Books by Erwin Warkentin
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus Volume I: A Crash Course in Mass Deception, 2019
“Time bombs,” “Trojans Horses” and “Dithering Hamlets” were all part of the everyday jargon of th... more “Time bombs,” “Trojans Horses” and “Dithering Hamlets” were all part of the everyday jargon of the World War II’s ultra-Secretive Political Warfare Executive (PWE). The PWE’s instructors used these terms in the training of the next generation of propagandists and political warriors. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus reveals for the first time what it took to become a propagandist in what was then the elite political/psychological warfare unit in the world. Under the maxim that a good propagandist is trained not born, the lecturers of the PWE Training School at Woburn Abbey and then Brondesbury systematically explored every aspect of how to deliver a lethal dose of propaganda to the enemy and then a purgative and curative dose in the peace that followed.
The views of the PWE’s instructors were controversial. This is significant because they would play an important, if hidden, role in how Europe is developing even today. For example, they held a low opinion of the French in general and considered that they had been reduced to the level of “dithering Hamlets” by the German “Trojan Horses” even before the first German tank had crossed the Belgian frontier. On the dark side of PWE operations, they were not above killing the prostitutes whose brothels served the German U-Boot fleet in order to amplify their propaganda message. Perhaps most significant is that they saw Great Britain as European and espoused a Europe that looks very much like the European Union of the early 21st Century. However, there is one important difference. They saw this Greater Europe as accepting the British way of life and being led by Great Britain and not embracing American culture under German leadership.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception Volume I introduces the reader to the history and theory of political warfare as seen through the eyes of the inheritors of Lord Northcliffe’s Crewe House. Drawing on JFC Fuller and his concept of a war fought in the mind without armies, it establishes the theoretical parameters of political warfare. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War Volume II takes the PWE’s theories and shows what it might look like when words are weaponised and deployed in anger. Though the lectures are over 70-years old they are once more relevant in that they resonated with current attempts at engaging in political warfare that now plays itself out through social media platforms. A modern-day amalgam of leaflet, broadcast and rumour.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus Volume II: Words at War, 2019
“Time bombs,” “Trojans Horses” and “Dithering Hamlets” were all part of the everyday jargon of th... more “Time bombs,” “Trojans Horses” and “Dithering Hamlets” were all part of the everyday jargon of the World War II’s ultra-Secretive Political Warfare Executive (PWE). The PWE’s instructors used these terms in the training of the next generation of propagandists and political warriors. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus reveals for the first time what it took to become a propagandist in what was then the elite political/psychological warfare unit in the world. Under the maxim that a good propagandist is trained not born, the lecturers of the PWE Training School at Woburn Abbey and then Brondesbury systematically explored every aspect of how to deliver a lethal dose of propaganda to the enemy and then a purgative and curative dose in the peace that followed.
The views of the PWE’s instructors were controversial. This is significant because they would play an important, if hidden, role in how Europe is developing even today. For example, they held a low opinion of the French in general and considered that they had been reduced to the level of “dithering Hamlets” by the German “Trojan Horses” even before the first German tank had crossed the Belgian frontier. On the dark side of PWE operations, they were not above killing the prostitutes whose brothels served the German U-Boot fleet in order to amplify their propaganda message. Perhaps most significant is that they saw Great Britain as European and espoused a Europe that looks very much like the European Union of the early 21st Century. However, there is one important difference. They saw this Greater Europe as accepting the British way of life and being led by Great Britain and not embracing American culture under German leadership.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception Volume I introduces the reader to the history and theory of political warfare as seen through the eyes of the inheritors of Lord Northcliffe’s Crewe House. Drawing on JFC Fuller and his concept of a war fought in the mind without armies, it establishes the theoretical parameters of political warfare. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War Volume II takes the PWE’s theories and shows what it might look like when words are weaponised and deployed in anger. Though the lectures are over 70-years old they are once more relevant in that they resonated with current attempts at engaging in political warfare that now plays itself out through social media platforms. A modern-day amalgam of leaflet, broadcast and rumour.
