I recently read a few books by the Science Fiction writer Cordwainer Smith. Smith has always been one of my favorite short story writers, based on some stories in  F&SF magazine, which I subscribed to in the 1960s.

I read recently that his real name was Paul Linebarger and that he wrote THE textbook of psychological warfare. I had to have the book. Unfortunately the only places it was for sale were for several hundred dollars.

I eventually found an eBay auction for a well used ex-libris edition and was able to get it for a reasonable price.

Here’s a quote from the first page of the first chapter:

Offensively, the psychological warfare operator must fight antagonists who never answer back – the enemy audience. He cannot fight the one enemy who is in plain sight, the hostile psychological warfare operator, because the hostile operator is greedily receptive to attack. Neither success nor defeat are measurable factors. Psychological strategy is planned along the edge of a nightmare.

I expect to enjoy this book.