East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-03-14
Field Propaganda Army
Fought With Brains, Ink,
Paper; Prisoners FlOcked
in.
METHODS OF SECRET
BRANCH MADE PUBLIC
Food Shortage, American
Numbers Hammered Up
on Enemy Mind.
BY WEBB MILLER

NCHilcu TTHSS correspondent
WITH THE THIRD ARMY IN THE
RHINEI-AND. March 13.-Now that
the need for secrecy has passed. 1t is
possible to tell something about a
little known branch of the American
armies-zthe Field Propaganda Sec
tion.
Although it's chief weapons were
only brains. ink and paper the Field
Propaganda Section undoubtedly saw
ed many lives. brought in many pris-
oners and weakened the Germans mo-
rale and shortened the war thereby.
II was decided to concentrate Amer
lean propaganda upon ,nree main
points-the German shortage of food,
the constantly increasing number of
American soldiers landing in France
and the arguments in President Will
sons speeches.
The Field Section consisted of mo-
tortrucks and a balloon outfit. with
fourteen men, under Lieutenant
George Nichols lift, Jr., OF Pocatello,
Icaho. Lieutenant lift had lived in
Germany. spoke German and UNDER |
stood the Teutonic mind.
The Germans were circulating al
story among their troops that the
|
tale was designed to force the Ger
man machine gunners to fight to the
last breath. Several hundreds of
thousands of copies Of General Per-
shing's general order relative to ths
humane handling Of prisoners were
printed in German. The aviarors flung
showers of the leaflets over the front
lines And the propaganda had al
m m nd dfot aFf r.
crews surrendered and eagerly showed
their captors copies OF the order
which they had picked up.
Two Points Driven Hoi,un,
Then the propagandists began to
hammer upon the two weak points or
the Germans-the food shortage and
the number of Americans In Fran.e.
In keeping the Germans informed of
the number of Americans landing. the
field section used only the rfficial
figures from Washington. This ia
probably the first time in history that
a belligerent was anxious for the en-
eny to know the number of troops
he had. In Difference TO tn, German
weakness for charts ad tables the
figures were arranged to show the in
crease in the American array month
by month.
Quiz for Huns
After few weeks of this lombard
nent, leaflet with a series of "Ques
'ons for German soldiers was sent
ver. These questions were designed
y start the German to thinking about
'hat the flood of American soldiers
leant to him.
On top of these appeals was piled
nother appeal In the shape of a list
the rations served to German pris. =
ners. The various articles ~ food ,,~
eer enumerated with particular en-
nasis upon white bread, real coffee
no tobacco and butter and other food
uffs unknown to the German ration, ,,,o
mis- proved to be one of the strong o~,
It arguments-the German stomach A.,
elded easier than the German mind. Of
various points on the front DESERT nlo
$ came into our lines with copies of -
e ration list in their hands.
Power Contrasfed. n
After each of President Wilson's
eeches and notes to Germany, hun. "a
eds of thousands of copies of trans III
IONS were strewn over the German
les. Within two DAYS after the
eeches American airplanes were
opping copies over the iines.
After the st. Mihiel salient was
ped out the whole front was show
ID with leaflets showing a signifi-
ut map of the salient before and
er and the statement Ground
d four years by the Germans taken
! !. ] ! ; & ]: ; !
hin twenty-seven hours by the Am ~
cans and table showing the
nber of prisoners and guns taken,
ring the Argonne-Meuse fighting a
les of daily progress" maps were
over by tiny balloons showing the
tdy advance of the Americans.