ABSTRACT
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) has had quite remarkable success in its foreign affairs. During the 1960's, the GDR waged a multi-faceted psychological operations (PSYOP) campaign to establish the regime's legitimacy. This chapter examines one aspect of the broad PSYOP enterprise, leaflets and billboards employed along the GDR-Federal Republic of Germany border in the Summer of 1965. The themes of the leaflets and signs present a good sample of those employed in other GDR as well as Soviet media directed against West Germany. The GDR faced a major challenge in establishing some kind of recognition of its existence as a state. To deal with West German opposition to its legitimacy, the GDR pursued foreign policy goals under the general rubric of peaceful coexistence. Most of the PSYOP material apparently was intended to effect among the population of the Federal Republic of Germany long term changes in attitude about their own government and relations with East Germany.
