---
title: A Message About Food... From the President of the United States
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/a-message-about-food-truman-1946/
description: An all-text sheet in white on dark blue under the Great Seal, signed 'Harry Truman', stating that millions face famine and listing five requests.
section: Collection
---

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[![A Message About Food... From the President of the United States, 1946 US poster: An all-text sheet in white on dark blue](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/a-message-about-food-truman-1946.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/a-message-about-food-truman-1946.jpg)

# A Message About Food... From the President of the United States

An all-text sheet in white on dark blue under the Great Seal, signed 'Harry Truman', stating that millions face famine and listing five requests: eat less wheat, fats and oils, balance the diet, keep victory gardens, preserve food, waste none. The tell is a fear-appeal about famine paired with the presidential seal and signature as authority.

## Propaganda techniques used in this poster

[Fear appeal](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/fear-appeal/) [Transfer](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/transfer/)

## Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
A Message About Food . . .

FROM
THE PRESIDENT
of the
UNITED STATES

Millions of people face famine in the war-torn world!

I call upon every American to help save lives:

Eat less wheat products, fats, and oils.
Balance your diet with foods which are plentiful.
Keep up your victory garden.  Preserve food at home.
Waste no food.

Famine and peace cannot go together.  It is up to all of us to see that food saves lives and strengthens peace everywhere in the world.

[signature:] Harry Truman

WASHINGTON, D. C.
1946

[imprint:] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1946 [number illegible]
```

[← General MacArthur Assumes a New Position](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-general-macarthur-assumes-a-new-position-1945/) [Am I proud! I'm fighting famine by canning food at home →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/am-i-proud-canning-1946/)

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- [Gazette of the United States, "The Jeffersoniad" no. VIII, 14 August 1800](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/gazette-us-jeffersoniad-1800/) (United States · Aug 14, 1800 · Name-calling, Fear appeal)
- [Tyrants Prostrate, Liberty Triumphant (pro-Polk cartoon on Dorr), 1844](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/tyrants-prostrate-liberty-triumphant-polk-1844/) (United States · 1844 · Name-calling, Fear appeal). Content note: Speech balloons contain anti-Catholic and nativist wording ('the ruins of Popery') in the mouths of the Whig figures, written by a Democratic cartoonist and shown unaltered.
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