Stuff You Should Know – Short Stuff: Did a Vampire Legend Help Win the Cold War?

Podcast by iHeartPodcasts | Hosts: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant
Date: January 14, 2026

Episode Overview

In this Short Stuff episode, Josh and Chuck unpack an unexpectedly dark tale from Cold War history: the CIA’s use of a Filipino vampire legend (the “Aswang”) as a psychological weapon. The hosts delve into Filipino folklore, Cold War psy-ops, and the way fear—and cultural superstition—were manipulated in a little-known operation against guerilla fighters. As always, they mix curiosity with dry wit for a punchy, bite-sized history lesson.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing the Aswang & Filipino Cultural Context

• The Philippines is a massive, diverse archipelago with “7,000 islands” and “175 different languages” (01:26–01:34, Josh).
• Many ancient folk beliefs persist across these islands; one of the most notorious is the Aswang—a shapeshifting, vampiric creature:
  • Drinks blood, feeds on organs and (disgustingly) “phlegm” (02:05, Chuck: “It feeds on phlegm, which is completely disgusting to me!”).
  • Targets pregnant women, unborn children, and can appear as a “giant pig,” “dog-shaped thing,” or “giant vulture” (02:23–02:40).
  • Used to explain “mysterious death or unexplained illness” (02:43).
• Etymology: “I saw somewhere that the name comes from ASO Wong, which means dog, I think, in Tagalog” (02:54, Josh).

2. CIA’s Psy-Ops in the Philippines

• During the Cold War, the CIA looked to local legends to gear its psychological warfare.
• Edward Geary Lansdale was a “pre-war ad guy” turned CIA operative, specializing in psychological operations (psy-ops):
  • “They said, since you’re an ad guy... you’d be great at psyops, using media and marketing and propaganda to help win the war. Like demonize the enemy—because that’s basically what you do as an advertiser” (04:35, Chuck).
  • Lansdale went beyond standard leaflet drops; he sought to “turn that culture’s beliefs and superstitions against it to win the war” (05:08, Josh).

3. The Philippine Conflict & Guerrilla Army

• In the late 1940s–1950s, the US backed the government of President Ramon Magsaysay against a rebel group known as the Huks (HUKS)—former heroic anti-Japanese fighters, now labeled communist insurgents.
  • Discontent was fueled by the “Philippine Trade Act of 1946,” which gave US “equal rights to the natural resources,” leading to a break with American-backed leadership (08:17–09:01).
  • Elections that installed the pro-US regime “were totally rigged by the CIA and US operatives... all dirty dealing going on in the CIA back then. Not like these days” (09:41, Chuck, wryly).

4. Deploying the Aswang Legend as a Weapon

• Lansdale and his team researched local beliefs to create fear-based propaganda:
  • Early tactics included “broadcast[ing] curses in Tagalog” from airplanes and painting ominous symbols (“Eye of God”) on sympathizers’ houses—moderately effective but limited (10:46–11:39).
• The Aswang operation represented a dramatic escalation:
  • “They basically had these Filipino commandos go into the village and start a rumor that the Aswang was haunting this area where the Huk rebels were camped out” (11:39, Josh).
  • The American-led operatives didn’t stop at rumor-mongering; they staged grotesque “Aswang-like” killings—kidnapping and killing Huk fighters, “disembowel[ing] them, cleaning them out Aswang vampire style, and leav[ing] their bloodless corpses behind.” (12:37, Chuck).

5. Fact vs. Folklore: Did It Work?

• Notably, some CIA actions (like “drain[ing] them of blood,” more akin to Dracula) didn’t strictly respect local Aswang lore—“that is not really Aswang at all... and that’s just shoddy research” (13:06–13:27, Josh).
• The effectiveness was more about the brutality than the legend itself: “I’m not sure if it worked because they thought it was an Aswang... or if it was because... [the soldiers were] so twisted... either way, don’t mess with these guys. It’s awful.” (14:16-14:31, Chuck)
• Conclusion: The Aswang ploy only worked once to “dislodge those Huk insurgents,” but the broader war was won by attrition; the Huks surrendered in 1954 (14:31–14:59).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Aswang legend:
  “It feeds on phlegm, which is completely disgusting to me!” — Chuck (02:21)
• On the CIA’s approach:
  “Since you’re an ad guy, you know what you’d be great at is psyops... That’s basically what you do as an advertiser.” — Chuck (04:35)
• On the ‘successful’ operation:
  “They had these agents go in and Aswang them. Basically, they would kidnap Huk fighters and disembowel them and clean them out Aswang vampire style and leave their bloodless corpses behind.” — Chuck (12:37)
• On the outcome:
  “But it worked. It didn’t win the war... it worked this one time.” — Josh (14:31)
• Dry CIA satire:
  “Not like these days.” — Chuck (09:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Filipino Folklore & Aswang Intro: 01:26–03:32
• Psy-ops and Lansdale’s Background: 04:35–05:51
• Anti-Huk Conflict Details: 08:15–10:39
• Psy-ops Tactics—Rumors & Aswang Deception: 11:39–13:06
• Discussion on Effectiveness, Fact vs. Folklore: 13:27–14:59

Tone & Style

The episode is delivered in the hosts’ signature conversational tone, blending fascination with wit and the occasional dry remark about CIA ethics, advertising, and the absurdity of militarized folklore. The gruesome historical facts are balanced by their banter and mutual incredulity.

Conclusion

This episode spotlights how psychological operations can harness (and distort) deeply-rooted cultural beliefs for warfare—sometimes with shocking cruelty. It's a vivid illustration of how folklore, fear, and propaganda intersected on the battleground of the Cold War. For all their characteristic humor, Josh and Chuck never lose sight of the disturbing legacy left behind.