Grandfather's Editorial Cartoon Collection

[Haversack]

Now that I have, (hopefully!), resolved my scanner's problems, here a couple of the wartime cartoons referencing domestic issues. The first is in regards to Operation Pastourious. This was the German plan to land 4-man teams of saboteurs by U-boat in the US. Their goal was to blow up infrastructure, production facilities, and Jewish-owned businesses. Two teams were landed in 1942: One on Long Island and one in Florida. Because the team on Long Island was noticed by a Coastguard beach-walker as they were burying their explosives, two of that team turned themselves in to the FBI and helped locate and capture the remaining six. These two were given 30 year to life sentences. The other six were executed.


This next one is still pertinent. Just change the characters.

 

[Haversack]

Seeing that the party conventions for 1940 are being reported on in the Brooklyn papers, here are a few cartoons commenting on some of the issues at hand.



This last one is a bit of a mystery to me. Looking up 'Wendell Willkie' and notebook just gets me pages of ads for political ephemera and notebooks with Wendell Willkie quotes on the cover. Lizzie?

 

[LizzieMaine]

The idea there is that Willkie had a reputation as a surprisingly well-informed candidate who was always quoting facts and figures on whatever topic that was at hand. "Information Please," of course, is a reference to the popular "stump the experts" radio quiz show, on which Mr. Willkie himself appeared several times and always acquitted himself well.

"Does Your Cigarette Taste Different Lately" is a reference to an ad campaign for Kools, which were promoted as a refreshing alternative for when the smoker got bored with their regular brand.

 

[Haversack]

Some more regarding the Democrats' convention:

 

[Haversack]

These are from before the war but reflect some of the domestic debates that were going on in the US.

The fellow with the eyebrows and jaw holding the club is John L. Lewis. He was the president of the United Mine Workers and one of the founders of the CIO. He was of immense help to FDR in the 1936 election but as a staunch isolationist, broke with him in 1940. A powerful figure in US politics for most of the 20th Century. He'll be showing up in further cartoons.

The title of the next one refers to FDR's personal retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia.

 

[Haversack]

Trying to get back on track, here are some home-front cartoons:

And here is more of John L. Lewis.


Rationing is in the wings.

 

[Haversack]

The following cartoon in my grandfather's collection always eluded my understanding until I discovered this site and learned about the tradition of Straw Hat Day. Neither of my parents could explain it as one grew up in Santa Barbara where straw hats were always in season and the other grew up on a ranch where hats were worn for protection and not for fashion.