In May of 1945, the American army, along with those of its Allies, occupied the cities and towns ... more In May of 1945, the American army, along with those of its Allies, occupied the cities and towns of Hitler’s Third Reich. While most American soldiers wondered how Germany’s citizens were going feed and shelter themselves, The Past Imperfect introduces the reader to another group of men who were concerned about a different form of starvation. The men of what was to become the Information Control Division (ICD) in the American Zone, were preparing an antidote to 12 years of National Socialist propaganda which was to be a steady diet of carefully selected bits of information that were calculated to change the way the German people understood the world. It was designed to transform the Germans into staunch defenders of democracy.
In addition to providing the first historical overview of the activities of the ICD and the methods they employed, The Past Imperfect offers a unique perspective on how the US occupation utilised psychologists, psychiatrists, anthropologists, sociologists and other academics to vet potential candidates for media licenses in Germany. The narrative takes the reader through the various steps of the process of becoming a literary publisher, newspaperman, magazine editor, radio programmer, and filmmakers and reveals how the American Military Government in Germany used the establishment of new media empires to attempt the mass re-education of an entire nation.
Papers by Erwin Warkentin
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Apr 8, 2020
This article deals with research into the importance of native or near native pronunciation of a ... more This article deals with research into the importance of native or near native pronunciation of a person's L2 or L3 and the prejudices faced by those who may speak an accented form of a majority language. In order to reach its conclusions, the article analyses research focused on the learning of English as an L2 or L3 undertaken over the last 50 years. It concentrated on the impact of accented speech and the biases for and against accented speakers of a majority language and identifies where these findings converge and diverge. These results also indicate that the concerns of researchers have shifted as the perceptions of foreigners within English-speaking societies have changed over time. Ingroups are identified as important in determining the relative values of accents and that accented speakers constitute an audible minority and exert pressure on its members to maintain the "accentedness" of their speech. In defining the nature of an audible minority, the article indicates that this can be as powerful a factor as that of skin colour in some societies. In the end, it questions whether meticulous uniformity in spoken language is important or even desirable. The article concludes by suggesting that the problem of the audible minority is more that of the listener than the speaker since many of the myths surrounding accentedness and intelligibility have been proven false.
The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning , by Justin E. H. Smith, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2022, 194 pp., £20.00 (cloth) The European Legacy
Choice Reviews Online, May 1, 1997
... then engaged in, the struggle that led to its devastation. Erwin Warkentin identifies themes ... more ... then engaged in, the struggle that led to its devastation. Erwin Warkentin identifies themes and ideas that are common to both Borchert's published and unpublished works. He argues that the literature produced by Borchert in ...
ÑEMITỸRÃ: Revista Multilingüe de Lengüa, Sociedad y Educación, 2020
This article describes the preliminary findings of a research project that is investigating wheth... more This article describes the preliminary findings of a research project that is investigating whether there are stable and consistent personality traits found in propaganda texts that indicate whether a statement disseminated via a media is truthful or not. It is not often the case that official government sources will clearly state whether a statement previously release was intended to be truthful or not. Even when a statement is shown to be false, the claim is usually made that it was unintentionally wrong or misleading. The project uses the Rumours Broadcasts targeting German troops and civilians in France, created by the British Political Warfare Executive from July 1942 to May 1945, consisting of over 200,000 words, to analyse the personality differences between true and false statements made in those broadcasts. The first question answered in the study is the amount of fictional versus non-fictional material is necessary to make a broadcast believable. This establishes a benchmark for determining consistent differences between true and false statements in a news release or broadcasts. The analysis is done using tools developed by IBM to examine the vast amounts of data created and displayed on various social media platforms in accordance with the Big Five Personality Traits Theory. While most of the personality traits identified by these tools do not reveal any significant differences, there are some, such as a lack of imagination, cautiousness, a lack of willingness to compromise, and worry, that show consistent significant differences between the fictional and non-fictional statements.
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1997
: This paper discusses the new electronic approach to scholarly publishing from the perspective o... more : This paper discusses the new electronic approach to scholarly publishing from the perspective of the consumer. Based on a survey of Germanists in Canada, it suggests that while most scholars are receptive to electronic journals, the majority give them only qualified support. The main stumbling block is the perception that e-journals publish what paper journals won't. At the heart of the problem is the perception that electronic publications do not undergo a rigorous refereeing process. The paper makes recommendations that will enhance the credibility of the electronic medium while it is still in its infancy. Résumé: Cet article adopte le point de vue du consommateur afin de discuter de la nouvelle approche électronique dans l'édition savante. Se fondant sur un sondage de germanistes au Canada, il suggère que, même si la plupart des savants sont ouverts à l'idée d'un journal électronique, la majorité ne lui donneraient qu'un appui conditionnel. L'obstacle principal, tel que le révèle le sondage, est la perception que les journaux électroniques acceptent ce qu'aucun journal publié ne daignerait accepter. Le sondage révèle en outre que, au coeur du problème, il y a la perception que les publications électroniques ne sont pas soumises à un processus de sélection rigoureux. Cet article conclut avec des recommandations pour augmenter la crédibilité du médium électronique pendant qu'il est encore dans sa petite enfance.
Comparative Critical Studies, 2016
This article focuses on the stage and radio play Draußen vor der Tür (The Man Outside) by Wolfgan... more This article focuses on the stage and radio play Draußen vor der Tür (The Man Outside) by Wolfgang Borchert, broadcast in the British zone of occupation for the first time on 13 February 1947. A careful comparison of the stage and radio versions allows us to ascertain the degree to which the changes made by the British radio control officers Hugh Carleton Greene and David Porter were political in nature. The article opens by outlining both the history of the creation of the radio version and Borchert's attitude towards the Public Relations/ Information Services Division of the Control Commission for Germany (PR/ISC) (through the analysis of Borchert's correspondence).The original NWDR (Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk/ Northwest German Broadcasting) typescript of the radio broadcast, complete with handwritten emendations, is then compared with the published version, confirming how the radio play was edited to conform to British broadcast standards for a German audience, as well as...
The German Quarterly, 1998
... then engaged in, the struggle that led to its devastation. Erwin Warkentin identifies themes ... more ... then engaged in, the struggle that led to its devastation. Erwin Warkentin identifies themes and ideas that are common to both Borchert's published and unpublished works. He argues that the literature produced by Borchert in ...
ÑEMITỸRÃ Revista Multilingüe de Lengüa Sociedad y Educación, 2021
This article deals with research into the importance of native or near native pronunciation of a ... more This article deals with research into the importance of native or near native pronunciation of a person's L2 or L3 and the prejudices faced by those who may speak an accented form of a majority language. In order to reach its conclusions, the article analyses research focused on the learning of English as an L2 or L3 undertaken over the last 50 years. It concentrated on the impact of accented speech and the biases for and against accented speakers of a majority language and identifies where these findings converge and diverge. These results also indicate that the concerns of researchers have shifted as the perceptions of foreigners within English-speaking societies have changed over time. Ingroups are identified as important in determining the relative values of accents and that accented speakers constitute an audible minority and exert pressure on its members to maintain the "accentedness" of their speech. In defining the nature of an audible minority, the article indicates that this can be as powerful a factor as that of skin colour in some societies. In the end, it questions whether meticulous uniformity in spoken language is important or even desirable. The article concludes by suggesting that the problem of the audible minority is more that of the listener than the speaker since many of the myths surrounding accentedness and intelligibility have been proven false.
Journal of Mennonite Studies, 2000
Journal of Mennonite Studies, Vol 18 (2000). ...
... preacher. Adam Wiebe, the main protagonist in this sumptuously layered novel. ... society. In... more ... preacher. Adam Wiebe, the main protagonist in this sumptuously layered novel. ... society. Instead of giving in to cynicism and despair, however, Adam begins to looli back and to examine liis Mennonite spiritual and cult~~ral inheritance. ...
