Emphasis Preaching Journal

The term "brainwashing" was first used in a 1950 article in New Leader magazine. A journalist was recounting the methods he learned about mind control techniques used in the early years of the Maoist regime in China and subsequently in the Korean War. Using various methods such as sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, group coercion, and others, it was believed that several American POWs were actually forced to make statements that suggested they switched allegiances. Some of those claims have since been disputed.