🦠 😷 In 1955, British counterinsurgents planned to stage a fake epidemic in a Kenyan forest.
Read on for a bizarre - and disturbing - story from the @UkNatArchives 🧵 1/10
Read on for a bizarre - and disturbing - story from the @UkNatArchives 🧵 1/10
Aim:
💥 “to stimulate fear in the forest”
💥 to draw insurgents “out of the forest onto the reserves, where they can be brought to battle more easily”
💥 divide insurgents from population
2/10
💥 “to stimulate fear in the forest”
💥 to draw insurgents “out of the forest onto the reserves, where they can be brought to battle more easily”
💥 divide insurgents from population
2/10
How:
🦠 exploit fear of disease.
“The tribe tends to regard epidemics as manifestations of wrath by the supreme deity”
3/10
🦠 exploit fear of disease.
“The tribe tends to regard epidemics as manifestations of wrath by the supreme deity”
3/10
The plan:
1. Insert article into local newspaper stating a “terrorist was found dead” + the cause of death was “DISEASE of a highly infectious nature”.
🚨 Any contact with fighters, even by letter, could very easily spread the disease! 🚨
4/10
1. Insert article into local newspaper stating a “terrorist was found dead” + the cause of death was “DISEASE of a highly infectious nature”.
🚨 Any contact with fighters, even by letter, could very easily spread the disease! 🚨
4/10
2. And here’s where it gets bizarre….
“By secret and careful arrangement, the odd dead body of a terrorist might be ‘discovered’ on farms” or somewhere else the fighters receive support from the locals.
But wait, there’s more theatre yet…
5/10
“By secret and careful arrangement, the odd dead body of a terrorist might be ‘discovered’ on farms” or somewhere else the fighters receive support from the locals.
But wait, there’s more theatre yet…
5/10
“The discovery of these bodies would be followed by sensational activity by the Medical authorities”
- we’re talking performative white coats and rubber gloves 🥼 🧤
- we’re talking publicly burning clothes 🔥
- we’re talking fake doctors inspecting locals for symptoms 🩺
- we’re talking performative white coats and rubber gloves 🥼 🧤
- we’re talking publicly burning clothes 🔥
- we’re talking fake doctors inspecting locals for symptoms 🩺
3. News would spread to the forest.
Fighters would stop eating in case disease was in food.
Fighters would avoid each other.
Fear of disease would lead to breakdown of community
Fear of disease would induce surrenders
7/10
Fighters would stop eating in case disease was in food.
Fighters would avoid each other.
Fear of disease would lead to breakdown of community
Fear of disease would induce surrenders
7/10
Perceived plus sides:
U.K. would look “extremely humanitarian” by providing FAKE medical assistance
Pretty cynical!
8/10
U.K. would look “extremely humanitarian” by providing FAKE medical assistance
Pretty cynical!
8/10
Down sides:
“We might provoke intense alarm which might not be easily subdued”
You reckon??
Oh, and it might’ve sparked rumours / conspiracy theories about the U.K. using biological weapons
9/10
“We might provoke intense alarm which might not be easily subdued”
You reckon??
Oh, and it might’ve sparked rumours / conspiracy theories about the U.K. using biological weapons
9/10
I’m not sure if this plan ever got the green light or if it was rejected. The trail runs cold.
It was certainly developed in some detail though
Anyone know? @KimAtiWagner @IanCobain @museumofbc
END
It was certainly developed in some detail though
Anyone know? @KimAtiWagner @IanCobain @museumofbc
END
There we go. The answer is no (courtesy of @arcreuk : who knows more about the history of British propaganda than anyone I’ve ever come across. Encyclopaedic!!)
Bizarre plan nonetheless
Bizarre plan nonetheless
https://twitter.com/arcreuk/status/1441848910717329411
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