been employing speaker teams from the 244th PSYOP Company for broadcasts from U.S. Navy boats.

The U.S. Navy also did regular PSYOP campaigns as is told by their Vietnam After-action Monthly Reports. Some examples:

The 1968 Tet Psychological Operations Campaign began on 1 January with the distribution of printed material designed to instill a desire for unity under the National Government. U. S. Navy units conducted loudspeaker broadcasts providing entertainment, news and Chieu Hoi appeals throughout the coastal and river areas.

In April 1968, psychological operation efforts continued to be directed to the exploitation of the Viet Cong Tet Offensive via increased loud-speaker broadcasts and leaflet distribution. One fertile field exploited was the recruitment of juvenile males and females by the Viet Cong Among captured Viet Cong Here youths as young as 11 years of age who were used in combat, Capitalizing on this action, broadcasts were directed to parents in contested, insecure and secure areas stating that although the Viet Cong promised not to use their sons and daughters in the front lines they failed to honor their pledge.

Naval units dropped 511,000 leaflets, hand-delivered 37,600 leaflets and conducted 138.5 hours of surface and aerial broadcasts in April 1968.

On 18 May 1968, units of River Section 535 came under heavy enemy fire while distributing psychological operation material 5.5 miles northeast of Vinh Long. The PBR's suddenly came under heavy automatic weapons and B-40 rocket fire. Thirty-eight loudspeaker missions were conducted with a total of 18 of the boats drawing hostile fire, It was stated by one PBR sailor that “if you want to draw enemy fire start broadcasting.”

In November 1968, over one million leaflets were dropped, 14 loudspeaker broadcasts made and 300 posters distributed. On 5 November 1968 near the mouth of the Mekong River, 1,400,000 leaflets were air-dropped in the area surrounding the Cua Tien and Cua Dai Rivers; waterborne loudspeaker broadcasts were made during these patrols.

In January 1969, U.S. Navy loudspeaker broadcasts during the month totaled 1000 hours.

One also has to be careful about who hears the broadcasts. Kenneth Conboy says in Shadow War – The CIAs Secret War in Laos about an operation to convince the Pathet Lao that one of their dead generals was talking to them:

Ghost music and recordings allegedly in the general’s voice were played from airborne loudspeakers; on one of these flights, the broadcasting aircraft passed too close to a Royal Laos Army garrison, causing the spooked Royalist troops to desert en masse.

ARVN soldier with loudspeaker hands a leaflet to local villager

LAOS: The 16 September 1968 declassified secret USAF report: Psychological Operations by the United States Air Force and the Vietnamese Air Force in South Vietnam says about the PSYOP war in Laos:

The USAF has supported Psychological Operations in South Vietnam and Laos with leaflet drops and loudspeaker broadcasts starting in 1965… This Trail campaign is a program against NVA infiltrators. It was initiated in January 1966, and has gradually increased in intensity since that time. It consists principally of leaflet and loudspeaker operations directed at way stations, staging and supply areas, and the routes and trails leading to these areas, which are located in North Vietnam, the Laotian Panhandle, the Laos-Republic of Vietnam Border areas and the Cambodian- Republic of Vietnam Border areas. Thematic content is designed to create fear, anxiety, and insecurity in the North Vietnamese Army soldiers on their way to South Vietnam, in order to cause defection, desertion and a loss of effectiveness in the units.

The U.S. Army 7th PSYOP Group wrote a PSYOP Intelligence Special Report in February 1972. It says in part:

To carry out these goals the Government uses posters, leaflets, motion pictures, still pictures, cartoons, travelling theatre groups, PSYOP teams, loudspeaker programs, radio broadcasts and printed media. The Government has five radio stations which transmit to an estimated 70,000 radio receivers in the country. The Government publishes Khao Phap Pacham Sapda, a weekly news and photo sheet with a circulation of 20,000.The value of leaflets were shown when large numbers of the enemy defected and stated that leaflets and loudspeaker programs were influential in their decision to desert.

