“Battle of Persuasion: PSYOP in the Vietnam War” and tour of Paulson Aviation Library
On April 13, 2024, the Book Club of Detroit (BCD) was privileged to hear from Major Joseph L. Tebor (U.S. Army retired) about his experiences as an intelligence officer in the Vietnam War. We’re grateful to Major Tebor for his entertaining and informative talk and for showing us some samples of his collection, now housed at the National Vietnam War Museum in Weatherford, Texas. The Paulson Aviation Library at Mettetal Airport in Canton, Michigan was the venue for our event. We enjoyed a tour of the library, thanks to Liz Hebron of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 113.
A display table at the Paulson Library.
Tiana Washington, member of BCD’s board of directors, displays The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship, published in 1911. The Paulson Library includes aviation-related fiction as well as technical works on aircraft design, flight manuals, and aviation history.
“In peacetime, we call it advertising”: Major Joseph Tebor explains the goals of propaganda.
Samples of Major Tebor’s collection on display for BCD members and guests to examine. These are extra or duplicates of items in his collection donated to the National Vietnam War Museum in Weatherford, Texas.
This leaflet has remained in a jar of water since June 2022 without disintegrating or becoming illegible. A non-tearing paper that would retain print was developed during the war so that safe conduct pass leaflets would not fall apart in the humid, damp conditions of the region.
Some leaflets were designed to look like North Vietnamese currency, to increase the chances they would be picked up.