Khajistan's Psyops Leaflet Exhibit at Pioneer Works Questions US Propaganda Effectiveness

Khajistan, a New York-based digital archive, presents 'Office of War Information (OWI)' at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, an interactive exhibit of US military propaganda leaflets from wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Japan. Curated by Saad Khan with Joey Chriqui and Amad Ansari, the show runs from May 9 to August 9, 2026. It features hundreds of leaflets collected since 2022, including a 1971 declassified US Air Force report revealing that leaflets were often used as toilet paper or cigarette rolling paper by enemy soldiers. Despite claims of success—such as persuading 44% of the Iraqi army to desert during the Gulf War—the exhibit highlights contradictions: leaflets speak for Americans but are unseen by them, becoming commonplace for Afghans and Iraqis. The installation recreates a wood-paneled office with genuine mujahideen-support posters, a TV playing 'Friends' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond', and a cabinet displaying rare finds like 'The Alphabet of Jihad', a USAID project from 1984-1994 costing $51 million. Thousands of replica leaflets are strewn on the floor, printed every 10 minutes; visitors can input numbers on old computers to see translations. Khan notes the leaflets' dehumanization and self-serving nature for US Congress. The exhibit does not answer whether psyops work but suggests they are 'trash' dropped for bureaucratic cover.