American propaganda during World War II During World War II ( 1941 – 45 ) , American propaganda was used to increase support for the war and commitment to an Allied victory . Using a vast array of media , propagandists fomented hatred for the enemy and support for America ' s allies , urged greater public effort for war production and victory garden s , persuaded people to save some of their material so that more material could be used for the war effort , and sold war bonds . Patriotism became the central theme of advertising throughout the war , as large scale campaigns were launched to sell war bonds , promote efficiency in factories , reduce ugly rumors , and maintain civilian morale . The war consolidated the advertising industry ' s role in American society , deflecting earlier criticism . Campaigns . When World War II began , most Americans viewed propaganda as a tool of totalitarian dictatorships . Furthermore , many remembered with hostility the fervor of World War I propaganda efforts , which were later regarded as violating basic rights as well as conveying misinformation . At first , the government was reluctant to engage in propaganda campaigns , but pressure from the media , the business sector and advertisers who wanted direction persuaded the government to take an active role . Even so , the government insisted that its actions were not propaganda , but a means of providing information . These efforts were slowly and haphazardly formed into a more unified propaganda effort , although never to the level of World War I . In 1942 , President Franklin D . Roosevelt created the Office of War Information ( OWI ) . This mid - level agency joined a host of other wartime agencies , including the War and State Departments , in the dissemination of war information and propaganda . Officials at OWI used numerous tools to communicate to the American public . These included Hollywood movie studios , radio stations and printing presses . The Writers ' War Board was privately organized for the purposes of propaganda and often acted as liaison between the government and the writers . Many of the writers involved regarded their efforts as superior to governmental propaganda , as they regarded their material as bolder and more responsive than governmental efforts . However , the writers both responded to official requests and initiated their own campaigns . In 1944 ( lasting until 1948 ) , prominent U . S . policy makers launched a domestic propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the U . S . public to accept a harsh peace for the German people . One method used in this campaign was an attempt to remove the commonly held view that the German people and the Nazi party were separate entities . A key participant in this campaign was the Writers ' War Board , which was closely associated with the Roosevelt administration . Media . Posters . The U . S . used posters more than any other type of propaganda media , and produced more propaganda posters than any other country fighting in World War II . Almost 200 , 000 different designs were printed during the war . These posters used a number of themes to encourage support for the war , including conservation , production , recruiting , home efforts and secrecy . Posters were usually placed in areas without paid advertisements . The most common areas were post offices , railroad stations , schools , restaurants and retail stores . Smaller posters were printed for the windows of private homes and apartment buildings . These were places where other propaganda media couldn ' t be used . The Office of War Information ( OWI ) Bureau of Graphics was the government agency in charge of producing and distributing propaganda posters . The main distinction between United States poster propaganda and that of British and other allied propaganda was that the U . S . posters stayed mostly positive in their messages . The United States posters focused on duty , patriotism and tradition , whereas those of other countries focused on fueling the people ' s hatred for the enemy . The positive messages on U . S . posters were used to increase production on the home front instead of insuring that the " money raised was not lost . " U . S . Posters rarely used images of war casualties , and even battlefield scenes became less popular , and were replaced by commercial images to satisfy the " consumer " need for the war . The war posters were not designed by the government , but by artists who received no compensation for their work . Government agencies held competitions for artists to submit their designs , allowing the government to increase the number of designs that it could choose from . Advertising . Many companies ran advertising supporting the war . This helped keep their names before the public although they had no products to sell , and they were allowed to treat this advertising as a business expense . The War Advertising Council helped supervise such efforts . Car manufacturers and other producers that retooled for the war effort took out ads depicting their efforts . Other companies connected their products in some way with the war . For example , Lucky Strike claimed the change from green to white in its packaging was to save bronze for weapons , and , as a result , saw its sales skyrocket . Coca - Cola , as did many other soft drink manufacturers , depicted its product being drunk by defense workers and members of the armed forces . Many commercial ads also urged the purchase of war bonds . Much of the war effort was defined by advertising , and the armed forces overseas preferred magazines with full ads rather than a slimmed down version without them . Comic books and cartoons . Just as is done today , editorial cartoonists sought to sway public opinion . For example , Dr . Seuss supported Interventionism even before the attack on Pearl Harbor . Comic strips , such as " Little Orphan Annie " and " Terry and the Pirates " , introduced war themes into their stories . Even before the war , sabotage and subversion were common motifs in action - oriented strips . Many superheroes were shown combating Axis spies or activities in America and elsewhere . A comic book depicting Superman attacking the German Westwall was attacked in an issue of " Das Schwarze Korps " , the SS weekly newspaper , with the Jewish origin of creator Jerry Siegel given prominent attention . In 1944 , after being praised by Ernie Pyle , Bill Mauldin ' s cartoons were syndicated in the United States . This effort was supported by the War Department due to Mauldin ' s grimmer depiction of everyday military life in his cartoons . Mauldin ' s cartoons not only publicized the efforts of the ground forces , but they made the war appear bitter and onerous , helping convince Americans that victory would not be easy . While his cartoons omitted carnage , they showed the difficulty of war through his depiction of the soldiers ' disheveled appearance , and sad , vacant eyes . This helped produce continued support for the troops , by conveying the hardships of their daily experiences . Leaflets . Leaflets could be dropped from aircraft to populations in locations unreachable by other means ; for example , when the population was afraid or unable to listen to foreign radio broadcasts . As such , the United States extensively used leaflets to convey short informational tidbits . In fact , one squadron of B - 17 bombers was entirely dedicated to this purpose . Leaflets were also used against enemy forces , providing " safe conduct passes " that enemy troops could use to surrender as well as counterfeit