PSYOPs are now a critical part of the U.S. military’s defense strategy. But, how did psychological operations evolve – and what happens when they go too far? In this chapter, we look at the origins of American military PSYOPs and examine how cultural figures – ranging from public relations pioneer Edward Bernays to the filmmakers behind the Kony 2012 viral video – have used media to shape geopolitics.

Chapters

(01:07) - The Story of the ‘Invisible Children’ Project and The Lord’s Resistance Army

(09:40) - ‘Kony 2012’ Goes Viral

(12:26) - A PSYOP to Take Down Joseph Kony

(14:48) - The PSYOPs of WWI & WWII

21:37) - The Ghost Army

(26:05) - ‘Propaganda’ The Rise of Edward Bernays

(29:25) - White, Gray, and Black Propaganda

(33:04) - Operation Wandering Soul

(39:44) - The Cold War’s PSYOP ‘Master Plan’

(43:10) - Operation Mockingbird

(46:46) - The CIA and The National Endowment for Democracy

(56:06) - Edward Bernays and a Coup in Guatemala

Sponsors:

SBIR Advisors:

If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit ⁠https://www.sbiradvisors.com⁠ Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.

GHOSTBED

Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit ⁠https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP⁠ and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.

MAREK HEALTH:

Take control of your health today! Head to ⁠http://marekhealth.com⁠ and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.

SPARTAN FORGE:

Go to ⁠http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP ⁠and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription

(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)

Chapter 6: The Master Plan - Secret PSYOPs That Run the World