As I start this short story in November 2023, I have written 34 articles on the psychological operations of the Vietnam War. The PSYOP campaign went on about 10 years for the Americans, and as the years went by, Vietnamese and American priorities changed many times. Now and then I like to look back at the very early leaflets of the war and notice there was less variation back them. As the war went on, bomb warnings, the Chieu Hoi PSYOP campaign, and the bombing of North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail campaigns became enormous, and toward the end, getting the enemy to the peace table was very popular. But, if you go back to the beginning of the war, we see themes like asking the farmers to avoid the Viet Cong because they will kill the farmer or his family, steal their rice and money, and kidnap their sons to fight in their guerrilla army. I thought it might be interesting to do a short story just on these subjects showing a few leaflets from each theme.
Australian Leaflet ATF-034-70
The Viet Cong often stole money or food in the form of taxes. This leaflet depicts a Viet Cong hand holding banknotes that the farmer needs to support his family. 5000 copies of this leaflet were produced on 21 September 1970. The text is:
THE VIET CONG USE YOUR MONEY FOR THEMSELVES.
The Viet Cong use your money for destruction and war.
Help protect your family and children.
Viet Cong taxation must be reported.
Viet Cong take money from hard working people.
Report instances of illegal taxation.
Don’t be afraid.
Your name will be kept secret.
SAVE YOUR LIFE
I Corps Tactical Zone 125-66
This I Corps leaflet depicts some Vietnamese civilians being blown up in front of a church on the front and a church bell ringing on the back. The glue applied to the back of the leaflet in 1966 bled through and discolored the paper. The text on the front is:
A LANDMINE INCIDENT IN DONG HA PROVINCE
On 20 February 1966 a priest and two small children were killed by a Viet Cong landmine as they were going to church in Dong Hai Province.
The text on the back is:
The church bell warns every one of the Viet Cong wolves. They have killed innocent Christians and robbed the churches. The faithless Viet Cong are crueler than wild beasts.
Christians never live with the faithless Viet Cong. Christians never listen to Viet Cong propaganda. Christian belief is a strong arm against the Viet Cong.
I Corps Tactical Zone Leaflet 129-66
In this early 1966 leaflet the woman is not dead yet but shortly will be. Her husband has already been killed. A Viet Cong fighter uses her as a shield while firing at the Vietnamese or American troops. The text is:
Attention! Peace loving villagers!
The blood thirsty Viet Cong have again used you as shields and your homes as cover from which to attack the Vietnamese and allied armed forces. The Viet Cong presence brought you death and destruction. As soon as the Vier Cong is driven out, peace will return to your village.
The same image is found on leaflet 130-66. The text on the back of that leaflet is:
The Viet Cong are cowardly dogs! They hide behind harmless women and children!
Leaflet SP-805
This early Vietnam War leaflet depicts armed Viet Cong forcing farmers and civilians to labor for them. The text on the front is:
Why does the Viet Cong coerce labor?
The back is all text:
BECAUSE THEY ARE LOSING
The ARVN and Allies are hunting them day and night, on land as in the water, that's why they have not a moment to rest and must hide like animals. For each killed cadre they must find a replacement. They coerce people more and more into working for them.
They lied to people that they would take them to education camps. Instead, they took them to labor camps where they forced them to dig shelters, not for people but for themselves.
THE VIET CONG ARE YOUR ENEMY. THE VIET CONG ARE OBSTACLES ON THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE'S ROAD TO PEACE.
Leaflet SP-807
This leaflet shows Viet Cong kicking and harassing Vietnamese civilians. The text on the front is:
WHY DO VIET CONG KILL INNCENT, UNARMED PEOPLE?
The back is all text:
BECAUSE THE VIET CONG ARE LOSING THE WAR.
The people know that the Viet Cong are being defeated on the battlefield, that they are being hounded and pursued by day and by night. The Viet Cong with to show their "might" and do it by attacking defenseless unarmed people. The Viet Cong murder to save face. The masks have been ripped from the faces of the Viet Cong; these "friends of the people" will murder innocent civilians to keep their hold on the people. But the people know the truth – and that truth will be death for the so-called National Liberation Front.
