BY HALEY CALL

Loose Lips might Sink Ships

The Poster

Writing Home: 10 Prohibited Subjects 1. Don’t write military information of Army units – their location, strength, materiel,

or equipment. 2. Don’t write military installations. 3. Don’t write of transportation facilities. 4. Don’t write of convoys, their routes, ports (including ports of embarkation and

disembarkation), time en route, naval protection, or war incidents occurring en route 5. Don’t disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft. 6. Don’t mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known

or just your guess. 7. Don’t write about the effect of enemy operations. 8. Don’t tell of any casualty until released by proper authority (The Adjutant General)

and then only by using the full name of the casualty. 9. Don’t attempt to formulate or use a code system, cipher, or shorthand, or any

other means to conceal the true meaning or your letter. Violations of this regulation will result in severe punishment.

10. Don’t give your location in any way except as authorized by proper authority. Be sure nothing you write about discloses a more specific location than the one authorized.

Role

The role of this concept is to protect the military. It is for the safety of our country by not letting out information to anyone so that the enemy knows nothing.

If the enemy knows any of our information it could be the difference in winning or losing a battle.

Silence means security.

Impact

This event impacted WWII quite a bit because it was like a safety net. It kept lips sealed so that the slightest slip of the tongue didn’t jeopardize our country in any way.

Portrayal

I think that the event was positively and fairly portrayed because in most cases we’re all for the safety of America especially when we’re at war. There are lots of other posters with similar concepts at that time (examples below).

Sources

PRIMARY "Propaganda 1939-1945: La II Guerra Mundial en carteles."

Dos Centurias - Historia del Mundo Contemporaneo. 02 Feb 2009. 6 May 2009 <http://diegobarnes.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/propaganda-1939-1945-la-ii-guerra-mundial-en-carteles/>.

“Loose Lips Sink Ships,” EyeWitness to History, <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com> (1997)

SECONDARYhttp://www.nh.gov/nhsl/ww2/loose.html "Unifying A Nation." World War II Posters from the New

Hampshire State Library. 6 May 2009 <http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/ww2/loose.html>.