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American propaganda poster with anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese caricatures

Object | Accession Number: 1988.42.36

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    American propaganda poster with anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese caricatures
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    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    American propaganda poster urging the public to be alert for enemy propaganda, designed by Jack Betts and distributed in 1943 by Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW). The poster uses the caricatured faces of Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, and Japanese emperor, Hirohito, whispering into a man’s ear as symbols of enemy propaganda reaching the American public. The poster warns the reader that enemy propaganda attempts to divide Americans and turn them against their government and each other. During the war, the government was concerned about the effects of German and Japanese propaganda on the American public. Radio was an important tool, and Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany used native English speakers to broadcast radio messages to the soldiers and the public, spreading disinformation and creating fear. Like the Avoid Careless Talk poster series created by the Office of War Information, it reminds the public of the vital part they play in the war effort. The VFW supported the war effort at home by creating posters, encouraging enlistments, raising money, and establishing an Aviation Cadet program to train and educate young pilots. Jack Betts was an American illustrator and artist who created advertising comics, and illustrations for magazines.
    Title
    Don’t fall for Enemy Propaganda
    Date
    publication/distribution:  1943
    Geography
    publication: Kansas City (Mo.)
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David and Zelda Silberman
    Markings
    front, center, printed, black ink : Don’t fall for / ENEMY PROPAGANDA / AGAINST OUR GOVERNMENT / AGAINST OUR ALLIES / AGAINST CATHOLICS, JEWS / or PROTESTANTS
    front, bottom, printed, white : Remember-Hitler and the Japs are trying / to get us fighting among ourselves / VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES
    front, bottom left corner, union label, printed, black ink : S.A. N˚ 25 / UNION / LIP & BA / LABEL / KANSAS CITY / REGISTERED / 4 [State Association No. 25 Lithographers’ International Protective and Beneficial Association]
    Signature
    front, center right, within yellow box, printed, black ink : ILLUSTRATED BY JACK BET(TS?)
    Contributor
    Artist: Jack Betts
    Distributor: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
    Subject: Jack Betts
    Biography
    Jack Betts (1904-?) was an American illustrator and artist. He created advertising comics for Ben Gay, Nestlé, and Super Suds, and worked on campaigns for Old American Brand whiskey. For much of his career he worked for the firm of Johnstone and Cushing. Betts also created illustrations for magazines, including; Collier’s American Legion, Bluebook, and American Legion magazine. In 1942, he illustrated an anti-propaganda pamphlet called “The Footprints of the Trojan Horse.”

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Classification
    Posters
    Genre/Form
    Political posters.
    Physical Description
    Offset Lithographic poster printed on off-white paper. The poster depicts the disembodied head of a man with two small, caricatured heads of Adolf Hitler and Emperor Hirohito whispering behind their hands into the man’s ears. The man is wearing a bowler-style hat, and has an expressive face with raised eyebrows, wide-open eyes, and pursed lips. Hirohito has large, buck teeth and round glasses, and Hitler is shown with his toothbrush mustache. Both wear peaked military caps; Hitler’s cap bears a swastika on the front, and Hirohito’s has a rising sun. Below the image are several lines of black text beside red bullet points. The background is yellow and around their heads is the color white in a splashed pattern. At the bottom is a red banner with several lines of white text.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 21.750 inches (55.245 cm) | Width: 16.750 inches (42.545 cm)
    Materials
    overall : paper, ink

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    No restrictions on access
    Conditions on Use
    No restrictions on use

    Keywords & Subjects

    Geographic Name
    United States.

    Administrative Notes

    Provenance
    The poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by David and Zelda Silberman.
    Funding Note
    The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
    Record last modified:
    2024-10-03 12:51:59
    This page:
    http:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn520990

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