National Air and Space Museum Archives

US Army Air Force Japanese Propaganda Leaflet

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2016.0017
Creators:
United States. Office of War Information
Dates:
1944
Languages:
Japanese
,
English
.
Physical Description:
0.05 Cubic feet
1 folder
Repository:
Propaganda moved to the air during the Second World War. Leaflets bearing Japanese characters, like the one in this collection, were airdropped by US pilots in enemy-controlled territories of the Southwest Pacific with the intention to reduce the morale of their soldiers.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of a 4 by 6.5 inch airborne propaganda leaflet issued by the United States in 1944 and dropped over the Japanese-held territories in New Guinea and the Philippines. This leaflet is written in a traditional Japanese writing system - used by the privileged class at this time - and attempted to discourage enemy soldiers. Also included in this collection is the biography of Second Lieutenant Hubert J. Frank, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator pilot with the 65th Bombing Squadron assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Group of the Fifth Air Force, who helped scattered hundreds of these leaflets.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection is in original order.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Military aircrafts released leaflets, flyers, and other smaller paper items to promote agendas and persuade audiences. This distribution, usually scattered in the air over conflict zones, reached combatants and civilians. Often these materials were also dropped in conjunction with air strikes. In the Second World War, both the Allies and Axis utilized airborne leaflet propaganda as a method of psychological warfare to demoralize their enemy, undermine their authority, and induce surrender. In the Southwest Pacific theatre, the US pilots airdropped hundreds of propaganda leaflets over Japan as well as other territories controlled by the Japanese.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Jon Frank, Gift, 2016, NASM.2016.0017
Processing Information
Arranged and described by Patricia Williams, 2016. Encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd and revised by Amara Pugens, 2022.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
US Army Air Force Japanese Propaganda Leaflet, NASM.2016.0017, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
US Army Air Force Japanese Propaganda Leaflets [Sylvan], NASM.2016.0018.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Propaganda Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1939-1945 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Leaflets Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Biographies Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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