Leaflet 963
This leaflet depicts Vietnamese civilians being used as bullet shields and being forced to move ahead of Viet Cong fighters against multiple automatic weapons hidden in the jungle overgrowth. The text on the back is:
WHY?
Do you know why the Viet-Cong are so tensely hiding behind the people, increasing their acts of terror that cause suffering, death, and destruction to innocent people - including farmers, workers, grandmothers, children, and livestock from urban areas to remote rural areas.
Because they can no longer control or deceive the people like before. Their cruel acts of terrorism such as levying heavy taxes, sabotage, kidnapping, violating pagodas, coercing citizens, hiding in peaceful hamlets, and shooting at government troops to create a scene. There foolish shooting exposed their true colors.
Now the people have realized that the Viet Cong do not "liberate" anything. They only bring war and death to the country. The people also know that defeating the Communists is only a matter of time.
Leaflet 2742
Leaflet 2742 depicts two dead Vietnamese men on the street. Text on the front is:
REJOIN THE VIET RACE AND BE REVIVED BY THE PEOPLE’S LOVE
The back is all text and says in part:
DO YOU WANT TO ELIMINATE THE VIET RACE?
Using rockets and mortars furnished by the Soviet Union and Red China, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers killed 433 civilians and wounded 3,660 in the Saigon – Gia Dinh areas between 5 May and 17 June 1968.
Your leaders claim that they fire at military installations only. The fact is, only one soldier has died because of these attacks. Most of the victims have been civilian Vietnamese men, women, and children...
Medicine Envelope 10-363-68
The 10th PSYOP Battalion printed MEDCAP medicine envelopes for the civilians they treated when they visited hamlets and farms and welcomed people to see them for free medical care. 50,000 of these leaflets were printed 23 June 1968. They were distributed by hand in the hamlet where the MEDCAP was held. The front of this envelope says:
Name of Medicine ____________________
Take __tablets of this medicine __ times every day.
1) Drink a lot of water.
2) Prevent children from taking this medicine by mistake.
Down with the Viet Cong's policy to exploit the people and make
them poor.
The back of the envelope has the text:
The Viet Cong kill the people and steal their rice while the
Government of Vietnam looks after the people and provides medicine for them.
Leaflet DV1367
The code DV1367 tells us that this leaflet was created by the Vietnamese, perhaps by their army or their Political Warfare section. They might have printed the leaflet, or it could have been printed by one of the American PSYOP units that supports the Vietnamese combat units. The front of the leaflet depicts Vietnamese homes burning, and Vietnamese citizens being tortured or killed. The back of the leaflet is all text. This leaflet is rather harsh and it seems the Americans might have had some input into its creation. The Vietnamese usually talked in a brotherly way to the Viet Cong and invited them to return to the Nation Cause and be welcomed as family. This leaflet calls them murderers and thieves.
The text on the front is:
The cruel Viet Cong are killing their [South Vietnamese] compatriots.
Who forces you to pay the "army supporting" tax? The Viet Cong. Who takes your food and seizes your crops? The Viet Cong. Who kidnaps, assassinates, blows up bridges, mines roads, obstructs traffic and the businesses of compatriots? The Viet Cong.
The back is all text:
The Republic of Vietnam authorities and the Army of Vietnam are determined to destroy the concealed Viet Cong, to eliminate the villains who have harassed you all this time.
The US Army and the Army of Vietnam have the objective of driving out the Viet Cong to help you build schools, dispensaries, and markets, and repair roads and bridges.
To ensure your security and happiness, stay away from the Viet Cong, cooperate with the Army of Vietnam and the Allies.
SAVE YOUR CHILDREN
Most of these leaflets in this section were produced before the following memorandum was published. It appears that the Military later believed that these leaflets had no credibility.