The threat of not being buried near your ancestral home and having your spirit wander forever is found in dozens of propaganda leaflets. The allies used just such a campaign after the mysterious death of Pathet Lao general Phomma Douangmala in 1970. The C.I.A. claimed that the North Vietnamese had murdered the general and then left his body unburied. In addition, loudspeaker aircraft flew over Pathet Lao sites playing ghost music and a message allegedly in the voice of the dead general.

The Australians also used loudspeakers in Vietnam. Captain ‘Algy’ Bruzga Headquarters, the 1st Australian Task Force, and a Vietnamese interpreter prepare a tape-recorded message to be broadcast to the Viet Cong. The message was broadcast from vehicles and helicopters and tells Viet Cong troops that they can obtain meals and medical attention if they surrender.

The Australian 1st PSYOP Unit in Vietnam also did many loudspeaker broadcasts. Looking through the classified Commander's Diary of Captain Meredith of June 1970, we see 27 missions listed. Many planned missions were cancelled due to bad weather. Some of the missions were:

02 June 1970 - Team B conducted loudspeaker missions on Cambodian operations.
05 June 1970 - Team A conducted loudspeaker broadcasts and dropped leaflets.
08 June 1970 - Air team conducted voice mission over suspected D445 location.
09 June 1970 - Air team conducted voice mission over suspected Chau Duc unit.
12 June 1970 - Air team conducted voice mission over suspected CA1 unit.
15 June 1970 - Air team conducted voice mission over suspected D440 unit.
21 June 1970 - Air team conducted a quick reaction voice mission in support of 2RAR.
24 June 1970 - Air team conducted voice mission over HQ Ba Long unit.
15 June 1970 - Voice mission to warn civilians to stay inside during friendly forces sweep.

I thought the readers might want to see a few of the loudspeaker messages that were saved. This was broadcast right after an airstrike on the Viet Cong:

Attention Cadre and Soldiers who are still on the other side; you have just witnessed an artillery and gunship strike. Look around you. How many of your comrades now lay suffering? Can you stop their bleeding and save their lives? We have medical personnel who can and will save them if you throw down your arms and surrender now. Give them and yourself a chance to live. Surrender now or your loved ones will mourn your death.

Here is an appeal to rally:

Attention soldiers of the Viet Cong. Will you choose life or death? There is no escape for you now! Your suffering gets greater every day. You choose now. Will it be death or Chieu Hoi? Death or Chieu Hoi? Death or Chieu Hoi? Death or Chieu Hoi?

A surrender appeal:

Attention. Attention. You are now surrounded by the Army of Vietnam and American forces. Escape is impossible. Soon we will call in artillery and airstrikes in on your positions. You will be bombed by powerful war planes, death and destruction will rain down upon you from the air. There is no place to run and hide. Ley your weapon down and Chieu Hoi or allow yourself to be captured. If you have been wounded, you will receive immediate medical attention. Chieu Hoi now to save your life.

My buddy Australian Sergeant Derrill De Heer seemed to think that the loudspeakers used by the Australians were superior to that of the Americans. He says in his Master’s dissertation Victoria per Mentum : Psychological Operations Conducted by the Australian Army in Phuoc Tuy Province South Vietnam 1965-1971 (edited for brevity):

The Australian 1st PSYOP Unit in Vietnam Voice (loudspeaker) airborne missions were carried out during the day and night. During the early phases of military operations conducted during 1970, the operational teams preferred planned night operations. There was a belief held by unit members that the local VC guerrilla units would be on the move during the evening rather than being in base camps. Evening broadcasts were expected to be more effective because the guerrilla leaders could not readily prevent their troops from hearing the message. However, it had been discovered from an interrogation of a returnee under the ‘Open Arms’ amnesty program that when a voice aircraft had flown over a base camp bunker system during the day or night, the Viet Cong or North Vietnamese Army Political Officer or other unit leaders would order the soldiers into the bunkers so that the broadcast message would be muffled or not heard. This was the first time it was established that the Viet Cong had instigated any direct countermeasures to the Australian propaganda broadcasts. Other returnees said that they had heard messages, but they were unable to decipher them from the background helicopter noise, or that the aircraft had been too far away.

