J. M. Hungerford

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J. M. Hungerford

Illustration of official papers and files — Illustration: official papers and files. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

Type	Person
Also known as	J.M. Hungerford
On the Timeline	1 event, 1950

J.M. Hungerford was the author of a RAND Corporation research memorandum dated 14 April 1950, titled The Exploitation of Superstitions for Purposes of Psychological Warfare, written for the U.S. Air Force.

The memorandum

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The study looked at how beliefs in the supernatural, such as fortune-telling, astrology and other superstitions, had been used in past conflicts and might be used to influence enemy populations. It is not about UFOs directly, but UFO researchers often cite it as evidence that, from the early Cold War, U.S. defence planners considered using strange beliefs as a psychological weapon. Some researchers connect it to later disinformation campaigns around UFOs, such as the Bennewitz affair.

On the UAP Timeline

Illustration of an observer watching the sky — Illustration: an observer watching the sky. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

RAND memorandum RM-365 (14 April 1950) — An Air Force-funded RAND paper studies using superstition and the paranormal for psychological warfare.

Connected articles

References

The Exploitation of Superstitions for Purposes of Psychological Warfare — RAND · rand.org · archived copy
Psychological warfare research studies within the Air Force — CIA reading room · cia.gov · archived copy
Superstitions as a weapon — Boing Boing · boingboing.net · archived copy
Superstition PSYOP — Psywarrior · psywarrior.com · archived copy
Superstitions as weapons (on RAND RM-365) — Boing Boing · boingboing.net · archived copy

Categories: Disinformation | Person | Rand corporation | Unidentified flying object | Us air force

This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.

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