While the skeleton of the crisis-filled story of the Mennonites gathered "before Moscow" in late ... more While the skeleton of the crisis-filled story of the Mennonites gathered "before Moscow" in late 1929 is familiar, the details of those events are not. In some cases, the stories that have been told and retold have created a romanticized image of a group that decided to flee religious persecution in Russia. This makes for a rather simplistic understanding of why the Mennonites left their farms and made their way to Moscow. It is only normal for the accounts of events such as the 1929 Moscow refugee crisis to be embellished and to take on the accoutrements of a heroic struggle. Accounts such as those found in the book, Vor den Toren Moskaus, 1 have left a lasting image of those brief months, where life and death were negotiated behind the closed doors of Soviet committee rooms and foreign embassies. The reality, however, may have been more mundane, a time of endless waiting; for some, the end of that waiting, even if it meant being loaded into cattle cars bound for Siberia, must have come as a relief. We are left with two types of accounts of that brief time in Moscow: the eye-witness accounts (primary sources) and academic analysis in subsequent years (secondary sources). Eye-witness accounts, of course, are not just about providing an objective account of the events. For example, in the already mentioned Vor den Toren Moskaus, a
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Books by Erwin Warkentin
The views of the PWE’s instructors were controversial. This is significant because they would play an important, if hidden, role in how Europe is developing even today. For example, they held a low opinion of the French in general and considered that they had been reduced to the level of “dithering Hamlets” by the German “Trojan Horses” even before the first German tank had crossed the Belgian frontier. On the dark side of PWE operations, they were not above killing the prostitutes whose brothels served the German U-Boot fleet in order to amplify their propaganda message. Perhaps most significant is that they saw Great Britain as European and espoused a Europe that looks very much like the European Union of the early 21st Century. However, there is one important difference. They saw this Greater Europe as accepting the British way of life and being led by Great Britain and not embracing American culture under German leadership.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception Volume I introduces the reader to the history and theory of political warfare as seen through the eyes of the inheritors of Lord Northcliffe’s Crewe House. Drawing on JFC Fuller and his concept of a war fought in the mind without armies, it establishes the theoretical parameters of political warfare. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War Volume II takes the PWE’s theories and shows what it might look like when words are weaponised and deployed in anger. Though the lectures are over 70-years old they are once more relevant in that they resonated with current attempts at engaging in political warfare that now plays itself out through social media platforms. A modern-day amalgam of leaflet, broadcast and rumour.
The views of the PWE’s instructors were controversial. This is significant because they would play an important, if hidden, role in how Europe is developing even today. For example, they held a low opinion of the French in general and considered that they had been reduced to the level of “dithering Hamlets” by the German “Trojan Horses” even before the first German tank had crossed the Belgian frontier. On the dark side of PWE operations, they were not above killing the prostitutes whose brothels served the German U-Boot fleet in order to amplify their propaganda message. Perhaps most significant is that they saw Great Britain as European and espoused a Europe that looks very much like the European Union of the early 21st Century. However, there is one important difference. They saw this Greater Europe as accepting the British way of life and being led by Great Britain and not embracing American culture under German leadership.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception Volume I introduces the reader to the history and theory of political warfare as seen through the eyes of the inheritors of Lord Northcliffe’s Crewe House. Drawing on JFC Fuller and his concept of a war fought in the mind without armies, it establishes the theoretical parameters of political warfare. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War Volume II takes the PWE’s theories and shows what it might look like when words are weaponised and deployed in anger. Though the lectures are over 70-years old they are once more relevant in that they resonated with current attempts at engaging in political warfare that now plays itself out through social media platforms. A modern-day amalgam of leaflet, broadcast and rumour.
In addition to providing the first historical overview of the activities of the ICD and the methods they employed, The Past Imperfect offers a unique perspective on how the US occupation utilised psychologists, psychiatrists, anthropologists, sociologists and other academics to vet potential candidates for media licenses in Germany. The narrative takes the reader through the various steps of the process of becoming a literary publisher, newspaperman, magazine editor, radio programmer, and filmmakers and reveals how the American Military Government in Germany used the establishment of new media empires to attempt the mass re-education of an entire nation.
Papers by Erwin Warkentin
The views of the PWE’s instructors were controversial. This is significant because they would play an important, if hidden, role in how Europe is developing even today. For example, they held a low opinion of the French in general and considered that they had been reduced to the level of “dithering Hamlets” by the German “Trojan Horses” even before the first German tank had crossed the Belgian frontier. On the dark side of PWE operations, they were not above killing the prostitutes whose brothels served the German U-Boot fleet in order to amplify their propaganda message. Perhaps most significant is that they saw Great Britain as European and espoused a Europe that looks very much like the European Union of the early 21st Century. However, there is one important difference. They saw this Greater Europe as accepting the British way of life and being led by Great Britain and not embracing American culture under German leadership.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception Volume I introduces the reader to the history and theory of political warfare as seen through the eyes of the inheritors of Lord Northcliffe’s Crewe House. Drawing on JFC Fuller and his concept of a war fought in the mind without armies, it establishes the theoretical parameters of political warfare. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War Volume II takes the PWE’s theories and shows what it might look like when words are weaponised and deployed in anger. Though the lectures are over 70-years old they are once more relevant in that they resonated with current attempts at engaging in political warfare that now plays itself out through social media platforms. A modern-day amalgam of leaflet, broadcast and rumour.
