The OSS Gallery at the CIA Museum at the George Bush Center for Intelligence, Virginia.

All warfare is based on deception.” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War.”

The Morale Operations (MO) branch was a significant division of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. This branch was responsible for utilizing psychological warfare, particularly propaganda, to induce specific psychological reactions in both the general population and military forces of the Axis powers. These operations were designed to support larger Allied political and military objectives.

The OSS was formed on June 13, 1942, as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branches of the United States Armed Forces. The OSS was led by William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan, an American lawyer, soldier, and diplomat. Donovan is best known for serving as the head of the OSS during World War II1. He is regarded as the founding father of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a statue of him stands in the lobby of the CIA headquarters building in Langley, Virginia.

Under Donovan’s leadership, the OSS utilized propaganda, subversion, and post-war planning. After the war ended, the OSS was dissolved, but its intelligence tasks were resumed and carried over by its successors, the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), and the Central Intelligence Group (CIG), the intermediary precursor to the independent CIA. For their significant contributions during the war, the OSS was collectively honored with a Congressional Gold Medal on December 14, 2016.

Formation and Purpose

The Morale Operations branch was formed on March 3, 1943, by Donovan. Donovan admired the perceived effectiveness of Nazi propaganda and saw the United States’ lack of similar operations as a significant weakness. To address this, he created the Morale Operations branch, which used various tactics in both the informational and physical domains to sap morale, induce confusion, and sow distrust within the populations of Axis countries and within the ranks of their armed forces.

Donovan held the belief that warfare should be conducted with an eye specifically to the psychological effect of both the actions and deeds of parties to a conflict. He asserted that such psychological considerations are as important in devising wartime strategy as any other factor considered in planning a military campaign.

The Morale Operations Branch employed a diverse group of creatives, including writers, cartoonists, artists, journalists, and playwrights. These individuals were tasked with creating and spreading disinformation to the enemy. The branch produced and disseminated “black” propaganda to destabilize enemy governments and encourage resistance movements at the strategic and tactical levels.

Internal Organization

Donovan’s template for the organization of the Morale Operations Branch may be attributed loosely to the ‘black’ propaganda elements of the British Political Warfare Executive (PWE), upon which OSS personnel drew heavily for guidance in designing the makeup and mission of the Morale Operations Branch.

The Morale Operations Branch was structured into five key sections: Special Communications Detachment; Radio Division; Special Contacts Division; Publications and Campaigns Division; and Foreign Division. The Special Communications Detachment was tasked with conducting combat propaganda operations in coordination with the U.S. Army in Europe. The Radio Division was responsible for broadcasting propaganda and disinformation. The Special Contacts Division focused on establishing and maintaining contacts that could aid in the propagation of propaganda. The Publications and Campaigns Division took charge of creating and distributing printed propaganda materials. The Foreign Division collaborated with foreign governments and organizations to coordinate propaganda efforts.

Each division had a distinct role and function, but they all collaborated to fulfill the overall objectives of the Morale Operations Branch. This organizational structure facilitated a comprehensive approach to psychological warfare, employing a range of tactics and strategies to undermine enemy morale.

Tactics & Strategies.

The Morale Operations Branch conducted a variety of operations aimed at undermining the morale of the Axis powers. One of their key strategies was the use of psychological warfare, particularly propaganda, to elicit specific psychological reactions in both the general population and military forces of the Axis powers. This included the deployment of ‘black’ propaganda, a type of information that is falsely presented as being from a source on one side of a conflict but is actually from the opposing side.

In addition to propaganda, the branch was also responsible for creating and spreading disinformation. This was done with the aim of inducing confusion and sowing distrust within the populations of Axis countries and within the ranks of their armed forces. The branch executed all forms of morale subversion by diverse means, including the spread of false rumors, the operation of “freedom stations,” and the distribution of false leaflets and documents.

The branch also organized and supported fifth column activities, which refer to any group of people who undermine a larger group, such as a nation or a besieged city, from within. This was achieved by providing grants, trained personnel, and supplies. Donovan, the founder of the Morale Operations Branch, held the belief that warfare should be conducted with an eye specifically to the psychological effect of both the actions and deeds of parties to a conflict. He asserted that such psychological considerations are as important in devising wartime strategy as any other factor considered in planning a military campaign.

The Morale Operations branch developed and disseminated leaflets, propagated unfounded rumors, and orchestrated radio broadcasts targeted at Axis powers and territories under their control. The radio broadcasts, which were seemingly transmitted from a covert station in France, were in reality broadcast from England. These broadcasts were crafted to be engaging, with the aim of attracting the attention of enemy soldiers. Propaganda was subtly woven into the programs. The ‘entertainment’ segment featured popular German songs, including Lili Marlene, which was specially recorded for Moral Operations by Marlene Dietrich.

These operations were designed to create confusion and division and undermine the morale of the enemy. The tactics and strategies developed by the Morale Operations Branch continue to influence modern psychological warfare and intelligence operations.

Notable Operations

The Morale Operations Branch achieved several notable successes. One of the most successful black ops of the war was Operation SAUERKRAUT. This operation was led by Barbara Lauwers and other OSS agents who would enter Allied POW camps, interview and select German or German-conscripted Czech POWs, train them, and then dispatch them back across the line to spread propaganda. The recruited former POWs were aptly nicknamed the Sauerkraut agents.

In addition to Operation SAUERKRAUT, Lauwers also created The League of Lonely War Women. This mythical organization was designed to demoralize German troops by making them believe that the German wives and girlfriends they left behind were having casual affairs with foreign men. Forged leaflets in German were printed in Rome and disseminated widely, with more than 200,000 copies produced. This operation was so successful that it even fooled The Washington Post, which ran a story about it.

Operation CORNFLAKES was another notable operation. Operation CORNFLAKES was a unique initiative where German mailbags were packed with personal letters that carried propaganda from the Morale Operations branch. These imitation mailbags were strategically dropped by Allied planes during attacks on enemy railway yards. The objective was to trick the Germans into believing that the dispersed mailbags were genuine and subsequently circulate them through their postal network. The effectiveness of Morale Operations’ tactics in Italy was remarkable, leading to the surrender or desertion of an estimated 10,000 enemy soldiers.

Final Thoughts

The Morale Operations branch of the OSS played a crucial role in World War II, using psychological warfare to undermine the morale of the Axis powers. Its innovative use of propaganda and disinformation significantly contributed to the Allied victory. Today, the tactics and strategies developed by the Morale Operations branch continue to influence modern psychological warfare and intelligence operations.

Resources

Office of Strategic Services Society
OSSSociety.org

USASOC OSS Website (Official US Army Website)
www.soc.mil/OSS/index.html

Central Intelligence Agency
CIA.gov

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