Source Analysis: Farewell, American Soldiers !

Source Analysis - Farewell, American Solders!
"Farewell, American Soldiers!" is a propaganda piece written by an unknown member of the Japanese, it was to be used during World War II and was published in 1943 . This piece was distributed in the form of leaflets to be left for the American soldiers who were marching upon the Philippines, it's message is to scare the American soldiers with the idea of a united Asia under Japan waiting for the American soldiers in the Philippines.
This leaflet was produced with the sole intent to demoralize American foot-soldiers during their march onto the Philippines. The idea that the whole of Asia was waiting for the Americans and they were there to achieve a swift death on their enemies while their generals

sit safe outside the battle and reap the rewards.
"You are still alive!

What a miracle! And marching, too. But WHERE? To the Philippines? To Tokyo? But do you know what awaits you in the Philippines? Let me tell you. It is the Japanese forces with the combined support, both moral and material, of all the awakened Asiatics--the Manchukuoans, Chinese, Filipinos, Annamese, Thailanders, Burmese, Indians, Malayans and Indonesians."
" But this is not all. There is still another thing in store for you along the Philippines front. What is this thing? I will again answer you. It is a grave. YOUR GRAVE!"
These quote's are to scare the American troops with the idea that if they marched into the Philippines they would not only be fighting them but fighting against the Co-Prosperity Sphere. It tries to strike fear in the American soldiers with the idea of an overpowering, unstoppable force. A definite death.
This piece of propaganda was created during World War II by the Japanese in an attempts to give the idea that the Co-Prosperity Sphere had vast amounts of power and was to empower them to the Asian people but also to ward of the American attack into the Philippines after losing it to the Japanese. The initial battle with the Japanese victory is considered one of the worst military defeats in United States

history.
The Co-Prosperity Sphere was an expansionist program made under the idea of "Asia for Asians" but was mainly focused on creating distance from Europe and benefiting Japan with more colonies and land. During this time most of the Japanese's subjugated people in the Co-Prosperity Sphere had already turned on the Japanese due to the Japanese views being "totally incapable....of understanding others" and "saw everything only in a Japanese perspective" .
The author of this propaganda piece is unknown but it is highly likely that it was created by the Japanese PSYOP division, focusing on propaganda.

Knowing that this specific piece is designed purposely for the use of propaganda and how the coming war ended up the source itself isn't true to nature in its statements.
"There are only two definite things on earth. LIFE and DEATH. The difference between LIFE and DEATH is absolute. One cannot rely upon the dead; no one can make friends with the dead; the dead can neither speak nor mingle with the living. If you insist on marching west, we (by we I mean all living things) must bid you goodbye and stop bothering with you, because we, the living, are too busy to have anything to do with the dead."
The statement is insinuating that all American troops will die upon the continuation of the march, which was not true. Being made by Fascist Japan this piece of propaganda is just that, propaganda, and because of that it is heavily skewed and an attempt to scare not to retell facts, therefore this is not a credible

creator.
This source gives us a brief glimpse into the world at the time during World War II and what specific tactics were used in Psychological warfare. Historians will use this source along with many different propaganda pieces to craft a detailed picture in how propaganda was made by the Japanese.
"Farewell, American Soldiers!" is an interesting propaganda piece that fails to understand the American soldiers will to fight and is blind to the internal issues within the Co-Prosperity Sphere. This piece was made specifically for psychological warfare by Fascist Japan during World War II. This source isn't credible in a historical retelling of events but it is a reliable source of tactics used by the Japanese within the realm of propaganda.