All members of the Australian-American teams flew in US helicopters over suspected enemy base areas or areas the enemy had occupied and made broadcasts from external speakers located on the left hand side of the aircraft. The unit evaluation of these helicopter voice missions revealed that the noise from the helicopter rotor wash, particularly when the aircraft banked in a turn, drowned out the message being broadcast. It was also felt that the angle of the speakers did not allow the message to be directed downwards towards the target and its effect lessened. The use of standard flying patterns over the target area could not be undertaken because of configuration of the speakers. Some broadcast patterns allowed the aircraft to fly in circular patterns along the planned track for the mission.

Reception of the broadcast message was affected by the height of the aircraft’s flight. If it flew too high, the message could not be heard and if the aircraft was too low the output became highly distorted from the helicopter background noise. A few months before the PSYOP unit was formed, the Australian Army took delivery of the fixed wing Pilatus Porters. Bids had to be lodged for the use of these Porter aircraft for voice missions through the Task Force Command Post Air Cell. Voice broadcasts were to be undertaken in operational support of the Chieu Hoi program.

A commercial model Kudelski five-inch reel-to-reel tape recorder
broadcasting from inside a 161 Reconnaissance Flight Pilatus
Porter aircraft in Phuoc Tuy province in 1971

One particular taped message produced by the Americans for general use was the message that was referred to as “Wandering Soul,” The first part of the message could be described as electronic music with a voice in an echo chamber in Vietnamese saying “they were wounded and they did not know where they were, they were dying.” In the second part of the taped message the music changed to a slightly weirder and psychedelic style of ghostly music making the voice changes to sound like a spirit voice. The voice declared that “I am dead and my soul (spirit) is wandering,” This demonstrated how the victim was no longer in the region of the village and his “spirit” would be condemned to wander forever. The psychological effect of these taped messages even had an impact on some Australian pilots and the PSYOP observers flying with them. One pilot said the broadcasts gave him the “creeps” and he often found fault with the aircraft that prevented him from flying the assignment. On one occasion the psychological operations staff tricked the pilot by informing him that the “spooky” tape was not being used. After discovering the deceit the pilot abused them on his return to Nui Dat.

After the Australian Army purchased its own voice equipment the use, quality and range of the broadcasts increased. The Australian sound equipment power output was 1800 watts as compared to the 1000 watts US speakers. The speakers were mounted through the floor of the aircraft and as they were pointed directly towards the ground, they were more effective than the angled speakers mounted on helicopters and the loud rotor blade noise.

A 500-W loudspeaker that was used to broadcast propaganda during the Vietnam War is kept as historical relic outside the Headquarter of the Voice of Vietnam in Hanoi. (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam)

To conclude this section, retired U.S. Army Colonel David A. Napoliello has been researching the use of the eleven Native American named helicopters used for propaganda during the Vietnam War. Here are some of his thoughts on helicopters being used for audio broadcasts over hostile territory:

Some helicopters, including the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Iroquois, and Cayuse, found themselves engaged in some rather unique missions which capitalized on their low and slow capabilities, missions that did not envision the lethal engagement and demise of their People's Army of North Vietnam or Viet Cong opponents. Helicopters became dispensers of targeted audio messages, and paper leaflet drops for those opposed to the South Vietnamese government and American and allied forces.

Most PAVN and VC combatants understood that their remains were likely never to be found, recovered, and properly buried. They would be numbered among approximately 300,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers still missing from the war. To undermine this emotional weakness, the 4th PSYOP Group initiated an operation that delivered aerial broadcasts of "eerie sounds intended to represent the souls of enemy dead who have not found peace,"admonishing the listener to avoid the same fate by ceasing fighting or defecting.