ration books , stamps and currency . The very scale of the leaflet operations had its effect on enemy morale , showing that the Allied armament industry was so productive that planes could be diverted for this purpose . The use of leaflets against Japanese troops was of little effect . Many civilians on Okinawa discounted pamphlets declaring that prisoners would not be harmed . By the time American planes could reach the Japanese home islands , the leaflets had improved , providing " advance notice " of bombings ensured that the leaflets were read avidly despite prohibitions . These pamphlets declared they had no wish to harm civilians , only the military installations , and that the bombings could be stopped by demanding new leaders who would end the war . After the atomic attacks , more pamphlets were dropped , warning that the Americans had an even more powerful explosive at their disposal . When the Japanese government subsequently offered to surrender , the U . S . continued to drop pamphlets , telling the Japanese people of their government ' s offer and that they had a right to know the terms . The American Historical Association ' s " G . I . Roundtable Series " of pamphlets was used to ease transition to the post - war world . Radio . In the United States , radio was so widely used for propaganda that it greatly exceeded the use of other media that was typically used against other nations . President Roosevelt ' s fireside chats are an excellent example of this use of radio . In February 1942 , Norman Corwin ' s " This is War " series was broadcast throughout the country and , by shortwave , throughout the world . Other significant uses of radio overseas includes messages to the Italian Navy , which persuaded it to surrender . CBS Radio ' s counterpropaganda series " Our Secret Weapon " ( 1942 – 43 ) , featuring writer Rex Stout representing Freedom House , monitored Axis shortwave radio propaganda broadcasts and rebutted the most entertaining lies of the week . In 1942 – 43 Orson Welles created two CBS Radio series that are regarded as significant contributions to the war effort . " Hello Americans " was produced under the auspices of the Office of the Coordinator of Inter - American Affairs to promote inter - American understanding and friendship during World War II . " Ceiling Unlimited " , sponsored by the Lockheed - Vega Corporation , was conceived to glorify the aviation industry and dramatize its role in World War II . Since radio was often a " live ' media , there were restrictions . Broadcasters were warned not to cut to a commercial with the line , " and now for some good news , " and reporters were instructed not to describe bombings precisely enough so that the enemy could tell what they hit , for example , they were to state " the building next to the one I am standing on , " not " the First National Bank . " While audience participation and man - on - the - street programs were immensely popular , broadcasters realized there was no way to prevent enemy agents from being selected , and these were discontinued . Many broadcasters worked war themes into their programming to such an extent that they confused the targeted audiences . As a result , the " Radio War Guide " urged broadcasters to focus on selected themes . At first the Japanese population could not receive propaganda by radio because short - wave receivers were prohibited in Japan . However , the capture of Saipan not only shocked the Japanese because it was considered invincible , but allowed Americans to use medium - wave radio to reach the Japanese islands . Books . Books were more often used in the post - combat consolidation phases than in combat , particularly because their intent was indirect , to mold the thinkers who would be molding public opinion in the post - war period , and therefore books had more of a long - range influence rather than an immediate effect . And some topics were considered off limits . Books on submarines were suppressed , even ones drawing on public knowledge and made with naval assistance . In fact , attempts were made to suppress even fictional stories involving submarines . As fiction grew less popular , bookstores promoted non - fiction war books . A few weeks after D - Day , crates of books were landed in Normandy to be distributed to French booksellers . An equal number of American and British efforts were included in these shipments . Books had been stockpiled for this purpose , and some books were specifically published for it . Movies . Hollywood movie studios , obviously sympathetic to the Allied cause , soon adapted standard plots and serials to feature Nazis in place of the usual gangster villains while the Japanese were depicted as being bestial , incapable of reason or human qualities . Although Hollywood lost access to most foreign markets during the war , it was now able to use Germans , Italians and Japanese as villains without diplomatic protests or boycotts . Many actors such as Peter Lorre , Conrad Veidt , Martin Kosleck , Philip Ahn and Sen Yung specialized in playing Axis spies , traitors and soldiers . Irreplaceable film workers received draft deferments to allow them to continue producing pro - Allied films . In the early ' 40s , as war was starting to gain importance in Europe , the goal of Hollywood studios was still to entertain . Many productions were musicals , comedies , melodramas or westerns . Major studios kept their neutrality and showed on screen the same isolationist sentiment as their audience . After noticing President Franklin D . Roosevelt ' s concern about US foreign policy , fascism began to be reported on screen by Hollywood . After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 , the studios were fully supportive of the Allied cause and its demands . Patriotic propaganda was seen as profitable by Hollywood , and it helped to transform the social and political stances of the country , while serving as an instrument of national policy . Most of movies produced had a background of war , even if their story was a complete invention . However , there were pictures that were made especially in tie with a past event , or even a current event of that period of time that made the release of the film synchronized with the happening in real life . This is for example de case of Academy Award winner for Best Picture Casablanca , movie released in the context of American attitudes toward Vichy and Free French Forces . This picture was considered as anti - Vichy , but there was a strong debate about the fact that this position was representative or not of the American government policy . This movie was one of the most important productions of Hollywood during war time , and also very representative of the studios role and position during World War II . The war happened in the moment of an important national conflict : the racial segregation . White America was united in its cause but in Black America , there was opposition . While Roosevelt was describing the Allied War goals as democratic , Walter Francis White , the executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) , said that colored people had to " fight for the right to fight " . Many blacks were weighing their loyalty to the country against loyalty to their race . To address the identity problem , the Office of War Information ( that had control and influence on the contents and subjects of the American Motion Pictures . ) decided to collaborate with Black leaders to try to improve Hollywood ' s portrayal of colored people and obtain their support to the Allied cause , but it was a failure . The earliest Hollywood production to satirize any of the Axis governments was " You Nazty Spy ! " , a Three Stooges short subject released on January 19 , 1940 , satirizing Hitler ( Moe Howard as " Moe Hailstone " ) , Goering ( Curly Howard as " Field Marshal Gallstone " ) and Goebbels ( Larry Fine as " Larry Pebble " ) , nearly two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor . The 1941 Nazi attack on the Soviet Union resulted in pro - Russian movies . The war also produced an interest in newsreels and documentaries , which had been unable to compete against entertainment films prior to the war . America ' s allies were no longer allowed to be depicted negatively in any way . At the request of General George C . Marshall , Chief of Staff of the U . S . Army , Frank Capra created a documentary series that was used as orientation films for new recruits . Capra designed the series to illustrate the enormous danger of Axis conquest and the corresponding justness of the Allies . This " Why We Fight " series documented the war in seven segments : At President Roosevelt ' s urging , it was also released to the theaters for the general public . In Britain , Churchill ordered the entire sequence to be shown to the public . Movies were also useful in that propaganda messages could be incorporated into entertainment films . The 1942 film " Mrs . Miniver " portrayed the experiences of an English housewife during the Battle of Britain and urged the support of both men and women for the war effort . It was rushed to the theaters on Roosevelt ' s orders . Furthermore the 1943 film " The Negro Soldier " , a government produced documentary also directed by Frank Capra , challenged racial stereotypes in the ranks . Its popularity allowed it to pass over into mainstream distribution . The 1944 film " The Purple Heart " was used to dramatize Japanese atrocities and the heroics of American flyers . Animation . World War II transformed the possibilities for animation . Prior to the war , animation was seen as a form of childish entertainment , but that perception changed after Pearl Harbor was attacked . On 8 December 1941 , the U . S . Army immediately began working with . Army personnel were stationed at his studio and lived there for the duration of the war . A military officer was actually based in Walt Disney ’ s office . The U . S . Army and Disney set about making various types of films for several different audiences . Most films meant for the public included some type of propaganda , while films for the troops included training and education about a given topic . Films intended for the public were often meant to build morale . They allowed Americans to express their anger and frustration through ridicule and humor . Many films simply reflected the war culture and were pure entertainment . Others carried strong messages meant to arouse public involvement or set a public mood . Cartoons such as " Bugs Bunny Bond Rally " and " Foney Fables " pushed viewers to buy war bonds , while " Scrap Happy Daffy " encouraged the donation of scrap metal , and Disney ' s " The Spirit of ' 43 " implored viewers to pay their taxes . The U . S . and Canadian governments also used animation for training and instructional purposes . The most elaborate training film produced , " Stop That Tank ! " , was commissioned by the Canadian Directorate of Military Training and created by Walt Disney Studios . Troops became familiar with Private Snafu and Lance Corporal Schmuckatelli . These fictional characters were used to give soldiers safety briefs and instructions on expected behavior , while often portraying behavior that which was not recommended . The short " Spies " depicts an intoxicated Private Snafu giving secrets to a beautiful woman who is really a Nazi spy . Through the information he gives her , the Germans are able to bomb the ship Private Snafu is traveling on , sending him to hell . Animation was increasingly used in political commentary against the Axis powers . " Der Fuehrer ' s Face " was one of Walt Disney ' s most popular propaganda cartoons . It poked fun at Hitler ’ s Germany by depicting Donald Duck dreaming that he is a German war worker , eating breakfast by only spraying the scent of bacon and eggs onto his breath , dipping a single coffee bean into his cup of water , and eating bread so stale or having wood in it , he had to saw a piece off . Disney and the U . S . Army wanted to depict Germans as living in a land that was a facade of the wonderful promises made by Hitler . Producers of the cartoon also wished to show that the working conditions in German factories were not as glorious as Hitler made them sound in his speeches . In the film , Donald works continuously with very little compensation and or time off . At the end , Donald awakes from his nightmare and is forever thankful he is a citizen of the United States of America . " Education for Death " was a very serious film based on the best - selling book of the same name by Gregor Ziemer . The film shows how a young boy in Nazi Germany is indoctrinated and brainwashed at an early age and learns to believe all that the German government tells him . While this short is educational , it also provides comic relief by mocking Hitler . However , the film is both shocking in its content and despairing in its ending , depicting the death of numerous such boys who are now German soldiers . Magazines . Magazines were a favored propaganda dissemination tool , as they were widely circulated . The government issued a " Magazine War Guide " which included tips for supporting the war effort . Women ' s magazines were the favored venue for propaganda aimed at housewives , particularly the " Ladies ' Home Journal " . Magazine editors were asked to depict women as coping heroically with the sacrifices of wartime . Fiction was a particularly favored venue , and was used to subtly shape attitudes . " Ladies ' Home Journal " and other magazine also promoted the activities of women in the armed services . The pulp magazine industry was especially supportive , if only to prevent their being perceived as unessential to the war effort and discontinued for the duration of the war . The Office of War Information distributed guides to writers for Western , adventure , detective and other pulp genres with possible story lines and themes that would help the war effort . Among the suggestions were a detective who was " cheerful " about following a suspect without using an automobile , a woman working in a traditionally male job , the importance of the 35 miles per hour speed limit and carpooling , and good Chinese and British characters . Newspapers . Newspapers were told that government press releases would be true , and to give no aid and comfort to the enemy — but this latter was not to be considered a prohibition on releasing bad news . However , partially through the cooperation of supportive journalists , the Office of Censorship ( OOC ) managed to remove negative news and other items useful to the enemy — such as weather forecasts — although neither the OOC nor any other agency managed to completely slant the news in a positive , morale - boosting manner . Indeed , some government officials found that both newspapers and radio were using uncorroborated news from Vichy France and Tokyo . Themes . As in Britain , American propaganda depicted the war as an issue of good versus evil , which allowed the government to encourage its population to fight a " just war , " and used themes of resistance in and liberation to the occupied countries . In 1940 , even prior to being drawn