Blood Chit

What the message reveals

The American blood chit tells the recipient that the bearer is American and that the US government will reward assistance. Showing it expressly communicates that affiliation. This may encourage a person to help; it may also raise suspicion or provide information to someone who works with adversary forces. The flag makes the government backing of the request visible to the recipient.

A potential helper also faces a risk: if adversary forces learn that they supplied, concealed or guided the bearer, they and their family may be endangered. The prospect of a later reward does not remove that danger. For the isolated person, deciding whether to make contact therefore includes considering who might observe the encounter or learn about it.

Use during military isolation

Before showing the chit, the bearer considers the options still available: what supplies or support are missing, can they continue independently, and what benefit could this particular encounter provide? An injury or exhausted supplies can make assistance urgent. Someone who can still continue independently or remain concealed must weigh whether contact would create more attention and dependence than the help they could reasonably expect. The actual situation matters, including existing knowledge of local groups and their connections.

The bearer must decide whether to show the request and thereby reveal their affiliation. If communication becomes possible, they should explain their actual need: for example, sustenance, medical assistance or directions. This allows the parties to establish what help is needed and whether the recipient is willing and able to provide it. The American pledge must not be enlarged by negotiating a reward amount independently.

Preparation includes knowing the issued version and its message before possible isolation. Local instruction covers when, where and how to use the blood chit within the relevant culture. It connects the printed message with the possible consequences of contact. A bearer who knows the language blocks and the government pledge can communicate the intended message, instead of turning an unfamiliar document into a personal promise.

Local translations and communication

The language blocks are intended to make the request intelligible even when bearer and recipient do not share a language. After deciding to make contact, the bearer shows the sheet for reading; the recipient needs text in a language and script they understand. Multiple translations cover only a selection of languages and dialects. Text that does not match the local language may therefore be unusable despite the multilingual format.

If the recipient cannot read the text, the actual need must be conveyed through another available means, such as suitable pointee-talkee phrases, their pronunciation guide or simple gestures. A printed reward pledge cannot be fully conveyed by a gesture. Even when the message is understood, the recipient may hesitate because they doubt the eventual reward, think the chit is stolen or counterfeit, or regard the bearer as an adversary.

Control number and government pledge

The printed serial number on the American blood chit serves as a reference for a later reward claim. In the US process, it is presented to the appropriate American authorities; the isolated person must have returned to friendly control, and the claim for assistance provided is validated. The pledge thus links assistance actually rendered to government compensation. It is not an amount the bearer sets locally or negotiates as an immediate payment.

This government obligation also explains why American blood chits are controlled: their text is unclassified, but issue and administration remain subject to government control. The recipient sees a message about affiliation and reward. The number alone confirms neither that the document is genuine nor that the person standing before them is the person they claim to be.

Language aid, chart and authentication

A pointee-talkee helps the bearer select and communicate individual prepared phrases. It can explain the specific need, while the American blood chit conveys the request for help and the government pledge. An Evasion Chart instead provides a map and additional survival and evasion information for personal navigation and assessment.

ISOPREP contains prepared personal details and authentication information that friendly recovery forces can use to check an isolated person's identity. These protected details serve a different purpose from the request openly shown to a recipient. They should not be offered as additional justification or proof of trustworthiness in conversation with an unknown local person. National affiliation communicated by the blood chit and personal authentication to friendly forces remain separate processes.

American and historical British versions

The American version is a small Tyvek sheet carrying a US flag, a multilingual pledge and a number.

Historical British versions for Allied aircrews used, among other materials, silk with a Union Jack or paper with a British coat of arms. Their local-language messages requested help and offered a reward; one paper version expressly referred to assistance towards the nearest Allied post. Such British aids were also carried by Australian aircrew. The bearer's nationality, the national emblem and the government behind a pledge must therefore be distinguished according to the particular version.