The PSYOP units would report to the supported maneuver unit, which provided the helicopter or fixed-winged aircraft from its available assets. Single or multiple high-powered loudspeakers like the 1000-watt Westerner Electric Beachmaster loudspeaker, also known as the Navy Public Address Set (PAB-1) or AN/AIQ-2 900-watt airborne speaker was mounted to the aircraft structure with the audio system including controls and cassette or reel-to-reel tape deck and microphone set-up in the cabin. The Military Assistance Command Vietnam demonstrated a "zealousness" in Vietnam for conducting loudspeaker missions. In 1969 alone, the 4th Psychological Operations Group pre-recorded 13,146 messages. It is impossible to estimate the number of broadcasts made from cassette tapes. Taped loudspeaker messages were thirty to forty seconds in length and typically produced in three dialects of Vietnamese. Typically, a daily helicopter broadcast mission was six hours with two hours of broadcasting.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

1st PSYWAR Battalion Loudspeaker Jeep in the Dominican Republic
Lieutenant Lawrence Karlock in the front right passenger seat

After 4 May 1965, the 82nd Aviation Battalion provided support for units of the division in the form of extensive aerial reconnaissance, medical evacuation, loudspeaker and leaflet drop missions, airlift or personnel and cargo, command control missions, classified missions into the interior for the U. S. Embassy and Special Forces, and provision of airlift for a platoon quick reaction force.

LTC Wallace J. Moulis, Commanding Office of the 1st PSYWAR Battalion wrote about Dominican Republic psychological operations in an article entitled "Key to a Crisis," Military Review, February 1966. He said:

Almost before the roar of their aircraft had left their ears, the radio teams with Ray Aylor, Voice of America radio engineer, were rehabilitating a 1000-watt transmitter to begin relaying Voice of America transmission from Greenville, North Carolina. Production of leaflets by mimeograph began even before the arrival of light, mobile presses. Loudspeakers took positions along the Ozama River to bring the voice of the United States to the people.

The 1st PSYWAR Battalion’s radio station, "The Voice of the Security Zone" went on the air on 5 May. It had a 5000-watt signal capable of reaching a good portion of the nation. Later, two additional transmitters were added to the network. The Army conducted 600 hours of loudspeaker operations, and broadcast over 900 hours of in-country programs. In addition, they relayed the Voice of America broadcasts for 35 days.

Hewson A. Ryan, Associate Director USIA (Policy and Plans) was assigned the task of coordinating all PSYOP in the Dominican Republic. He had been involved in the Cuban missile crisis and as a result was aware of the need for air delivery of leaflets, radio and loudspeaker broadcasts. Cooper says that to assist him, the Army sent the entire 1st PSYWAR Battalion to Santo Domingo from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, in early May. A temporary base of operations was set up in the home of the Public Affairs Officer near the American Embassy. The Battalion soon moved into a nearby school building. The Army supplied radio transmitters, mobile presses, multilith machines, loudspeaker trucks, and aircraft for leaflet and loudspeaker operations.

Captain Blaine Revis who commanded the 19th PSYOP Company from June 1964 to August 1965 told me about deploying his troops to the Dominican Republic during Operation Power pack.

We sent two loudspeaker teams augmented with two Spanish speaking linguists and a print section (a 3/4-ton truck with pod). They flew into San Isidro on D+1 on a C47 Skytrain and a C119 Flying Boxcar. Our assigned sector was rather agrarian and soon quiet and compliant. I attribute that to some extent to the rice and beans and odd C-rations that we gave out to the people, along with Latin music that we played on the loudspeakers.

NATIONALIST CHINA

This article mostly mentions U.S. PSYOP units but thousands of miles away on the Island of Taiwan we support our old WWII ally, Nationalist China. Their tradition of psychological warfare goes back decades to when they fought the Communist for control of mainland China. They lost that battle but continued to fight on using propaganda and sometimes artillery as their weapons. When the Vietnam War heated up, the Nationalist Chinese acted as mentors to the South Vietnamese and many of their political warfare techniques were Chinese in origin. Today, the Republic of China still exists, and still hopes someday to return to the mainland.

Propaganda Envelope

The Chinese sometimes prepared gift envelopes of leaflets to present to visiting dignitaries. We show one here because along with the images of leaflets, balloons and artillery leaflet shells at the right, they have included a loudspeaker.