The Field Memorandum Joint U.S. Public Affair Office Field Memorandum Number 42 dated 15 December 1967 mentions lessons learned about Allied propaganda. It says about Viet Cong recruitment methods:
To the Vietnamese, a leaflet loses credibility when it does not follow well known facts, and the Viet Cong "recruitment" depicted on many leaflets shows a method not used by the Viet Cong. These leaflets show pictures of the Viet Cong marching recruits off gun point. The Viet Cong do not do this but use much more subtle methods to replenish their ranks. Therefore, pictures of this type are unsuitable due to lack of credibility.
Leaflet 19
Leaflet 19 depicts a grinning Viet Cong walking with the village’s stolen rice and kidnapped children. The back depicts a grinning Viet Cong reaching from the north all the way down to the south where farmers peacefully work their fields. Curiously, I have also seen this leaflet with the code 39. Neither of those codes make any sense so I assume this leaflet was very early, perhaps Special Forces, before the United States standardized the codes. The text on the front is:
Stop the Viet Cong from stealing your rice and crops and kidnaping youngsters.
Inform the army of the whereabouts of the Viet Cong.
The text on the back is:
South Vietnam
The Field Memorandum Joint U.S. Public Affair Office Field Memorandum Number 42 had something to say about the star on the Viet Cong helmet too:
Some field-produced items still show Viet Cong wearing helmets with a red star on them. The Viet Cong do not wear such headgear and pictures of this type produce a lack of credibility within the leaflet.
Leaflet 246-102
This leaflet was printed by the 246th PSYOP Company, most likely in 1966. 100,000 copies of the leaflet were printed at the request of the 1st Infantry Division, a combat force that they supported. Some of the text on the front and back is:
The Viet Cong break up the unity of the family group and lead the innocent youth…
To starvation, sickness, and defeat.
10-16-68
An early leaflet depicts a Viet Cong recruiting squad in the home of some civilian people and in this case, drafting a young son to become a fighter. The leaflet is titled "HERE ARE THE SOUTH VIETNAM LIBERATION FRONT ACTIONS." From left to right:
Do you liberate like this?
You are now in the Liberation Force.
Get up and follow me.
I am just 13 years old and too young to join the NLF.
Shut your mouth.
I have two children. One was killed because he followed the Front, now I only have the younger one left. Please let him stay home with me.
The back is a long all-text message. It says:
TO SOON HAVE PEACE, YOU CITIZENS MUST STRUGGLE FROM BEING
CONSCRIPTED
INTO THE VIET CONG ARMY AND FROM CONTRIBUTING RICE AND MONEY FOR
THE VIET CONG
Opening the so-called "winter-spring campaign 1967-1968," the Viet Cong suffered heavy casualties at the battle of LOC NINH. 1,400 North Vietnamese Army troops were killed. 1,641 other Communist other communists were killed at DAK TO.
To replenish the above casualties, the VC are intensifying their conscription of youths and teenagers. They are imposing on the people to contribute money so they can prolong the war You citizens must determine:
To struggle against having your sons and brothers join the Viet Cong.
To struggle and demand that the Viet Cong stop it acts of using youths and teenagers as shields for bullets.
To protest against contributing rice and money to the Viet Cong.
Leaflet SP-792
This leaflet depicts a group of children drowning in the water during a military action. The “SP” means “Special Product” and was used by the Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO) early in the war. Later those letters were not used because it told the Vietnamese that the leaflet was from the Americans. We preferred that they think they were from their own Government of Vietnam. The text is:
THE VIET CONG USED CHILDREN AS CANNON FODDER
The text on the back is:
IS THIS A FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE?
