| Series title: | Far Eastern Liaison Office propaganda leaflets |
AJRP details | |
| AJRP module: | Australian War Memorial leaflets |
Location details | |
| Institution: | Australian War Memorial |
| Institution series: | Various |
Series qualities | |
| Quantity: | Approx. 500 items |
| Access: | Open |
| Series type: | Unpublished, Published, Official |
| Finding Aids: | FELO leaftlets printed finding aid |
Series content | |
| Creation date range (year): | 1942 to 1946 |
| Conflict code: | Pacific War (1941-1945) |
| Keywords: | LEAFLET DROPPING, PROPAGANDA, IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY |
| Australian unit names: | |
| Allied unit names: | FAR EASTERN LIAISON OFFICE |
| Japanese unit names: | South Seas Force 18th Army 8th Area Army 2nd Army |
| Languages: | Japanese |
| Area: | Melanesia (PNG, Irian Jaya & Solomon Islands) Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) Malaya–British Borneo (Malaysia & Singapore) |
| Biographical / Institutional info: | The Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO) was founded in mid 1942, and reorganised in September of that year. FELO was primarily concerned with the production of propaganda leaflets to be distributed to the Japanese and the local inhabitants in Papua, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, Malaya and Singapore. From November 1942 until its dissolution in September 1945, FELO estimates that it produced over 69 million leaflets in seven languages. |
| Content: | This series contains descriptions of Japanese language official documents held by the Australian War Memorial. It comprises approximately 500 Japanese language propaganda leaflets which were created and dropped in areas of Papua and New Guinea by the Far Eastern Liaison Office during the Second World War. These leaflets consist of three basic types: surrender leaflets, news bulletins, and nostalgia leaflets, and were part of a wider campaign to weaken fighting spirit among the Japanese and build morale among local peoples. The leaflets in the collection often state that any surrendered troops will be treated fairly, and that such action will enable them to take part in the post-war rebuilding of Japan. This is often accompanied by news of how badly the war is progressing for the Japanese. Mention is often made of favourable actions by the Allies in Europe, and the corresponding fortunes of the Axis powers. Nostalgic appeals to the traditional Japanese lifestyle aimed to breakdown the Japanese resolve to pursue the war effort to a futlie end. Most of the leaflets included diagrams, photographs, and in some cases cartoons. Almost all the Japanese language leaflets in the collection have the original English versions attached. |
Other information | |
| Notes: | |
| Last modified: | 11/28/2001 04:02:27 PM |
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