The English language word 'brainwashing' was first coined during which war?

Question

What word was coined in the 20th century for persistent mishearing and/or misunderstanding of a commonly known group of words?

Answer 1

Dur­ing the Korean War,

Korean and Chinese captors reportedly brainwashed American POWs held in prison camps. Several prisoners ultimately confessed to waging germ warfare -- which they hadn't -- and pledged allegiance to communism by th­e end of their captivity. At least 21 soldiers refused to come back to the United States when they were set free. ­It sounds impressive, but skeptics point ­out that it was 21 out of more than 20,000 prisoners in communist countries.