into World War II , President Roosevelt urged every American to consider the effect if the dictatorships won in Europe and Asia . Precision bombing was praised , exaggerating its accuracy , to convince people of the difference between good and bad bombing . Hitler , Tojo , Mussolini and their followers were the villains in American film , even in cartoons where characters , such as Bugs Bunny , would defeat them — a practice that began before Pearl Harbor . Cartoons depicted Axis leaders as not being human . Roosevelt proclaimed that the war against the dictatorships had to take precedence over the New Deal . Artists and writers were strongly divided on whether to encourage hatred for the enemy , which occasioned debates . The government rarely intervened in such debates , only occasionally suggesting lines for art to take . However , the OWI suggested plot lines using Axis agents in place of traditional villainous roles , such as the rustler in Westerns . In one speech , Henry Wallace called for post - war efforts to psychologically disarm the effect of the Axis powers , requiring schools to undo , as far as possible , the poisoning of children ' s minds by Hitler and the Japanese " warlords . " Two days later , a Dr . Seuss ' s editorial cartoon showed Uncle Sam using bellows to drive germ out of the mind of the child " Germany , " while holding the child " Japan " ready for the next treatment . Anti - German . Hitler was often depicted in situations ridiculing him , and editorial cartoons usually depicted him in caricature . Hitler ' s dictatorship was often heavily satirized . To raise morale , even prior to the turning of the war in the Allies favor , Hitler often appeared in editorial cartoons as doomed . He and the German people were depicted as fools . For example , in an editorial cartoon by Dr . Seuss , a German father scolded his hungry son , telling him that the Germans ate countries , not food . Nazi Germany was treated as the worst evil within the Axis , a greater threat than Japan and Italy . To counter the much greater desire in the United States to attack Japan , operations in the North African theater were implemented , despite military counterindications , to increase support for attacking Germany . Without such involvement , public pressure to more heavily support the war in the Pacific might have proven irresistible to American leaders . Germans were often stereotyped as evil in films and posters , although many atrocities were specifically ascribed to Nazis and Hitler specificially , rather than to the undifferentiated German people . Alternate history novels depicted Nazi invasions of America to arouse support for interventionism . The Writers ' War Board compiled lists of books banned or burned in Nazi Germany and distributed them for propaganda purposes , and thousands of commemorations of the book burnings were staged . Anti - Italian . Mussolini also appeared in situations ridiculing him . Editorial cartoons depicted him as a two - bit dictator . Italians were often stereotyped as evil in films and posters . Anti - Japanese . Propaganda portrayed the Japanese as a foreign , grotesque and uncivilized enemy . Drawing on Japanese " samurai " traditions , American propagandists portrayed the Japanese as blindly fanatic and ruthless , with a history of desiring overseas conquests . Japanese propaganda , such as " Shinmin no Michi " or " The Way of the Subjects " , called for the Japanese people to become " one hundred million hearts beating as one " — which Allied propagandists used to portray the Japanese as a mindless , unified mass . Atrocities were ascribed to the Japanese people as a whole . Even Japanese - Americans would be portrayed as massively supporting Japan , only awaiting the signal to commit sabotage . Japanese atrocities and their fanatical refusal to surrender supported the portrayal of otherwise racist elements in propaganda . Even prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor , accounts of atrocities in China roused considerable antipathy for Japan . This stemmed from as early as the Japanese invasion of Manchuria , when accounts were received of Japanese forces of bombing civilians , or firing upon shell - shocked survivors . Such books as Pearl Buck ' s " The Good Earth " and Freda Utley ' s " China At War " aroused sympathy for the Chinese . As early as 1937 , Roosevelt condemned the Japanese for their aggression in China . The Rape of Nanking , due to the large number of Western witnesses , achieved particularly notoriety , with Chinese propagandists using it to cement Allied opinion . Propaganda based on the attack on Pearl Harbor was used with considerable effectiveness , because its outcome was enormous and impossible to counter . Initial reports termed it a " sneak attack " and " infamous behavior " . " Remember Pearl Harbor ! " became the watchword of the war . Reports of the maltreatment of American prisoners of war also aroused fury , as did reports of atrocities against native populations , with babies being thrown in the air to be caught on bayonets receiving particular attention . When three of the Doolittle Raid ers were executed , it evoked a passion for revenge in America , and the image of the " Japanese ape " became common in film and cartoons . The film " The Purple Heart " dramatized their story , with an airman giving a concluding speech that he now knew that he had understood the Japanese less than he had thought , and that they did not understand Americans if they thought this would frighten them . The diary of a dead Japanese soldier , which contained an entry coolly recounting the execution of a downed airman , was given considerable play as a demonstration of the true nature of the enemy . The early overwhelming Japanese successes led to a pamphlet " Exploding the Japanese ' Superman ' Myth " to counter the effect . The limitations of Japanese troops it cited , although minor , were actual flaws to counter the impression GIs had of Japanese military prowess . The Doolittle Raid was staged after urging from Roosevelt for a counter - attack , if only for morale reasons . Japanese calls for devotion to death were used to present a war of extermination as the only possibility , without any question as to whether it was desirable . One Marine unit was briefed : " Every Japanese has been told that it is his duty to die for the emperor . It is your duty to see that he does so . " The suicides at Saipan — of women , children , and the elderly as well as fighting men — only reinforced that belief . A thorough defeat of the Japanese was argued for in magazines so as to prevent a resurgence , as happened in Germany after World War I , of Japanese military power or ambition . This encouraged American forces to attack civilians , on the belief they would not surrender , which fed into Japanese propaganda about American atrocities . Hirohito and undifferentiated " Japs " were often portrayed in caricature . Dr . Seuss ' s editorial cartoons , which often depicted Hitler and Mussolini , opted for a " Japan " figure rather than any given leader . One OWI suggestion for adapting " pulp " formulas was a sports story of a professional baseball team touring Japan , which would allow the writers to show the Japanese as ruthless and incapable of sportsmanship . American popular songs at the time included " We ' re Gonna Have to Slap the Dirty Little Jap , " " Taps for the Japs , " " We ’ ll Nip the Nipponese , " " We ’ re going to play Yankee Doodle in Tokyo , " and " You ’ re a Sap , Mr . Jap . " Wartime filmmakers embellished characteristics