...and bless those back home who, knowing of our sailing, kept that knowledge to themselves

Painted portrait of a merchant-marine or transport captain with binoculars, a crowd of helmeted troops boarding behind him. The quoted line thanks civilians who kept a sailing secret and the banner reads 'Silence Means Security'. The technique is testimonial: a ship's officer speaks for the troops, with praise standing in for the request to keep quiet.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Testimonial Transfer

Date: 1943
Period: Second World War
Made by: U.S. War Department (artist Schlaikjer)
Region: North America
Country: United States
Medium: Poster
Issuer type: Military
Regime: Roosevelt Administration
Leader: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Audience: Domestic public
Purpose: Warn or inform
Themes: Home front, Security and surveillance
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. War Department, Adjutant General's Office. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-398 (NAID 513849).

Text on the object

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

"...and bless those back home who,
knowing of our sailing, kept
that knowledge to themselves"
SILENCE MEANS SECURITY
[signature:] Schlaikjer 43
[imprint:] W. D., A. G. O. "CONVOY" SECURITY POSTER
[imprint:] P-X-17--RPB--11-1-43--85M