The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1947-11-21
PSYCHOLOGICAL


warfare played such a large
part in World War II that plans
were being made during the war
to continue the vast intelligence
agency into postwar years. Such
were the ideas Of Major William J.
Donovan, Director of the Office of
Strategic Services, who is now back
In his law firm on Wall Street.
The late President Roosevelt had
the idea Of Observation-Disclosures
idea in mind when he authorized
the creation Of Co-ordinator Of IN
formation wild Bill" Donovan in
July, 1871. BY the time of Pearl
Harbor, the idea was already large
ly explored and work begun on q
new type of military unit, which
Donovan said, would do even more
unconventional fighting than the
British commands.
The Presidential Order of June
IS, 1912, revoked the name Col, and
instituted OSS to collect and ana
lyze stragetic information" and To
plan and operate. special SER
vices" Thus was born the hush
hush agency. the OSS. which was
more popularity whispered "Oh So
Sweet" and "Oh So Silly" among
the cocktail loungers in the ma
tons capital.
OUTSIDE OF
:. America, the idea, or at least
one part of it, Is as old as history.
Britain. Germany. all European
countries for that matter, have
maintained some form of espionage
system for centuries. Codes, fake
documents. agents in the inner cir
Gle of foreign governments. plans
for secret weapons sewn in the
leaves of a book and smuggled OUT
by men who didn't Know what
they carried, double agents, who
worked for two countries, agents
whose business was to watch other
agents: all this is an old story to
Europe.
But, here in the United States
General Donovan was creating
something new and it is a credit
to him that he organized such q
smooth functioning organization
which eventually played important
part in the invasion of Normandy
or supplied the Allied military
headquarters with Japanese troor
movements in Siam and Burma.
The Office of War Information
(OWD is the white" counterpart
of the OSS, which dealth with
'black" propaganda. Playwright
Robert Sherwood set up a propa-
ganda branch of the organization
which eventually split off from the
OSS. There was very hot rival
ry between the OSS and the owl
In recruiting personnel for theil
respective agencies, especially those
! who were experts ON Far East.
ern affairs.
SHORTLY.
after the surrender of Japan
the Army's psychological warfare
branch received important data
from Marquis Koichi KIDD, Lore
Keeper Of the Privy Seal and adj
wiser to Emperor Hirohito while M
was being held at Sagamo Prison
awaiting trial as a war criminal
What Kido and other high Japa.
nese government officials have re.
lated were substantially data which
tho OSS and the owl were glad tc
hear-that psychological warfare
played large part in the war.
The following narrative by kidd
and others shows for exampl,
what part a propaganda leafle
played in the eventual capitalization
Of Japan:
EARLY ON
1.-The morning of August IA
1945, he saw American bomber
over Tokyo. Down came a shower
Of small rectangular gray sheets
Each bore a copy of the Potsdan
+. Declaration and the Allies reply te
Japan's first offer of surrender
submitted three days earlier. kidd
| carried one to the palace in preaI