of Japanese culture that the American people would find scandalously foreign . At the beginning of the war artists portrayed the Japanese as nearsighted , bucktoothed , harmless children . Indeed , many Americans believed that Germany had convinced Japan to attack Pearl Harbor . As the war progressed , Japanese soldiers and civilians would be portrayed in films as evil , rat faced enemies that desired global domination . In countries occupied by Japan and forced to join its would - be Greater East Asia Co - Prosperity Sphere , the failure to sustain the economic level prior to the war , particularly in the Philippines , was quickly use in propaganda about the " Co - Poverty Sphere . " Leaflets air - dropped to the Japanese people informed them of the Potsdam Declaration , which brought to bear the extent of Allied victory , and of the Japanese government ' s peace negotiations , undermining the ability of the Japanese hard - liners to insist on continued war . Careless talk . Many posters depicted careless talk as providing information to the enemy , resulting in Allied deaths . Some of these posters contained the most well known slogans of the war and many were depicted by propaganda artist Cyril Kenneth Bird . Other slogans used for this type of poster were “ loose talk costs lives ” , " loose lips sink ships " , “ Another careless word , another wooden cross ” , and “ bits of careless talk are pieced together by the enemy ” . Stories also emphasized an anti - rumor theme , as when one woman advised another not to talk with a man about her war job , because the woman he is dating is untrustworthy and might be an enemy agent . Rumor mongering was discouraged on the grounds it fomented divisions in America and promoted defeatism and alarmism . Alfred Hitchcock directed " Have You Heard ? " , a photographic dramatization of the dangers of rumors during wartime , for " Life " magazine . Victories . Battle victories and heroism were promoted for morale purposes , while losses and defeats were underplayed . Despite his blunders in the first days of the war , General Douglas MacArthur was presented as a war hero due to the dire need for one . The desperate situation on Bataan was played down ; although its fall caused considerable demoralization . The Doolittle Raid was carried out solely to help morale rather than to cause damage . a purpose which it fulfilled . After the Battle of Coral Sea , the Navy reported more Japanese damage than had actually been inflicted , and declared it a victory , which the Japanese also did . The decisive victory at the Battle of Midway was emblazoned on newspaper headlines , but was reported with restraint and the U . S . Navy overstated the Japanese damage . " Life magazine " warned that Midway did not mean that Japan was no longer on the offensive . In 1942 , the survivors of the Battle of Savo Island were removed from public circulation to prevent news from leaking , and the August 9th disaster did not reach the newspapers until mid - October . Limiting the distribution of bad news caused difficulty with gasoline rationing , as Americans were kept unaware of numerous tanker sinkings . Earlier , people complained that the government was covering up the extent of the damage at Pearl Harbor , although this was partly to keep it from the Japanese . The Japanese had a good idea of the damage they inflicted , so only Americans were kept ignorant . One reporter reported , " Seven of the two ships sunk at Pearl Harbor have now rejoined the fleet . " Although complaints of news suppression continued , both the newspapers and radio took favorable news and embellish it , a process not countered by the government . Joseph Goebbels countered this propaganda to prevent it influencing Germany , downplaying the defense of Corrigidor and attacking Douglas MacArthur as a coward . This was not very successful , as the German people knew it understated the American defense and that MacArthur had left under orders . The invasion of North Africa produced a morale boost when American forces were bogged down in New Guinea and the Guadalcanal Campaign . After Guadalcanal , attention was focused on Europe , where Italy was taken , heavy bombing was hammering Germany , and the Red Army was moving steadily advancing west . False optimism . Some propaganda was directed to counter people ' s hopes that it would not be a long , hard war . Despite air victories in Europe , Dr . Seuss depicted Hitler as a mermaid destroying Allied shipping . The U . S . War Department supported the syndication of Bill Mauldin ' s cartoons because Mauldin made the war appear bitter and onerous , showing that the victory would not be easy . His depiction of U . S . soldiers with disheveled appearances and sad , vacant eyes conveyed the difficulty of the war . Death and injury . Until 1944 , the mayhem of war ( dead and wounded ) was mostly toned down by American propagandists , who followed instructions allowing them to show a " few " wounded soldiers in a crowd . Later , more realistic presentations were allowed , partly owing to popular demand . The earlier attitude was supported by the media ; for example , NBC warned that broadcasts were not to be " unduly harrowing . " However , the American public wanted more realism on the grounds that they could handle bad news . Roosevelt finally authorized photos of dead soldiers , to keep the public from growing complacent about the toll of war . When " The Battle of San Pietro " showed dead GIs wrapped in mattress covers , some officers tried to prevent troopers in training from seeing it , for fear of morale ; General Marshall overrode them , to ensure that the soldiers took their training seriously . The OWI emphasized to returning , battle - scarred soldiers that there were places and jobs for them in civilian life . This promise was also featured in romantic stories , where a sweet , gentle heroine would help the veteran adjust to civilian life after his return from the war . War effort . Americans were called upon to support the war effort in many ways . Cartoons depicted those who talked about victory but clearly were sitting around waiting for others to ensure it or showed how red tape was detrimental to the war effort . Defeatism was attacked , national unity was promoted , and themes of community and sacrifice were emphasized . Fictional characters were sharply divided into selfish villains and heroes who put the needs of others first and learned to identify with the defenders of freedom . Propagandists were instructed to convey the message that the person viewing the propaganda media stood to personally lose if he or she failed to contribute ; for example , the appeal for women to contribute to the war effort more closely personalized the soldiers dependent on their work as their sons , brothers and husbands . Considerable complications were caused by censorship and the need to prevent the enemy from learning how much damage they had inflicted . For example , Roosevelt ' s fireside chat described the damage at Pearl Harbor as " serious " but he could not " give exact damage . " Many artists and writers knew that keeping up morale was important , but considerable debate arose over whether to go for light frivolous diversions , or to impress the severity of the war to stir up support . Authors of fiction were encouraged to show their characters buying warbonds , conserving , planting victory gardens , and otherwise acting war - mindedly ; characters could refrain from calling loved ones to avoid straining the phone system , or a romance would start when a man and woman