During a reconnaissance flight 10 years ago, Major B. H. Mann witnessed with his own eyes an extremely despicable act by the Viet Cong south of Qui Nhon. When the Major’s helicopter swooped down near the riverbank in the restricted area, the Major saw a crowd of about 18 people, including some children rushing to get on the boat to cross the river. Because he saw that there were many children, the Major told the helicopter crew not to fire at them. On the boat, the children sat on people’s laps while two adults supported the boat to the other side. When they reached the riverbank, the adults hurriedly pushed the boats full of children into the water and ran away. While running and disappearing into the bushes, his accomplices that were hiding on the other side of the bank, shot at the children. Innocent children were floating in the water. One child died on the spot and many others were hit by bullets. The Major’s helicopter was also hit by Viet Cong bullets. When the Major’s helicopter moved closer to see better, He saw about 10 Vietnamese bodies. The armed group fled into the forest.
Viet Cong thugs used the children as cannon fodder and when no longer needed, they did not hesitate to kill them to hide their whereabouts and their barbaric actions.
Yet they dare to claim that they are friends of the people!
Leaflet SP-808
This leaflet shows a young boy being forcibly taken away from the family to be impressed into the Viet Cong. When I say "impressed," I mean the same sort of kidnapping that went on in Continental days when the British Navy would stop American ships and take sailors and force them into the British Navy. At the left we see the boy taken; at right we see the corpses of dead Viet Cong on the field being eaten by vultures. The text at the left and right is:TODAY
TOMORROW
WHY DOES THE VIET
CONG FORCE YOUNG BOYS INTO THEIR SERVICE
WHEN FORMERLY THEY
TOOK ONLY OLDER VOLUNTEERS
The text on the back is:
BECAUSE THE VIET CONG ARE LOSING THE WAR!
The Viet Cong regular troops have suffered huge losses in dead and wounded on the battlefield. They need replacements. More and more Viet Cong are returning to the Government cause, creating gaps in the Viet Cong ranks. Replacements are needed to fill these gaps. Viet Cong “human wave” tactics require many people to be sent to their deaths – young people, imperfectly trained, badly armed, make good bullet shields for the northern cadre of the Viet Cong. And if these young, conscripted soldiers in the Viet Cong ranks should live for a little while, then the Viet Cong take them from their hamlets and villages, send them far away to other provinces, to die and rot unburied, or to be buried in shallow unmarked graves in the jungles and swamps of the highlands.
If you do not want your sons…
The leaflet above depicts Communist troops stealing food and beating a family of Vietnamese farmers. Although they seem to be dressed as North Vietnamese regular soldiers, they are called Viet Cong. In the second picture, South Vietnamese troops come to the rescue and drive away the thieves to the joy of the family. The leaflet bears no code because it was produced by U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam before the PSYOP units got there, 1964-1965. The text is:
If you do not want
your sons to be kidnapped by the Viet Cong...
…Then you should help
the Army of Republic of Vietnam as it tries to defend you.
[Author’s Note]: I searched to find more information on Special Forces troops producing and disseminating leaflets. I found this in Vietnam War: Special Operation Forces and Warfare Training on U.S. Military Installations by Aaron and Baker:
The Special Forces undertook psychological operations between 1961 and 1965. The program initially emphasized direct day-to-day contact informed by a thorough knowledge and understanding of the ways of the local villagers and their leaders. Again, the operations were another avenue used to win the loyalty of the villagers. As time went by, the program became more formal with mass-media programing presented to assembled audiences. The programming grew to consist of lectures, films, (American westerns were very popular), loudspeaker broadcasts, and the distribution of printed material.
An Uncoded Vietnamese Army Leaflet
This is clearly a very early leaflet. Later in the war, like the Americans, the Vietnamese Army coded its leaflets. The picture on the front depicts a Viet Cong fighter bringing the bodies of dead VC home for burial. On the left the bodies are piled in a cart, on the right one is dragged by his feet by two Viet Cong. The text on the back of the leaflet mentions these scenes.
The text on the front is:
IN WHICH WAY...
...WILL YOU RETURN TO YOUR FAMILY?
The text on the back is:
DEAR FRIENDS IN THE
"SOUTHERN LIBERATION FRONT."
HOW WILL YOU RETURN
HOME?
