Psychological Operations in Guerrilla Warfare

The ninety-page book of instructions focused mainly on how "Armed Propaganda Teams" could build political support in Nicaragua for the Contra cause through deceit, intimidation, and violence.

[2] The International Court of Justice case Nicaragua v. United States found that the publication of this manual had "encouraged acts ... contrary to general principles of humanitarian law.

[6] Kirkpatrick based his work off of existing US Army manuals, particularly 1968 Green Beret lesson plans used at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School,[7][5][8] the Green Berets' Lesson Plan 643, Armed Psyop: Implicit and Explicit Terror (April 1968),[5] and Field Manual 30–104, US Department of the Army (September 1967).

[9][better source needed] Chamorro objected to two portions in the document, namely the sections on hiring professional criminals for special jobs and killing colleagues to create martyrs for the cause.

[13] On October 18, 1984, President Ronald Reagan ordered CIA Director William Casey to initiate an investigation by the agency's Inspector General.

[13] Shortly thereafter, a White House spokesman said Reagan had approved the Inspector General's report recommending discipline of several mid-level officials.

Five mid-level CIA employees received punishments ranging from written reprimands to suspension without pay for "poor judgment and lapses in oversight" because of the manual.

— may be removed for PSYOP effect in a UWOA [unconventional warfare operations area], but extensive precautions must ensure that the people "concur" in such an act by thorough explanatory canvassing among the affected populace before and after conduct of the mission.