carpooled . Many stories were set in the frontier era or on family farms , to emphasize traditional virtues such as hard work , innocence , piety , independence and community values . Civil defense . The Office of Civil Defense was created to inform Americans what to do in case of enemy attack . Within a day of the attack of Pearl Harbor , it produce pamphlets describing what to do in event of an air raid . It also promoted civilian morale , and its emblems helped remind people that the war was continuing . Conservation . Women ' s magazines carried numerous tips for housewives on thrifty purchasing , dealing with rationing , and how to cope in a period of limited supplies . General Mills distributed a Betty Crocker " cookbooklet " with war time recipes . A " Victory Cookbook " explained the principles of wartime cooking , starting with the need to share food with the fighting men . " Ladies ' Home Journal " explained the principles behind sugar rationing , for example , sugarcane could be used to make explosives . The Office of Price Administration urged Americans in restaurants not to ask for extra butter or a refill on coffee . Radio soap operas used plots about wartime rationing and condemned the hoarding of goods . Rubber was in particularly short supply , and rubber rationing had the deepest impact on American life . However , the Rubber Survey Report , produced by a committee to investigate the rubber supply , succeeded in changing public opinion by showing the good reasons for rationing . Since gasoline was needed to power planes and military automobiles , Americans were encouraged to conserve . This also helped conserve rubber . Carpooling was promoted in government campaigns . Scrap drives were instituted , and supported by government PR efforts , even before the declaration of war . Such programs as Salvage for Victory redoubled after the outbreak . Many private individuals organized and publicized some of the most successful scrap drives of the war . President Roosevelt sent a letter to Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups , urging the children to support scrap drives . Cartoons ridiculed those who did not collect scrap . Conservation was the largest theme in poster propaganda , accounting for one of every seven posters during the war . Conserving materials , in the kitchen and around the home , was one of five major topics in posters with conservation themes . Other topics included purchasing war bonds , planting victory gardens , the Office of Price Administration , and rationing . Women were encouraged to help with conservation in their cooking , saving fat and grease for explosives , and rationing sugar , meat , butter , and coffee to leave more for the soldiers . Butcher shops and markets handed out bulletins that urged the conservation of waste fat , which could be brought back to the butcher . Due to these posters and other forms of propaganda the United States recycled 538 million pounds of waste fats , 46 billion pounds of paper , and 800 million pounds of tin . People were told to conserve materials used in clothing , which resulted in clothing becoming smaller and shorter . Fiction often depicted a heroine who spent her high wages on fancy dress , but found that her soldier boyfriend disapproved until he learned she had a war job . Even then , he wanted her to change back to the clothes he knew her in before they went out . Industry . Industry was also called on to conserve . Lucky Strike used the metals in their dyes as a justification for changing their packaging from green to white . Prior to the shutdown of commercial production , cars no longer carried chrome . Production . Even prior to Pearl Harbor , Roosevelt called on the United States to be the arsenal of democracy in support of other countries at war with Fascism . Industrial and agricultural production was a major focus of poster campaigns . Although the war - time boom meant that people had money to buy things for the first time since the Depression , propaganda emphasized the need to support the war effort , and not spend their money on non - essential items and so divert material from the war effort . The manufacture of the last civilian car was publicized in such venues as " Life magazine " . Factories were represented as part of the war effort , and greater worker cooperation with management was urged . Stories symbolized such harmony by featuring romances between a working - class war worker and her employer . Cartoons depicted labor unrest as pleasing Hitler and racial discrimination as preventing the accomplishment of essential work . Fictional treatments of war issues emphasized the need for workers to combat absenteeism and high turnover . Business entrepreneurs founding new businesses for military production were hailed as exemplars of American economic individualism . After the death of the Sullivan brothers , their parents and sister made visits to shipyards and armament factories to encourage increased production . Veterans of the Guadalcanal campaign , America ' s first major offensive of the war , were also sent to factories to encourage production and discourage absenteeism . Economy and industry were strongly emphasized in United States propaganda posters because of the need for long term production during the war . Factory workers were encouraged to become not just workers , but “ Production Soldiers ” on the home front . These posters were used to persuade workers to take shorter breaks , work longer hours , and produce as many tools and weapons as possible to increase production for the military . Ship factories hung out banners to encourage " ships for victory " . Increased production resulted in more workers moving to factory towns , straining available housing and other amenities . As a result , fictional plots often dealt with the need for homeowners to take in boarders and the necessity for tolerance and unity between residents and newcomers . Victory gardens . The government encouraged people to plant vegetable gardens to help prevent food shortages . Magazines such as " Saturday Evening Post " and " Life magazine " printed articles supporting it , while women ' s magazines included directions for planting . Because planting these gardens was regarded as being patriotic , they were termed victory gardens , and women were encouraged to can and preserve food they raised from these gardens . While the U . S . Department of Agriculture provided information , many commercial publishers also issued books , on how to plant these gardens . During the war years , Americans planted 50 million victory gardens . These produced more vegetables than the total commercial production , and much of it was preserved , following the slogan : " Eat what you can , and can what you can ' t . " War bonds . During the war , the sale of War Bond s was extensively promoted . Originally termed " Defense Bonds " , they were called " war bonds " after the attack on Pearl Harbor . Much of the nation ' s artistic talent and best advertising techniques were used to encourage people to buy the bonds so as to keep the program voluntary . The War Advertising Board did its best to convince people that buying bonds was a patriotic act , giving buyers a stake in the war . Advertisements were initially used on radio and in newspapers , but later magazines were also used , with both government and private companies producing the advertisements . The Writers ' War Board was originally founded for the purpose of writing copy for war bond ads . War bond rallies and drives were common , and were staged at many social