Irving R. Fang, in an article entitled “The Chinese-Chinese Psywar,” said in 1979 in that both sides send out their propaganda by radio, balloons, artillery shells, sea floats and loudspeakers. Small gifts were sent too; he mentioned underwear, toys and cooking oil.

Nationalist Chinese loudspeaker vehicle

The Chinese still drill daily since any moment the Communist Chinese might decide to take the Island of Taiwan. Here we see Nationalist PSYOP troops training, supported by a loudspeaker vehicle.

People’s Republic of China Loudspeaker Vehicle

Of course, the Communist Chinese are not standing still. Here we show the ZFB05 PSYOP armored vehicle designed and manufactured by the Chinese Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles. The PSYOP ZBF05 wheeled armored vehicle is equipped with loudspeakers mounted to the roof of the crew compartment. Search lights and a video camera are also mounted on the roof of the vehicle. One single camera is installed on the back of the vehicle. The camera can be lifted up to 6 meters high, thanks to a telescopic mast. Inside the vehicle, two television screens are available with recording and data transmission systems.

A People’s Republic of China Loudspeaker

In 2018, the China News prepared a short TV production on the PSYOP tools of the Chinese Army. A small loudspeaker was depicted in use by a Chinese soldier. We know very little about this small speaker. Unfortunately, the script was in Chinese.

A military truck blares sound effects of fighter jets flying by, shells dropping, and tanks rolling during the Han Kuang exercise

One might think that by 2022 all this Chinese propaganda activity was a thing of the past. It is on rebound. In 2022, Russia decided to try and take back Ukraine, one of its former possessions, and the rest of the world helped Ukraine to fight for its independence. U.S. President Biden strongly backed Ukraine and in conversation said that he would also defend Taiwan should Red China try to invade and take that island nation that it had always claimed. On 28 July Biden spoke to President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China for two hours. About Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. On the same day, Taiwan decided to hold war games that used various techniques of psychological warfare. Focus Taiwan reported:

Taiwan conducts psychological warfare drill with broadcasts, leaflets: During the drill in Taoyuan, a psychological warfare task force from the Political Warfare Bureau dispatched a drone to scatter leaflets, while its trucks broadcast video and audio propaganda to boost the morale of Taiwanese soldiers in the scenario of an invasion by China. Meanwhile, a military truck blared sound effects of fighter jets flying by, shells dropping, and tanks rolling, which were all meant to distract and confuse the enemy on the battlefield, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. According to the ministry, cognitive warfare, disinformation campaigns, and rumor spreading have become a major part of modern warfare, alongside conventional kinetic warfare. The Political Warfare Bureau's special task force can create and broadcast audio and video propaganda material and drop leaflets within 30 minutes of receiving an order to do so, according to the ministry.

The 1980 Cuban Mariel Boat Lift

A Printing and Graphics Section Poster quoting President Carter
The United States will accept with open arms and an open heart the thousands of Cuban
Refugees who are arriving aboard the Freedom Flotilla -President Jimmy Carter
Welcome to the United States of America

On 4 April 1980, the Cuban government suddenly allowed its citizens to leave for the United States. Hundreds of small boats made the trip to Cuba and brought back family members and friends. At the same time, it was rumored that Castro had emptied his jails and forced the small boats to also take the prisoners to the United States. This operation was called the Mariel Boat Lift and resulted in a mass exodus of more than 130,000 refugees to the United States. On 7 May 1980, Operational Detachment II, 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, was alerted for deployment to Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas.

PSYOP soldiers used a jeep-mounted loudspeaker system during the 1980s.

The detachment contained an Audio-Visual section. It initially consisted of one non-commissioned officer in charge and 6 enlisted men. The audio-visual section had three distinct missions: loudspeaker operations, movie projection and recording. Loudspeaker broadcasts comprised 90% of total missions conducted. Vehicular mounted loudspeakers proved especially effective for crowd control. Missions varied from routine announcements to crowd control during crises. A typical message like the one below was broadcast after some injuries and assaults in the camps:

Attention, attention. Silence, please, silence. Pay attention to the following instructions: If you do not live on 26 St. "The Boulevard" immediately move towards 3rd Ave. All 26 Street residents return immediately to your respective barracks. This is an inspection for your own health and well-being. It's not done with the intention of arresting someone. We are interested in obtaining and confiscating any illegal or contraband objects in the area. Starting now there will be 10 minutes of amnesty during which you will have the opportunity to get rid of any illegal object in your possession exempting you from any guilt. If you have anything illegal in your possession, drop it on the ground. If you have anything illegal inside the barracks throw it out the window. If you obey these simple instructions no actions will be taken against you.

