Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Unsuccessful WWII Plot to Fight the Japanese With Radioactive Foxes
Smithsonian Magazine ^ | September 29, 2020 | John Lisle

Posted on 10/19/2020 10:04:12 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Operation Fantasia was the brainchild of OSS psychological warfare strategist Ed Salinger... “The foundation for the proposal,” Salinger wrote in a memo outlining his idea, “rests upon the fact that the modern Japanese is subject to superstitions, beliefs in evil spirits and unnatural manifestations which can be provoked and stimulated.”

Salinger’s plan: Catch live foxes in China and Australia, spray-paint them with glowing paint, and release them throughout Japanese villages.

This scheme presented a number of logistical hurdles. First, what kind of paint should be used? The United States Radium Corporation provided an answer in the form of its glow-in-the-dark paint, which contained radium.

To find out whether the faux-supernatural foxes would actually frighten the Japanese, the OSS decided to release 30 glowing foxes in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park to gauge the reactions of the locals. If the foxes spooked Americans, the logic went, certainly they would scare the Japanese even more.

On a summer night in 1945, OSS personnel released the foxes in the park, and the creatures scampered along the trails with promising results. The sight of the ghostly apparitions at first confused and then terrified passersby on their evening strolls. One citizen was so concerned that he notified the National Park Police...

(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: radioactivefoxes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: Red Badger

“They did Bats too................”

They attached incendiary devises to the bats with the idea that they would fly into attics.

The Russians attached mines to dogs and trained them to run under German tanks.

Animal right activists would be really be upset.


21 posted on 10/19/2020 10:52:36 AM PDT by alternatives? (If our borders are not secure, why fund an army?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Forget foxes. It took two nukes to defeat Japan. We could have defeated them with a single bombing of USA politicians - far scarier and much more lethal than nukes.


22 posted on 10/19/2020 10:53:27 AM PDT by faithhopecharity (Politicians are not born, they are excreted. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Redwood71
Radium glows in the dark it widely used in WWII for clocks, compasses, and other instruments.

No one knew it at the time but it was also highly toxic. Saw a documentary on the company named in the article. Most all the workers there were women and a large majority of them lived short lives and died of cancer.

23 posted on 10/19/2020 11:00:25 AM PDT by usurper ( version)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Sounds like a typical DoD Charlie Foxtrot.

5.56mm


24 posted on 10/19/2020 11:08:18 AM PDT by M Kehoe (DRAIN THE SWAMP! Finish THE WALL!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: left that other site
Only he didn’t have radioactive paint. He just used foxes and fire.

He wasn't trying to frighten Philistines. That prank was to burn their crops.

25 posted on 10/19/2020 11:09:28 AM PDT by Spirochete
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

The kitsume of deception, fox with 9 tails


26 posted on 10/19/2020 11:12:28 AM PDT by JudgemAll (Democrats Fed. job-security in hates:hypocrites must be gay like us or be tested/crucified)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: usurper
Most all the workers there were women and a large majority of them lived short lives and died of cancer.

Radium Girls.

They would lick the radium paintbrush to moisten it and bring it to a finer point with their lips. They would also adorn themselves with radium paint for date night.

27 posted on 10/19/2020 11:12:59 AM PDT by Spirochete
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

Don’t know who she is but that’s weird.


28 posted on 10/19/2020 11:14:34 AM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Redwood71
Besides, radioactive things do not glow in the dark.

Young pup, the world existed before you were born. You might want to read about it before pontificating.

Back before the eviro-Mentalists took over, radium paint was routinely used on watch dials and alarm clocks. So they would glow in the dark.

https://raddoc1947.com/2016/07/17/radium-dial-company/

https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0401841

29 posted on 10/19/2020 11:47:30 AM PDT by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Redwood71
Did you even read the excerpt? Hell, even the title says "WWII" and "Japs"


You place a radioactive appearing fox in the Chinese backwoods and they would worship it.

-- Salinger’s plan: Catch live foxes in China and Australia, spray-paint them with glowing paint, and release them throughout Japanese villages. --


Besides, radioactive things do not glow in the dark. The human eye can’t see the actual radioactive materials. They’d just see a fox.

-- The United States Radium Corporation provided an answer in the form of its glow-in-the-dark paint, which contained radium. --
30 posted on 10/19/2020 12:10:21 PM PDT by Svartalfiar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: steve86

“Don’t know who she is...”

American actress that’s had limited success. Never climbed to top of the Hollywood heap....I imagine its hard to climb with toe thumbs.


31 posted on 10/19/2020 12:15:13 PM PDT by V_TWIN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin
They had a lot more luck with the Giant Raccoon Dog experiment.


32 posted on 10/19/2020 12:34:08 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("All men and women were created by the, you know, you know, the thing." -- Joe Biden 3/3/20)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Dam looks like her back is broken.


33 posted on 10/19/2020 12:42:38 PM PDT by BiteYourSelf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Spirochete

True. And it worked. :-)


34 posted on 10/19/2020 3:07:39 PM PDT by left that other site (If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:9))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN
"toe thumbs"

Runs in my side of the family.

Brought to Texas about 1903 from Pennsylvania.

35 posted on 10/19/2020 5:38:07 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Deaf Smith
👍
36 posted on 10/20/2020 5:33:26 AM PDT by V_TWIN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: usurper

“Radium glows in the dark...”

Radiation, by itself, emitted by radioactive materials is not visible to the human eye. However, there are ways to “convert” this invisible energy to visible light. Many substances will emit visible light if “stimulated” by the ionizing radiation from radioactive material. These materials are known as “fluors” or “scintilators.” So, by mixing some radioactive material with such a fluor, you can make a substance that glows. This kind of material has been used in things like the faces of clocks, watches, and instruments on ships and airplanes to make them visible in the dark. But not foxes as they don’t contain the fluors (lumifluors) like polyphenyl hydrocarbons, oxazole and oxadiazole aryls in proper quantities.

Alpha and Beta radiation devices used by the military can detect it like the anpdr’s or pac 1S devices. But as it doesn’t glow it has to be hunted for. A majority of it is alpha and it generally is in the dust in the air or on the ground.

And if you are close enough to absorb gamma, you’re going to die fairly rapidly of radiation poisoning as you’ll get your 200 rads from being that close. But so would the foxes. And as their body mass is much smaller than a human, they would go quicker more like hours after saturation at best. And if the radiation doesn’t get them, the solutions used to transport the radiation will. Organic solutions are produced by dissolving an organic scintillator in a solvent. There were no non toxic solvents, only less than others so the 1940 foxes were in dire straits.

rwood


37 posted on 10/20/2020 6:04:31 AM PDT by Redwood71
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson