Propaganda Planning process

The sequence of steps taken to plan a psychological operation will vary with the situation; however, the same steps apply to any PSYOP planning. As a first step, PSYOP personnel constantly gather information relevant to the area of operations. This intelligence focuses on subjects of PSYOP interest. The material, gathered from numerous sources and analyzed, is placed in a Basic PSYOP Study (BPS).

Target analysis is a major action in campaign development. It is an examination of intelligence to permit the analyst to establish a list of psychological objectives to guide PSYOP personnel in conducting psychological operations.

A support mission can be given to a PSYOP unit at any time during the propaganda planning sequence prior to the initiation of campaign control. Upon receipt of a PSYOP mission, the PSYOP personnel follow the routine decision making steps.

The commander's decision regarding PSYOP support of the mission is made from the estimate of the situation document. The estimate should, above all else, make clear the psychological impact of the commander's proposed courses of action.

After the commander announces his decision, plans/annexes tasking the major subordinate elements with the responsibility to accomplish the propaganda tasks are prepared. The same plans provide the commander with sufficient PSYOP support to accomplish the tasks. The PSYOP unit commander makes recommendations for the employment of the PSYOP assets.

Selection of media to transmit messages is based on the information revealed during target analysis. The analysis determines the type of media that is acceptable and credible to the target audience. The planner must also consider the availability and mechanical capability of the media to deliver the message. For example, if television is selected, the audience must have access to compatible receivers. Early in the planning stage, consideration must be given to the time required for production and delivery. The message must be delivered at the needed time.

Propaganda development is the process of taking information, knowledge, and material available, visualizing it all, and expressing it as artwork, words, symbols, texts, manuscripts, and actions.

A pretest to determine the probable impact of propaganda material upon the target audience and unintended audience should be accomplished using the appropriate techniques. The best sounding board for pretesting is a cross section of the target audience. If these people are not available, a panel of those most similar to the target audience should be used.

Campaign control involves the production and dissemination of propaganda material.

Posttesting and pretesting techniques are the same, but the same personnel must not be used on both testing procedures. In addition, posttesting discussions must be concerned with the reasons for audience responses.

This is the basis for modification of plans and operations.

Successful propaganda is both credible and persuasive. Building credibility requires consistency and time. Of the many factors entering into the establishment of credibility, one of the most important is an accurate target analysis. Credibility will be enhanced when the themes relate to the needs and wants of the target audience and are kept within their frame of reference. Experience indicates that the persuasiveness of propaganda to a hostile audience is increased when the propaganda is objective and indirect-the more hostile the audience, the more objective and indirect the propaganda.

Personal messages for delivery or transmission to individuals or groups in a target audience by a former associate or relative should contain intimate details known only to the source. They should be a means of identification to the intended audience. In addition, the source must be clearly identified with sufficient information so there is no doubt as to his identity. This reinforces the credibility of the message.

The following statements apply in limited, general, and cold war:

A psychological objective is derived from the mission. It may be a single step or a series of steps designed to lead the target audience toward the behavior or attitude desired to accomplish the propaganda mission. Changes in conditions may bring about changes in psychological objectives. Psychological objectives are classified as:

A propaganda message is a communication with the purpose of bringing about an action and an attitude. Before it can accomplish its purpose, it must get a hearing by the designated receiver (target).

In brief, a message must be received, be understood, be believed, offer a solution, and bring about a desired result. Given a policy, intelligence, a target, themes, and appraisal of the desired results, the propagandist composes his message. He must construct, time, and transmit his message so that, even though in competition with considerable other material being presented to the target, it gets a hearing. The target must understand the message and give it the interpretation intended by the propagandist.

A propaganda message must arouse or stimulate needs. It must cause an action or bring about an attitude desired by the propagandist. This requires that the message tell the target how to satisfy its needs-by following the course of action desired by the propagandist. This, in turn, requires that the actions (urged openly or implied) be appropriate and important to the target. In order to get the action or attitude desired, the message must, in the opinion of the target, offer the best solution (or the only logical one) toward solving the problem addressed or in fulfilling target needs.

In essence, the propagandist must take all necessary steps to assure that the action he desires will succeed and that the action he does not desire will have the least opportunity to appeal to the target; i.e., that the undesired action will fail.

The propaganda message should be clear, concise, and coherent-a precise item without extraneous material; everything in it must contribute to the whole message, providing a coherent flow without the use of filler material.

In preparing a message or line of persuasion, avoid abstractions if possible. Make maximum use of specific and factual examples and photographs.

If abstractions are used, define them in the simplest terms.

Relate the message to the everyday life of the audience. Since the target is suspicious and will look for hidden unfavorable meanings, insure that only one interpretation, the intended one, can be given each sentence.

Since the target has a different background and frame of reference, do not use unfamiliar idiomatic expressions or jargon. Use clear and complete statements.

Develop thoughts in the logical sequence of the language used by the target audience. Do not leave any thoughts for the target to fill in. The key question to ask is, "Does the audience understand what it means?"

Use the level of language that is correct for the literacy level of the target audience. For semiliterates, it is best to use their regional dialects and idiomatic expressions.