Propaganda

"Don’t Let That Shadow Touch Them" by Lawrence B. Smith, 1942; Produced for the U.S. Treasury

"Don’t Let That Shadow Touch Them" by Lawrence B. Smith, 1942; Produced for the U.S. Treasury
Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, NWDNS-44-PA-97

Throughout the war, Nebraskans were constantly bombarded with propaganda to help keep morale high, and those on the front lines were bombarded with propaganda intended to beat morale down.

"We were all the good guys. We did everything right and the Germans and the Japs, they looked awful and they sneered and they said lousy things. They were bad! It was really propaganda. I just accepted it. What else did I know?"
— Rose Marie Murphy Christensen, Columbus, grade school student.

Our propaganda often stereotyped the Italian, German, and Japanese enemies as evil characters. These portrayals dominated posters, movies, and even cartoons intended for children.

World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Stamp 'Em Out! Buy U.S. Stamps and Bonds"

World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Stamp 'Em Out! Buy U.S. Stamps and Bonds"
Courtesy Library of Congress, POS-WPA-LA .B88, no. 3
World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Salvage Scrap to Blast the Jap"

World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Salvage Scrap to Blast the Jap"
Courtesy Library of Congress, LC-USZC2-1109 DLC
World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "He’s Watching You"

World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "He’s Watching You"
Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, NWDNS-208-AOP-119
World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Warning! Our homes are in Danger Now!" Office for Emergency Management; Office of War Information, Domestic Operations Branch, Bureau of Special Services

World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Warning! Our homes are in Danger Now!" Office for Emergency Management; Office of War Information, Domestic Operations Branch, Bureau of Special Services
Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, 516040
World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Stamp 'Em Out! Beat Your Promise"

World War II U.S. Propaganda Poster: "Stamp 'Em Out! Beat Your Promise"
Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, NWDNS-44-PA-1795

"We went to the movies all the time. You see them now on television, the same movies, and they are so blatantly propagandistic. Here was this little grinning guy again with the glasses and the buck teeth and the fur lined helmet. He was always in the cockpit. You were supposed to believe that there was somebody out on the wing shooting pictures of this guy in the cockpit while he was diving down."
— Barc Bayley, Lincoln, high school student.

A leaflet that the Germans dropped on Nebraska troops during the last days of World War II.that the Germans dropped on Nebraska troops during the last days of World War II.

Leaflet Dropped on Nebraska Soldiers in World War II “Welcome Men of the 35th Division!”

Propaganda was used on the front lines as well as the home front. One of the more widespread uses of propaganda was in leaflets that were dropped on soldiers from the air. These leaflets were intended to demoralize the soldier so that he would lay down his arms and surrender. The United States, Germany, and Japan all used these leaflets.