PSYOP and War Propaganda Leaflets

These leaflets were made to be read in a hurry, by soldiers who found them on the ground and by civilians who were handed one. Most were printed by U.S. and Coalition psychological operations units and written in the language of the people they were meant for, from Japanese in the Pacific War to Pashto and Dari in Afghanistan.

The largest group comes from Iraq. Between December 30, 1990 and February 28, 1991, Coalition forces dropped about 29 million leaflets of more than 100 designs, by the 4th PSYOP Group's own count. Safe conduct passes such as C21 and V28 sit here beside a leaflet printed to look like Iraqi currency. The war that began in 2003 brought leaflets with more words on them, many of them asking civilians to call a tip line or report militia activity.

Every piece here is an original. Nearly every listing gives the leaflet number where one is known and an English translation of the text. Each also says how the piece left military hands, such as whether it was dropped in the field or kept back as surplus. That history goes a long way toward explaining why two copies of one design can carry very different prices.

A few pieces come from the other side, among them Iraqi leaflets printed in English for Coalition soldiers. Many of these leaflets appear in American War Propaganda Leaflets (1990 to 2022), published by Khajistan Press. Every leaflet here was shown in Khajistan: Office of War Information (O.W.I.) at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, which ran from May 9 to August 9, 2026.

Questions

What is a PSYOP leaflet?

A printed message made by a military's psychological operations unit to change what enemy soldiers or civilians believe or do. U.S. leaflets in 1991 told Iraqi soldiers how to surrender safely. In later wars many asked civilians for information about militias and insurgents. Most were dropped from aircraft, and some were handed out by troops on the ground.

Are these leaflets originals or reproductions?

Every leaflet listed here is an original. Each listing states where the piece came from, for example an airdropped leaflet kept by the family of a U.S. military commander, or a surplus copy retained outside field distribution.

What does "surplus" mean on a listing?

A surplus copy was printed for a campaign but never dropped or handed out. Surplus survives in larger numbers than leaflets that went into the field, which is one reason dealers sell common Gulf War passes for a few dollars each.

What wars are the leaflets from?

Most come from Iraq, in the Gulf War of 1991 and the war that began in 2003. Smaller groups come from Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and from the Pacific War against Japan in 1944 and 1945.

What do numbers like C21 and V28 mean?

Gulf War leaflet numbers follow Richard D. Johnson's catalogue Seeds of Victory: Psychological Warfare and Propaganda (Schiffer, 1997), which psywarrior.com also uses. Later leaflets are listed under their military product codes, such as IZD-069 for Iraq and AF D91 for Afghanistan. Some dealers use their own reference numbers, so one design can carry two numbers.

Where have these leaflets been shown?

Every leaflet in this collection was shown in Khajistan: Office of War Information (O.W.I.) at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, on view from May 9 to August 9, 2026. The installation recreated a wartime office in decay, with printers turning out copies of American leaflets and terminals where visitors could read their translations.