events . Teachers passed out booklets to children to allow them to save toward a bond by purchasing war bond stamps . Marlene Dietrich and many other female movie stars sold many thousands of dollars worth of war bonds . The Little Orphan Annie radio show urged its young listeners to sell war stamps and war bonds . Even product ads often contained the slogan , " Buy War Bonds and Stamps ! " . Enrolling in payroll deduction plans to buy war bonds was also urged through the media . One hundred and thirty - five billion dollars worth of liberty bonds were sold , most of which were purchased by banks , insurance companies and corporations . However , individuals purchased $ 36 billion in bonds , with children accounting for close to $ 1 billion . Womanpower . Major campaigns were launched to encourage women to enter the work force and convince their husbands that this was appropriate behavior . Government campaigns targeting women were addressed solely at housewives , perhaps because already employed women could move to the higher - paid " essential " jobs on their own , or perhaps in the belief that housewives would be the primary source of new workers . Propaganda was also directed at husbands , many of whom were unwilling to have their wives working . Fiction also addressed husbands ' resistance to their wives working . Key symbolic figures such as " Rosie the Riveter " and " Mrs . Casey Jones " appeared in posters across the country representing strong women who supported their husbands in the war effort . Due to all the propaganda targeting female wartime duties , the number of women working jumped 15 % from 1941 to 1943 . Women were the primary figures of the home front , which was a major theme in the poster propaganda media , and , as the war continued , women began appearing more frequently in war posters . At first , they were accompanied by male counterparts , but later women began to appear as the central figure in the posters . These posters were meant to show a direct correlation with the efforts of the home front to the war overseas and portray women as directly affecting the war . Radios also broadcast information and appeals , drawing on patriotic calls and the need of such work to save men ' s lives . Two major campaigns were launched : " Women in the War , " to recruit for the armed services and war - related jobs ; and " Women in Necessary Services , " or such jobs as laundry , clerking in grocery and drug stores , and other employment necessary to support the economy . Books and magazines addressed women with the need for their labor . Many works of fiction depicted women working in industries suffering labor shortages , although generally in the more glamorous industries . Major magazines covers movies , and popular songs all depicted women workers . The woman war worker was commonly used as a symbol of the home front , perhaps because , unlike a male figure , the question of why she was not serving in the armed forces would not be raised . In many stories , the woman worker appeared as an example to a selfish woman who then reformed and obtained employment . Magazines were urged to carry fiction suitable for wartime . For instance , " True Story " toned down its Great Depression hostility to working women and featured war work favorably . At first , it continued sexual themes , such as female war workers being seduced , having affairs with married men , or engaging in casual affairs . The Magazine Bureau objected to this as hindering recruitment , and argued that war workers should not be shown as more prone to dalliance than other women . As a result , " True Story " removed such themes from stories featuring female war workers . The ambitious career woman whose life culminated in disaster still appeared , but only when motivated by self - interest ; whereas women who worked from patriotic motives were able to maintain their marriages and bear children rather than suffer miscarriages and infertility , as working women invariably suffered in pre - war stories . Stories showed that war work could redeem a woman with a sordid past . " Saturday Evening Post " changed its depiction of working women even more : the pre - war , destructive career wife vanished entirely , and now employed women could also have happy families The image of the " glamour girl " was adapted to wartime conditions by depicting women in factory work as attractive and overtly showed that a woman could keep her looks while performing war work . Fictional romances presented war workers as winning the attention of soldiers , in preference to girls who lived for pleasure . The motives for female war workers motives were often presented as bringing their men home earlier , or making a safer world for their children . Depictions of female war workers often suggested that they were working only for the duration , and planned to return full - time to the home afterward . The appeal for women workers suggested that by performing war work , a woman supported her brother , boyfriend or husband in the armed forces , and hastened the day when he could return home . In the armed forces . Women ' s groups and organizations were asked to recruit women for the WACS , WAVES , WASPS and other female branches of the services . The image of the " glamour girl " was applied to women in the military , to reassure women that joining the military did not make them less feminine . In fictional romances , women in uniform won the hearts of soldiers who preferred them to women who did not support the war effort . African American : Double V campaign . The African American community in the United States resolved on a Double V Campaign : Victory over fascism abroad , and victory over discrimination at home . Large numbers migrated from poor Southern farms to munitions centers . Racial tensions were high in overcrowded cities like Chicago ; Detroit and Harlem experienced race riot s in 1943 . Black newspapers created the Double V Campaign to build black morale and head off radical action . Special posters and pamphlets were prepared for distribution in black neighborhoods . Most Black women had been farm laborers or domestics before the war . Despite discrimination and segregated facilities throughout the South , they escaped the cotton patch and took blue - collar jobs in the cities . Working with the federal Fair Employment Practices Committee , the NAACP and CIO unions , these Black women fought a “ Double V ” campaign — against the Axis abroad and against restrictive hiring practices at home . Their efforts redefined citizenship , equating their patriotism with war work , and seeking equal employment opportunities , government entitlements , and better working conditions as conditions appropriate for full citizens . In the South black women worked in segregated jobs ; in the West and most of the North they were integrated , but wildcat strikes erupted in Detroit , Baltimore , and Evansville where white migrants from the South refused to work alongside black women . Home fires . Most of the entertainment aimed at soldiers was heavy on sentiment and nostalgia , to help sustain morale . In most media , the girl next door was often used as the symbol of all things American . Betty Grable characterized it as women giving soldiers something to fight for , but one soldier wrote to her saying that her pin - up photographs told them , in the midst of fighting , what they were fighting for . Songs on armed forces request programs were not about Rosie the Riveter , but of the girls who were waiting for the soldiers to return . Many such songs were also