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US careless talk poster depicting soldiers boarding a train

Object | Accession Number: 1988.42.53

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    US careless talk poster depicting soldiers boarding a train
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    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    US careless talk poster featuring a train with a line of soldiers preparing to board to warn the public to guard what they say because any bit of information could endanger soldiers. The careless talk series of US propaganda posters was an Army Services project, distributed by the Office of War Information. This office was set up in June 1942 to manage the war on the Home Front by disseminating ideas, propaganda, and information about the war effort, such as the dangers of enemy spies. The OWI controlled the design and distribution of war information to the American public in posters, photographs, radio shows, and films. The careless talk series originated in 1940 in Great Britain. It highlighted the many ways that careless talk could leak sensitive information that our enemies would use to kill soldiers, sink ships, and undermine the war effort.
    Artwork Title
    If you tell where they’re going, they may never get there
    Series Title
    Avoid Careless Talk, OWI Poster no. 54
    Date
    publication/distribution:  1943
    Geography
    publication: Washington (D.C.)
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David and Zelda Silberman
    Markings
    front, left, yellow ink : If you tell / where they’re going… / They may / never get there
    front, bottom, white ink : DON’T TALK ABOUT TROOP MOVEMENTS
    front, bottom left corner, black ink : OWI Poster No. 54. Additional copies may be obtained upon request from the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information, Washington, D.C.
    front, bottom right corner, black ink : U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943–O-519564
    Contributor
    Printer: United States Government Printing Office
    Issuer: Adjutant-General's Office, United States, Army Service Forces
    Distributor: United States Office of War Information
    Biography
    The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was created on June 13, 1942, to centralize and control the content and production of government information and propaganda about the war. It coordinated the release of war news for domestic use, and using posters along with radio broadcasts, worked to promote patriotism, warn about foreign spies, and recruit women into war work. The office also established an overseas branch, which launched a large-scale information and propaganda campaign abroad. The government appealed to the public through popular culture and more than a quarter of a billion dollars' worth of advertising was donated during the first three years of the National Defense Savings Program. Victory in Europe was declared on May 8, 1945, and in Japan on September 2, 1945. The OWI ceased operation in September.

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Classification
    Posters
    Category
    War propaganda
    Physical Description
    Offset color lithographic poster in black and white of soldiers in overseas caps and greatcoats, with heavy backpacks with helmets boarding a train. In the foreground is a closeup of 1 soldier boarding, several sticking their heads out the train window, and a long line on the right. The image is enclosed in a printed black frame with a white border.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 27.875 inches (70.803 cm) | Width: 22.000 inches (55.88 cm)
    Materials
    overall : paper, ink

    Rights & Restrictions

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

    Keywords & Subjects

    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 10:54:36
    This page:
    http:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn521008

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