In the 1950’s, The CIA Defeated Rebels in the Philippines By Pretending to be Vampires
During the Cold War, the Philippines was an ally with the United States. However, there was a faction of communist rebels known as the People’s Army fighting in the Hukbalahap Rebellion. The CIA got involved to defeat the communist rebels. They decided to exploit the legend of the “aswang”– a blood-sucking monster that is very similar to a vampire. Since most of these rebels were living in the countryside, they still believed in these legends. So the CIA captured one of the members of the People’s Army, leaving two puncture wounds at his neck. They then hung his body upside-down to drain the blood. His body was left on the trail for his comrades to find. This apparently worked very well. The rebels fled their camp immediately. The CIA continued several more psychological tactics to frighten the rebels, and they eventually surrendered in 1954.