The views of the PWE’s instructors were controversial. This is significant because they would play an important, if hidden, role in how Europe is developing even today. For example, they held a low opinion of the French in general and considered that they had been reduced to the level of “dithering Hamlets” by the German “Trojan Horses” even before the first German tank had crossed the Belgian frontier. On the dark side of PWE operations, they were not above killing the prostitutes whose brothels served the German U-Boot fleet in order to amplify their propaganda message. Perhaps most significant is that they saw Great Britain as European and espoused a Europe that looks very much like the European Union of the early 21st Century. However, there is one important difference. They saw this Greater Europe as accepting the British way of life and being led by Great Britain and not embracing American culture under German leadership.
The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception Volume I introduces the reader to the history and theory of political warfare as seen through the eyes of the inheritors of Lord Northcliffe’s Crewe House. Drawing on JFC Fuller and his concept of a war fought in the mind without armies, it establishes the theoretical parameters of political warfare. The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War Volume II takes the PWE’s theories and shows what it might look like when words are weaponised and deployed in anger. Though the lectures are over 70-years old they are once more relevant in that they resonated with current attempts at engaging in political warfare that now plays itself out through social media platforms. A modern-day amalgam of leaflet, broadcast and rumour.
In addition to providing the first historical overview of the activities of the ICD and the methods they employed, The Past Imperfect offers a unique perspective on how the US occupation utilised psychologists, psychiatrists, anthropologists, sociologists and other academics to vet potential candidates for media licenses in Germany. The narrative takes the reader through the various steps of the process of becoming a literary publisher, newspaperman, magazine editor, radio programmer, and filmmakers and reveals how the American Military Government in Germany used the establishment of new media empires to attempt the mass re-education of an entire nation.
The two databases contain the names of almost 10,000 individuals and will continue to grow as more archival material is evaluated. Over time, it will be expanded to include approximately 17,800 entries. In total, this represents approximately 590,000 discrete data points.
Where can the databases be accessed?
www.erwinslist.com (Available in both German and English)
What were the White, Grey, Black Lists?
As the US military took control of their occupation zone in Germany the Information Control Division (ICD), classified everyone in the media (from circus performers and bookstore managers to owners of publishing houses and newspaper editors) according to the following categories: White A, White B, Grey Acceptable, Grey Unacceptable, and Black. These designation determined whether one could work in the media or not.
The WGBL established what the ICD thought of the individual and determined their ability to work in Germany’s media. An example of who one might find there is the much lauded writer Luise Rinser, who was categorized as Black. She had used her married name, Luise Hermann, which was considered suspect by the ICD officers. Others included in the database are: Alfred Andersch, Emmy Sonnemann (Goering), and the 11-year-old musician Afred Gruber of Kreis Wolfstein.
The Impact of the White, Grey, Black Lists.
The designation individuals received determined who would become part of the foundation of Germany’s information and media services in the American Zone. The newspapers and publishers established during this period still hold a commanding position on Germany’s media landscape today.
Everyday uses of the WGBL-Database.
While the database has academic and research applications, it also has everyday uses for those interested in doing family research since it contains birthdates, birth places, and other information of interest to those looking into their family history.
"The Histories" will be based on the "official" yearly summaries of the activities of the ICD found in the archival records held at the National Archives and Records Administration, College Park. While it appears that the ICD had every intention of publishing them at some point, they never were. These documents provide a unique insight into the day to day operations of the ICD and the challenges they faced in restoring Germany's cultural industries. In addition, it clearly outlines what the American occupation was prepared to countenance and what it would not tolerate in Germany's new media. Most of all, it is a study of an attempt to bring about democratic thought in an entire nation through autocratic means.