The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
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.”
Offset Lithographic poster printed on off-white paper and adhered to a white linen backing. 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. The surface is lightly stained throughout, and there is a small tear at the center of the right edge. There are defined creases where the poster was previously folded into quarters. front, bottom left margin, handwritten, pencil : 16/J front, bottom right margin, handwritten, pencil :pII 927
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overall: Height: 23.000 inches (58.42 cm) | Width: 17.500 inches (44.45 cm)
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.
American propaganda poster with anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese caricatures