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Have you ever heard of the time the US military used vampires to win a war? It sounds like the plot of a cheesy horror movie, but this actually happened during the Hukbalahap Rebellion in the Philippines.
Let's rewind a bit. After World War II, a communist group called the Hukbalahap, or Huks for short, gained a strong foothold in the Philippines. They were former guerilla fighters who fought against the Japanese occupation and had widespread support. By the 1950s, they posed a serious threat to the newly established Philippine government, which the US was backing.
Enter the CIA and a particularly creative operative named Lt. Col. Edward Lansdale. Lansdale was known for his unconventional tactics, believing that to defeat an enemy, you had to understand their fears and beliefs. He quickly realized that the Huks, being deeply rooted in rural communities, were highly superstitious. One particular belief caught his attention: the Aswang.
The Aswang is a terrifying creature in Filipino folklore, a shapeshifting vampire that preys on unsuspecting victims, often draining their blood with its long, grotesque tongue. Lansdale saw an opportunity to use this fear to his advantage.
His plan was audacious, to say the least: stage fake Aswang attacks to terrify the Huks into believing a supernatural force was against them. In one instance, Lansdale's men captured a Huk soldier, drained his blood, and left his mutilated body on display, mimicking the gruesome handiwork of the Aswang. The effect was immediate and devastating. Fear spread through the Huk ranks like wildfire.
Lansdale didn't stop there. He orchestrated other psychological operations, like painting eerie eyes on buildings in Huk-controlled villages, creating the illusion of constant, unseen surveillance. These tactics, combined with conventional military support, ultimately contributed to the decline of the Hukbalahap Rebellion.
The story of the CIA and the Aswang is a bizarre footnote in the history of psychological warfare. It demonstrates how understanding and exploiting an enemy's cultural beliefs can be a powerful weapon, even if it means resorting to the stuff of nightmares.
Think about it: How much do you think cultural beliefs and superstitions influence people's actions, even today?
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