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Do You Believe in Ghosts? The OSS and World War II’s “Ghost Foxes”…
October 19, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
If you’re a rare & early newspaper enthusiast or a history buff who loves the strange and surreal, you might think you’ve heard every bizarre military scheme concocted during World War II. But few wartime projects can rival the sheer, eerie oddity of the Office of Strategic Services’ (OSS) top-secret psychological warfare plot: Operation Fantasia.
During the height of the Pacific War, intelligence strategists were looking for unconventional ways to demoralize the enemy and spark widespread panic. They turned to anthropologists, who pointed out a deeply ingrained piece of Japanese folklore regarding the Kitsune—supernatural fox spirits. According to tradition, sighting a glowing fox spirit at night, especially one running on its hind legs, was a sure omen of impending doom and disaster.
Taking the myth literally, the OSS sprang into action. They ordered the capture of dozens of wild foxes, secured a dedicated building guarded by covert agents, and tasked chemists with developing a special radium-based paint that would make the animals glow brightly in the dark. The grand vision? Release an army of radioactively glowing “ghost foxes” into the forests of Japan to strike psychological terror into the population.
The tale was brought to our attention when we came across an intriguing post-war issue of the Springfield Sunday Republican (Mass.) dated August 18, 1946. There, featured prominently on the front page, was the newly declassified report revealing just how far the military was willing to go in the name of psychological warfare.
Of course, as compelling as the supernatural scheme sounded on paper, reality had other plans. The early tests were a comedy of errors: the paint was difficult to formulate, the disoriented foxes tried furiously to lick off the glowing chemical, and in field runs, they ended up terrifying each other just as much as anyone else. Between the logistical absurdities of deploying live glowing animals overseas and the sudden end of the war following Japan’s surrender, the “Ghost Foxes” were ultimately retired before ever setting foot on enemy soil.
Below is a photo from the front page featuring the wonderful headline: “Ghostly Foxes That Ran Upright Nearly Haunted Japan’s Forests”. It serves as a hilarious, astonishing reminder of the desperate ingenuity and bizarre tactics birthed in the shadows of wartime intelligence.
The Holocaust… Truth be told…
July 28, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
TRUE: The Nazis inflicted unspeakable atrocities on millions upon millions of people.
TRUE: Most of the world was shocked as details of the horrors were revealed after the war.
FALSE: The Nazis’ agenda was a deep-kept secret.
FALSE: Remaining silent and/or turning a blind eye to evil makes it go away.
How could the Hitler-orchestrated holocaust have happened without the world’s knowledge? Since the end of WWII many have distanced themselves from complicity due to inaction. Nations and individuals both often declare they had no idea such atrocities were taking place – stating evidence of Adolph Hitler’s extreme intentions were kept under wraps. However, truth be told, the entire world was not unaware of Hitler’s desire and willingness to do whatever it took to create a so-called “pure” race. Articles regarding his agenda reached American newspapers as far back as the early 1930’s. 
This point was recently brought to our attention as we were perusing the New York Times for December 8, 1931. There we found a front page report with the two-column heading: “Nazis’ Would Assure Nordic Dominance, Sterilize Some Races, Ban Miscegenation”, with considerable details to follow. Perhaps the world didn’t realize the extent of the horrors that were occurring, but this article, as well as a score of others, certainly should not have gone unnoticed.
This certainly begs the question: “Are similar atrocities happening today? Are other mass-forms of oppression, brutality, or worse taking place within our reach? We can look away, but a verse from the Bible reminds us: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (James 4:17).” We may put our head in the sand, but we are not without excuse. Hopefully the truth regarding our past mistakes will spur us to proper action today.