THE LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY – UGANDA

United States Special Forces Conducting Aerial Loudspeaker
Operations during OPERATION OBSERVANT COMPASS

U.S. Military Deployments to Africa: Lessons from the Hunt for Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army, introduces the Lord’s Resistance Army in his report and I will use that data, although edited for brevity:

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) seems to have originated as a quasi-religious rebel group in Northern Uganda during the mid-1980s. The group is a loosely organized band of armed militants that for several years was engaged in an intense and bloody insurgency against the Ugandan government, and is now roaming the thick jungles of Central Africa. They are often described as a terrorist group by scholars, journalists and government agencies, largely because of their longstanding use of violence or the threat of violence to coerce the behavior of local populations and governments in pursuit of a political agenda.

Major Jonathan Easter wrote an article titled “A Mission of Attrition” in the January-March 2019 issue of Special Warfare. Some of his comments on Loudspeakers were:

Another technique the U.S. employed was the use of aerial loudspeaker systems. These loudspeakers were mounted on helicopters and flown over the bush to broadcast messages over a range of approximately one mile on either side of the aircraft. These systems were used to broadcast pre-recorded messages as well as live broadcasts from well-known communicators… One former LRA fighter recalls:

"We heard many messages. Since we were in Garamba National Park, we could listen to radios and the Dwog Cen Paco [‘Come Home’] program. Then on helicopter we heard voices of different people who were with us before, we even saw pictures which were dropped using the helicopter. All of them were telling us to come home. Others asked us to put our weapons down. For me, I heard my mother’s voice and saw her picture, too."

By the middle of 2004, more than 5,000 former LRA fighters had defected and applied for amnesty.

In his original Thesis, Major Easter mentioned U.S. loudspeaker operations:

Another technique the U.S. employed was the use of aerial loudspeaker systems. These loudspeakers were mounted on helicopters and flown over the bush to broadcast messages over a range of approximately one mile on either side of the aircraft.

With the aid of local partners, the Special Operations Command – Africa translated messages advertising these programs into seven languages (Acholi, Arabic, French, Lingala, Pazande, Songo, and Swahili) and used leaflets, radio, and loudspeakers for dissemination throughout the LRA’s range.

GRENADA

In regard to PSYOP in Grenada, Stanley Sandler says in Cease Resistance: It's Good for You: A history of U.S. Army Combat Psychological Operations, 1999:

4th PSYOP Group loudspeaker teams attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, in addition to persuading significant numbers of frightened Peoples Revolutionary Army (PRA) troops to turn themselves in, confirmed the enemy's low morale as well as the desire of even some of the Cuban "Construction Battalions" to remain on the island with their Grenadian wives and families.

U.S. PSYOP soldier reads off a prepared script in Grenada

Retired Colonel Alfred H. Paddock, writing in an article entitled “PSYOP: A Historical Perspective,” for Perspectives, Volume 22, Number 5 & 6, 2012:

There was a very successful PSYOP amnesty program. It used radio, loudspeaker, and face-to-face media to announce the governor general’s three-day amnesty program. During this period, more than 1,000 members of the People’s Revolutionary Army — over half of the main force — turned themselves in. This successful program offered rewards for weapons, ammunition, or information leading to the capture of Cubans. Conducted over an eight-week period, this campaign employed face-to-face communication, radio, loudspeakers, posters, handbills and leaflets dropped by helicopters. By mid-January 1984 more than 196 weapons, 400 grenades, 13,500 rounds of ammo, and a Soviet BTR-60 armored personnel carrier were turned in.