It is very likely that your comrades will have to drag your body away just like you dragged the body of your fallen brothers last week! It is very possible that your body will be loaded onto a cart along with the zombies of your comrades! Do you want to go to that pitiful death? Probably not.
Don't let these things get to you. You can live in peace so that later you can die more dignified.
Take this opportunity to avoid misfortune in your life.
Please bring weapons to our camp. We will give you a warm welcome.
Hurry up and grab this opportunity before it's too late.
THE ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
I spoke to a Captain in the U.S. Special Forces who was there in 1964-1965 and he told me:
I believe that the 1st Special Forces Group was the first to embed PSYOP and Civil Affairs personnel on a team. No other Special Forces team had the capability to do what we did at that time. We were the only Special Forces “A” team in 1964 that had PSYOP personnel on it. Being in a village gave us access to equipment not found in traditional Special Forces camps.
[Author’s note]: I suspect he is saying that there were local people willing to help with the leaflet operation and they could buy the ink and paper in town and he was able to have leaflets printed there, something other teams in the boonies probably could not do.
Uncoded 1965 leaflet – Printer Unknown
This leaflet depicts an injured man and three women who were in the Metropole hotel when it was attacked by Viet Cong sappers. Nobody takes credit for this leaflets but it was very likely printed by U.S. Special Forces. The text on the front is:
TERRORISM AT HOTEL METROPOLE
The text on the back is:
DATE: December 4, 1965.
TIME: Five thirty in the morning.
LOCATION: Metropole Hotel. Naval Hospital, Outer Ward, Nguyen Cu Trinh Red Bus Station. Vietnamese neighborhoods and houses.
DEAD:
Six Vietnamese people. An American. A New Zealander.
INJURED:
26 Vietnamese men. 24 Vietnamese women. 12 Vietnamese children. 72 Americans. 3 New Zealanders.
The North Vietnamese Government “Warmly praises” this blatant terrorist attack against your own compatriots. Do you share that new joy?
[Author’s Note]: Just before dawn on 4 December 1965 the Viet Cong parked a grey-painted truck filled with explosives in front of the Metropol Hotel. Three Viet Cong opened fire on two guards with submachine guns. The truck, packed with about 250 pounds of plastique blew up. The fire ball knocked out nearly every window within a radius of 100 yds., demolished five buses, blew several stories of the facade off the Metropole, and dug a 12 x 13-foot crater in the pavement. As rescue teams searched through the rubble, they discovered a Claymore mine. It was a favorite Viet Cong trick to set off Claymores minutes after an initial act of terrorism, with the idea of wiping out the rescuers as well. The mine was deactivated. The hotel served as a bachelor enlisted men's quarters for the U.S. military and the night of the blast there were 160 servicemen inside the hotel.
[Author’s note] I talked again with the Special Forces officer, and he added:
The Special Forces team we replaced in the village sole mission was conducting combat operations. We, on the other hand, had dual missions of PSYOP, Civil Affairs and combat operations.
Soon after our arrival, we met with the village chief to explain what our role was and asking him for his help. We then conducted a survey of the town and noted what we thought would be beneficial to the town's infrastructure. For instance, there was a single bamboo bridge over the canal separating the village. We built a wooden bridge. We built an outhouse. We improved the existing school.
As for our leaflet operation. We somehow found a printing press. I do not remember how we obtained it. We did not bring it incountry and I know it did not come from Nha Trang (Special Forces Headquarters) or from the Special Forces C Team in Saigon. The leaflet paper was obtained from the local market in Saigon. Once I figured out how to use the printer, I found someone in the town that could operate it. Our interpreter helped translate our English-language message into Vietnamese. The town's people were willing to pitch in and support us! They were paid in piastres, courtesy of the Central Intelligence Agency (our benefactors).
I asked him if he needed to get approval for the leaflets he printed. We know one of the great problems with leafleting is that sometimes approval takes so long for the leaflet to be approved by higher echelons that by the time it is disseminated it has lost all value. I loved his answer:
I did not seek permission to print the leaflets. Had I done so the timeliness of approvals would have made them ineffective.
