Operation Wandering Soul (Vietnam War)

Operation Wandering Soul was a propaganda campaign and large scale psychological warfare attempt exercised by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War.

U.S. Forces hoped that the operation would weaken the morale of the Viet Cong and prey on the fears of many Vietnamese. Like many others, the Vietnamese culture includes beliefs and rituals that show respect for the dead. For example, the Vietnamese culture calls for a proper burial and it is believed that if this does not occur, the soul of the deceased continues to wander the earth thus becoming a "Wandering Soul.” Another term that could be used is ghost or spirit.[1]

It is the Vietnamese belief that the dead must be buried in their homeland, or their soul will wander aimlessly in pain and suffering. Vietnamese feel that if a person is improperly buried, then their soul wanders constantly. They can sometimes be contacted on the anniversary of their death and near where they died. Vietnamese honor these dead souls on a holiday when they return to the site where they died. The U.S. used this to their advantage and tried to trick the Viet-Congs into leaving by playing the audio recording of their dead friends wandering around.[1]

U.S. engineers spent weeks recording eerie sounds and altered voices, which pretended to be killed Viet Cong, for use in the operation, with the intended purpose of instilling a sense of turmoil within the enemy, the desired result being for the soldier to flee his position. The tape, dubbed Ghost Tape Number Ten, was played on loudspeakers outside U.S. bases.[2] Helicopters were also deployed at times to broadcast recordings[3] in which the pre-recorded voices called on their "descendants" in the Viet Cong to defect and cease fighting.

The extent of the operation's success is unknown. The Viet Cong usually returned fire upon encountering the recordings, thus nullifying the intended outcome of the operation.