Major Carl Yasuda (Ret) submitted a photo news account of 7th Group Operations in 1967. Carl was a LT at the time and was assigned first (July 65) to Vietnam (TDY) as part of the 1st PsyOps Detachment formed by members of B&VA (14th PsyWar Bn).. He served as PsyWar Propaganda Officer until Dec 65 when he returned to Okinawa to join the newly reorganized 7th PsyOp Group. He remained on Okinawa until 1967.
The pictures and news article submitted by Carl closely parallels two accounts previously provided by Dennis Kaliser who served with the 15th Printing Detachment from 1966-1967. These two accounts, Photo Album & Commentary and 15th Psyops Printing Detachment (Power Point Presentation) are found in Menu of 7th Accounts.
Pictures included in the Photo-Feature news article below can be viewed by clicking on photo description in the account. Dennis Kaliser provided names of some of the individuals that were not given in the news article..
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS GROUP
INFORMATION OFFICE
APO SAN FRANCISCO 96248
FO: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7th PSYOP GP (IO), Okinawa--2 Nov 67--These are stock photographs and captions dealing with the operations of the 7th Psychological Operations Group, and are intended for use as a photo-feature on the Group, or for release in conjunction with another news article.
HEADING
Headquarters of the U.S. Army 7th Psychological Operations Group are located in the Machinato Service Area, Okinawa. the Group's mission is to provide psychological operations (psyop) support to major commanders throughout the Pacific Command, through its radio broadcasting, leaflet dissemination, loudspeaker, printing and propaganda evaluation capabilities.
Colonel M.W. Lundelius, commanding officer of the 7th, hooks up the static line which will burst the box carrying the Group's one-billionth leaflet to be dropped in support of counterinsurgency operations in Vietnam. Looking on is Colonel John R. Neil, former commander of the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing at Naha Air Base, Naha, Okinawa. The 374th is responsible for flying the leaflet missions which have already disseminated enough psyop material to encircle the Earth more than seven times at the equator. Personnel from the Group accompany the Wing on many of the missions.
The 7th's Graphics Branch prepares the final drafts, or "dummies," of many leaflets and posters printed by the Group
A master plate, from which the leaflets or posters will be be printed, is then made by photographing the "dummy." Here, the plate is being developed.
Leaflets are then run off by the Group's high-speed printing presses, which requires constant attention to insure that the printing plant continues to operate at its present rate of 400% of its estimated capability. It is in full swing 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sheets of leaflets are stacked in the press room and then sized and cut.
Finished leaflets are packed in "breakaway" boxes developed by the 7th and taken to the Air Force Base at Naha.
Finally, the leaflets are taken aloft.. The cloud of leaflets (seen in earlier picture) scatters high above the Earth's surface to begin a slow Descent to their destination. Group personnel developed the high-altitude method of dissemination now being used, which allows the aircraft to drop the psyop material hundreds of miles from the target area, and let it drift in on the prevailing winds. Thanks to this type of dissemination, which helps the aircraft to avoid enemy antiaircraft emplacements, not a single aircraft or crew member has been lost during these operations.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Col Charlie Nahlik (Ret) indicated that as a Capt in 1966, he was an understudy of Major David Underhill who designed the high altitude leaflet program in the Pacific.
The newsroom is where the Voice of the United Nations Command (VUNC) operated by the 7th, begins. The station, which broadcasts 24 hours of news and feature material to both North and South Korea each day, has its main office at the Group's compound in Machinato. Here news is received via four wire services, then rewritten and edited in English, before it is passed on to the Korean Language Section, where it is translated into the final radio script. Programs are taped by highly-skilled audio specialists in the studio prior to broadcast.
EDITOR'S NOTES: . In an earlier version of this "Note", I stated that there was no VUNC studio in Machinato during my tour of 1961-63...... Larry Hartley who also served during my time corrected my mistake (3/4/06) and said the VUNC studio shown in above picture was present and in operation in Machinato during this time....This brings up an important point about facilities and memory of events 44 years ago....From 1961-62, I monitored shortwave radio broadcasts and radio teletype communications in a small fenced-in compound down the road from Hq barracks. If the VUNC studio was present during my tour it must have been located in a group of quonset huts and buildings adjacent to but outside the fenced-in compound. . I find it both interesting and regretful that my duties did not provide an opportunity for me to learn of this studio and perhaps other facilities in operation. It was not until I moved to Deragawa with the 16th Company in 1962 that I worked in my true MOS of Transmitter Repairman and also functioned as a Studio Engineer.
The presence of the VUNC studio in Machinato raises the question of where the VUNC shows were broadcast. The next item in News Report states that the taped shows were broadcast at Deragawa.. If shows were broadcast at Deragawa in 1967 they must have been broadcast from there prior to 1962 when the 16th moved to that facility.
The taped VUNC shows are then broadcast by the 16th Company through transmitters located at Deragawa, Okinawa, to Seoul, Korea, where they are picked up and rebroadcast by the Group's Korea Detachment. The 16th also produces some local news programs of its own with its Mobile studio and Transmitter Vans.
The 16th Psychological Operations Company, located at Deragawa, is a deployable subordinate unit with loudspeaker and mobile radio broadcasting capability. Two five ton vans contain a complete studio and 10 KW AM transmitter. Three smaller units are used for power generation and radio monitoring including teletype. For use during deployment, a helium-filled baloon hoists the antenna for radio broadcasting. The entire operation can be set up and begin broadcasting over a 50-mile radius within an hour.
EDITOR'S NOTE: No pictures of Mobile Broadcast Equipment was provided... I serviced both the fixed and mobile transmitters discussed and shown above during my tour at Deragawa from 1962-63. For additional pictures and description of the 16th at Deragawa from 62-63 See 16th Page .
The 16th deployed loudspeaker equipment housed and mounted on trucks. They also have an audio-visual "Jeepster" which is capable of loudspeaker broadcasting, playing recorded tapes and showing motion pictures. Entertainment with a psychological operations message can easily be taken to more remote villages and hamlets, such as those in Vietnam, where the program has been extremely effective.
Another active part of the The 7th Group is the Propaganda Branch located at Machinato. This branch analyzed enemy propaganda as well as evaluating the 7th's own PsyOp efforts. Throughout 1967, the Detachment performed research and analysis relevant to PACOM's psychological operations mission. The collected data was used to support the printing and broadcasting activities.
The Publications Branch furnishes psychological support to the High Commissioner, Ryukyu Islands, through publication of the monthly magazine, Shurei No Hikari. The magazine is a 48 page, Japanese language publication. Annually, the Publications Branch produces the Farmer's Forester's and Fisherman's Almanac and the Ryukyuan Calandar.
END OF NEWS ACCOUNT