Leaflet 6-118-68
Often, the American leaflets were all text. I usually do not add them to articles because I like to give the readers leaflets with images and photographs. Sometimes the text is so interesting I do add them. Here is such a case. This 6th PSYOP Battalion states that the children are lied to by the Viet Cong. They warn the people not to be deceived. 50,000 of these leaflets were printed for the Australians in February 1968. Both sides of the leaflet bear the same text:
People of Phuoc Tuy,
The Viet Cong Baria Provincial Committee is planning to try and get your sons and daughters to enlist in the Viet Cong by promising that they will be sent to Russia or China to study. The truth is that they want your sons and daughters to replace the Viet Cong who have died fighting for a hopeless cause. Do not let the Viet Cong take your children to fight their battles. The Viet Cong are being defeated by the Republic of Vietnam Army and its Allies. Do not let your sons and daughters join the Viet Cong lost cause.
SAVE YOUR RICE AND MONEY
Leaflet 246-052
This crude leaflet was printed by the 246th PSYOP Company, probably in 1962 before the PSYOP battalions were formed in Vietnam. 25,000 copies were printed at the request of the 1st Infantry Division. The front depicts armed Viet Cong demanding cash from poor farmers as a "tax." The text is:
The Viet Cong forces the people to pay illegal taxes without justice.
Leaflet 246-334
Another rather
crude leaflet depicting the head of a Viet Cong guerrilla with mouth open
and Vietnamese farmers under a gun placing all their needed food and
supplies into the mouth. The text on the front is:
Robbery - Attention, Compatriots
The text on the
back is:
To survive, the Viet Cong have forced you to pay taxes to them. In dire need of food and money, they have had to rob your food, putting you and your family into misery. To protect your assets, do report to the local authorities or nearest allied forces immediately once the Viet Cong come to rob your rice or money.
Leaflet 713
This leaflet depicts armed Viet Cong stopping sampans in a local waterway and farmers on the in a nearby hamlet and stealing their rice and goods. The text on the front is:
Why do the Viet Cong collect Double taxes?
The text on the back says in part:
Because they are losing on all fronts.
Because the Viet Cong needed money and rice to exchange for weapons to invade the South.
Because many VC soldiers and cadres have been killed so they must collect more money and rice to offer to their Chinese masters to ask for Chinese troops to invade the South.
Because the rice production in the North was not enough to feed the Viet Cong and Chinese troops who are stationed in the South. That is the reason the Viet Cong had to increase tax collection
Down with the Viet Cong who plunder the rural people.
Let us send and store our rice to our relatives who are living in government owned New Life Hamlets so that the Viet Cong cannot steal our rice.
Leaflet 806
This leaflet depicts a Viet Cong fighter confiscating just about all the rice a poor famer has grown. The text is:
Why Have the Viet Cong Collected Such High Rice Taxes?
Because they are losing the war! The Viet Cong are in dire need of rice. In the North, their Chinese masters are constantly demanding rice in exchange for weapons and ammunition. In the South on the other hand, they are running into big trouble trying to supply their troops with rice as the Government’s troops find and confiscate their rice deposits daily. In the North, the Chinese are impeding the old Ho Chi Minh; in the South, the hungry Viet Cong are extolling the people to push them into the same misery they are experiencing.
Leaflet SP-869
At first, I thought this leaflet was designed for those Vietnamese and farmers who could not read. There is a 4-panel cartoon which is easy to understand. It shows a Vietnamese farmer being encouraged by a Viet Cong member to plant crops, the farmer is next seen hard at work in the field, and he then rests and dreams of the wonderful food is has grown from seed, and how wonderful it will be to eat. In the last panel a big fat Viet Cong member confiscates his food. I notice the Viet Cong are always shown in shoddy patched uniforms indicating they are poor and probably starving.