popular at the home front . Themes of love , loneliness and separation were given more poignancy by the war . German intelligence officers , interrogating American prisoners , mistakenly concluded that the Americans notions of why they were fighting were for such vague concepts , such as " Mom ' s apple pie , " and concluded that American servicemen were idealistically soft and could be convinced to desert their allies . Stories for the home front recounted the soldiers ' need for their sweethearts and families to remain as they were , because " they " were what the soldier were fighting for . As the war ended , real and fictional stories often featured women who left war work to return to their homes and to raise children . Women , particularly wives whose husbands were at war , and children were often portrayed as what was at risk in the war . Home - front posters also invoked an idealized America , as in the series declaring " This is America " , portraying " the family is a sacred institution , " " where Main Street is bigger than Broadway , " and " where a man picks his job " . Typically , men were presented as ordinary but women as beautiful and glamorous . Allies . Pro - British . Roosevelt urged support for Britain before the United States entered the war , to gain support for the Lend - Lease Act . Part of this reasoning was that those who were currently fighting the Axis powers would keep war from the United States , if supported . In propaganda media , posters urged support for Great Britain , while the stock character of the " supercilious Englishman " was removed from film . Newsreels depicted the Blitz , showing the famous image of St . Paul ' s dome rising above the flames , and Ed Murrow reported the effects . Frank Capra ' s film " Battle of Britain " ( 1943 ) , in the " Why We Fight " series , depicted the RAF ' s fight against Germany . While it embellished real life dogfights , it did depict the frightening night raids , which the British people nevertheless managed to carry - on through . Before 7 December 1941 and the Japanese surprise attack on Hawaii , a number of Americans in the north and mid - west United States were either sympathetic to Nazi Germany or simply opposed to another war with Germany because they were of German ancestry . In addition , numerous Irish - Catholic Americans were pro - Nazi because they were openly hostile to the British and British interests . However , the American South was very pro - British at this time , because of the kinship southerners felt for the British . The South was deemed " a total failure " for the America First Committee for reasons such as traditional southern pride in the military , pro - British sentiment and Anglophilia due to a predominance of British ancestry among most Southerners , political loyalty to the Democratic Party and the role of defense spending in aiding the region ' s depressed economy . Pro - Russian . Depicting the Soviet Union in American propaganda was a delicate issue throughout the war , as the Soviet Union could not possibly be presented as a liberal democracy . However , the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union inspired propaganda in its favor , and Hollywood produced pro - Russian movies . At Roosevelt ' s urging , the film Mission to Moscow was made and depicted the purge trials as a just punishment of a Trotskyite conspiracy . On the other hand , the 1939 Greta Garbo film " Ninotchka " was not re - released as it ridiculed Russians . Frank Capra ' s " Why We Fight " series included " The Battle of Russia " . The first part of the film depicted the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union , recounted past failures to invade Russia , and described Russian scorched earth and guerrilla tactics . It also omitted all references to the pre - War Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact . The second part of the film depicts Germany being drawn too far into Russia ; and mostly concentrates on the siege of Leningrad . Indeed , it unrealistically portrays the great withdrawal into Russian territory as a deliberate ploy of the Soviet government . Pro - Chinese . Support for the Chinese people was urged in posters . Even prior to the United States ' entry into the war , many Chinese figures appeared on the cover of " Time magazine " . Japanese propaganda attributed this not to any disgust Americans felt for Japanese atrocities in China , but simply to more effective Chinese propaganda . Frank Capra ' s " Why We Fight " series included " The Battle of China " . It depicted the brutal attack on China by Japan as well as atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking , which helped galvanize Chinese resistance to Japanese occupation . The film also depicted the building of the Burma Road , which helped keep China in the war as the Japanese had occupied most Chinese ports The film ridiculed the Japanese anti - Western propaganda of " co - prosperity " and " co - existence " by reciting these themes over scenes of Japanese atrocities , it was the most stark , " Good vs Evil " film of the " Why We Fight " series . Pearl Buck , a famous author of books on China , warned Americans to take seriously the appeal of the Japanese Greater East Asia Co - Prosperity Sphere to the people of China and other Asian nations . This was due to those people being treated as inferior races , an attitude many in the West had toward orientals . Elmer Davis of the Office of War Information also declared that since the Japanese were proclaiming the Pacific conflict as a racial war , the United States could only counter this propaganda by deeds that showed Americans believed in the equality of races . However , this was not officially addressed , and American propaganda did not confront the problem of prejudice based on color . Occupied Europe . Frank Capra ' s films " The Nazis Strike " and " Divide and Conquer " , part of the " Why We Fight " series , depicted the conquest of Europe . " The Nazis Strike " covers the seizure of land starting with the Anschluss and concluding with the invasion of Poland , as it depicts Hitler creating an enormous military force . " Divide and Conquer " depicts German conquests in Denmark , Norway , Luxembourg , Belgium , the Netherlands and France . Special attention is given to atrocities , and the French population is depicted as enslaved after the conquest . An American poster depicted Frenchmen with raised hands warning them that German victory meant slavery , starvation and death . The tragedy of Lidice , shooting of the men and the sending of the women to concentration camps , was also depicted in posters . The Free French also had posters published , urging the American population to support them . The Belgian Information Center had posters declaring that the people of Belgium still resisted . American propaganda was circulated in occupied countries through the efforts of the underground movements . Stockpiled books were shipped to France within weeks of D - Day , in order to counteract Nazi propaganda , particularly anti - American propaganda . This was part of " consolidation propaganda " , intended to pacify occupied regions so as to limit the forces needed to occupy ; to counter - act Nazi propaganda , particularly about the United States ; and to explain what the United States had done during the war . Pro - Filipino . Posters were used to portray and support the resistance forces in the Philippines , which , while often listed as one of the greatest organized resistances in history , also exacted a terrible toll on the Filipino people .