America arms! For national safety. Defense program has urgent need for specialized workers
Recruiting poster for federal civil-service jobs: a drawn hand turns a red micrometer gauge over silhouettes of a battleship, a tank, a bomber and a carrier. Red type picks out 'urgent need' and the trades wanted. The technique is faint: an appeal to 'national safety' and 'unusual opportunities', with only the benefits of the work listed.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Civil Service Commission
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Themes
- Home front, Labor, War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Civil Service Commission. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-341 (NAID 513788).
Text on the object
AMERICA ARMS! FOR NATIONAL SAFETY DEFENSE PROGRAM HAS URGENT NEED FOR SPECIALIZED WORKERS The Federal Civil Service offers unusual opportunities for well trained men to secure good jobs in the Federal Government and serve their country in the national emergency. Among those especially needed are certain skilled tradesmen such as machinists, toolmakers, diemakers, and aircraft mechanics. Also urgently needed are professional engineers of all kinds, inspectors of engineering materials in mechanical, electrical, aeronautical, communications and ordnance fields, economists, draftsmen, chemists, nurses and radio technicians. See the Local Civil Service Secretary at any first- or second-class post office for full information and application blanks. U. S. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, Washington, D. C. [imprint: U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1941-O-[illegible]]