Usually, a leaflet like this will have the cartoon on both sides. In this case there is text on the back:
WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE WEST
Currently, the National Liberation Front is trying to exploit the property of rural people. They devise all kinds of taxes such as: agricultural tax, liberation guarantee, and anti-American fund, to plunder the wealth and sweat and tears of our people. In hamlets and communes, the Viet Cong also established "rice farms to feed the army" and "country salvation funds" to collect money and rice to continue the bloody war they caused in the South for more than 10 years now.
To quickly destroy the corrupt Viet Cong fellow citizens, please boldly inform and help the Government organize a round-up of Viet Cong financial officials who come to collect taxes at the homes of our fellow citizens. If the Viet Cong use force to coerce you, you should use careful words to delay and not respond to their tax policies. By doing so, many of our compatriots have contributed greatly to the victory of the Free Southern Army and People's Army against the Viet Cong.
THE REGION IV TACTICAL COMMAND.
Leaflet 956
This leaflet targets non-readers among the Vietnamese. This one is easy to understand. Vietnamese peasants line up at a government station where supplies are freely handed to the people. There is food, canned goods, medical supplies, radios, and tools such as shovels. In case the people forget, there is the flag of the Republic of Vietnam in the background. The back depicts life under the Viet Cong. Instead of the people receiving food, they are now depicted as being robbed of their food by the Viet Cong. Once again, just so the people remember, there is a Guerrilla flag in the background. The sign on the desk and some of the supplies are named as follows:
On the table:
Rural/Countryside Construction
Under the flag:
Fertilizer
On the bags: Rice
Leaflet SP-961
This leaflet targets the native people of Vietnam. Notice the loin cloth on the victim being robbed of his rice. On the back of the leaflet the government arrives, and the poor man is handed a blanket and a bowl of rice.
Leaflet SP-1094
The front of the 1962 leaflet depicts farmers being forced to give the Viet Cong their rice and receiving worthless promissory notes in return. The text is:
Denounce the actions of the Viet Cong. Do not let the Viet Cong steal your rice and kidnap your sons and relatives. Denounce Viet Cong actions to the Army of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam.
The back of the leaflet depicts Vietnamese Army troops asking a farmer to tell them where the guerrillas are located. The farmer points in their direction. The text is:
Did you see any Viet Cong today? How many of them were there? Where were they? How many weapons did they have? Help the Government's Army restore peace and tranquility to Vietnam. Tell the Army about the Viet Cong and where they are hiding.
Leaflet SP-1150
This leaflet depicts a group of Viet Cong kicking a farmer away from his rice and preparing to steal it. 800,000 copies of this leaflet were printed in June 1966. The text on the front is:
Do Not Pay Viet Cong Taxes
The text on the back is:
Dear Compatriots,
The Viet Cong murderers have failed on all battlefields. Their supply routes and rice caches were all destroyed by our troops. Hence the Viet Cong Viet Cong don't have enough food for their soldiers and cadres.
However, before their death, the Viet Cong will rob people of their wealth using illegal taxes.
Without food the Viet Cong will die like fish without water. To enjoy peace, we must firmly refuse giving rice to the Viet Cong.
- Report to the authorities or the army all undercover Viet Cong or those who came to collect taxes.
- Hide your money and rice.
- Unanimously refuse donating money and rice to the Viet Cong.
- Migrate to safe areas to avoid the Communists.
- Support the authorities and the army in destroying the bloodthirsty Viet Cong.
Leaflet 246-159
This 246th PSYOP Company leaflet is not dated but appears to be from 1966. 50,000 copies were printed and disseminated by aircraft and handing out leaflets. It shows bags of rice that were confiscated by the Viet Cong being returned to the local farmers. The pictures are not as clear as I would have liked, but some of the leaflets were on the grass and in the rain for weeks or months so the quality differs greatly. The text on the front is:
CAPTIVE VIET CONG RICE BEING AIRLIFTED TO THE PEOPLE
The text on the back is:
You have heard of the Government of Vietnam and Allied military operations where large Viet Cong rice caches were captured by Vietnamese and Allied forces. The rice being distributed here today is such rice. It was recently captured from the Viet Cong and is now being returned by the government to its rightful owners, the people of Vietnam This is another way the government assists the people.
Leaflet 246-11-67
Leaflet 246-11-67 concerns the distribution of captured rice. The 246th PSYOP Company printed 50,000 copies of the 3 x 6-inch leaflet for local villagers with dissemination by aircraft. The leaflet depicts Australian forces returning captured rice to the villagers and the supporting text:
Your friends the Australian soldiers have taken the rice that the Viet Cong forcefully took from you and are now returning it to the rightful owners. By supporting and helping the Australian soldiers you are helping your Government of Vietnam defeat the common enemy and bringing a better life to you and your loved ones.
Regarding captured rice, on one occasion the 5th Battalion of the the Royal Australian Regiment found a Viet Cong food dump north of Binh Ba containing fifty tons of rice. The rice was sent as aid to South Vietnam by the United States and the bags were stamped with the Hands across the Sea Symbol along with Texas 1965 markings. Food sent to South Vietnam was often diverted from aid projects and sold on the black market in Saigon. This rice was distributed to the local South Vietnamese community by the Australians.
Leaflet 1746
After the Allied victory of Operation Cedar Falls, the Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO) printed 10 million leaflets on 25 February 1967 to tell the nation about the great victory. The front of the leaflet depicts 3.3 million kilos of captured rice with the text:
ARE YOUR RATIONS GETTING SCARCE?
This is just a part of the more than 3.3 million kilos of rice belonging to the National Liberation Front and seized by the National Army.
The back is a long all-text message so I will just mention a few pertinent comments:
The Saigon-Cholon-Gia Dinh command headquarters of the NFL, with all its supplies, defenses and documents, as well as 700 cadre, has been captured by the Army of Vietnam….The NFL, already short of supplies, lost 3.3 million kilos of rice, 8.7 million kilos of salt, 75 individual and crew-served weapons, 7,622 uniforms, 1,099 grenades, and 392 mines…720 NFL soldiers were killed, over 700 suspects detained and another 503 voluntarily returned to the GVN through the Chieu Hoi program. When your present rations and equipment are exhausted, what will happen to you?
Leaflet 7-534-68
This leaflet tells the farmer that they are there to protect their rice and asks help in identifying Viet Cong who might want to steal the rice. In the background a farmer talks to a Vietnamese soldier and they seem to be discussing another farmer who wears his coolie hat low over his face, perhaps to disguise it. Is he a Viet Cong stealing rice? The ARVN will certainly find out. The text on the front is:
SOLDIERS PROTECT THE PEOPLE’S HARVEST
The text on the back is:
FARMERS
Government and Allied troops are currently conducting military operations in this area with the aim of protecting the security of the people while going to the fields to harvest. The army is also determined to protect areas where rice has not yet been harvested safely.
The operational force will set up checkpoints along the road to block the movement of the Viet Cong.
So, fellow citizens, please report all news related to the Viet Cong's sabotage activities to help the Government and Allied Forces effectively protect the security of their respective areas, and at the same time preserve their rice. Our people will not have to fall into the hands of the Viet Cong.
Leaflet 7-408-71
This 7th PSYOP Battalion leaflet depicts a water buffalo on the front. It uses a bit of vilification to compare the Viet Cong to blood-sucking leeches. The text on the front is:
Just as leeches suck the blood of the water buffaloes, The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army suck our people’s blood.
The text on the back is:
Dear People,
The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army are just like leeches. They seek to suck the life blood from the poor peasants. They leveled many illegal taxes on our property and rice to prolong the war. As a result, our fellow countrymen suffer hardships wherever the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army go. To preserve our precious rice and at the same time to hasten peace, help the government stop the collection of rice. Report all Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army activities to the Republic of Vietnam Army or Allied administrative agencies.
Unlike some of my other stories that can go from 50,000 to 70,000 words, this is designed to be a short story covering just three propaganda themes. Any readers that wish to comment are encouraged to write to the author at Sgmbert@hotmail.com