Be a Ship's Officer
Recruiting sheet for the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps: a drawn profile of a young officer in a white cap looks up and away, over a blue-toned photograph of cargo ships at sea. A white panel gives the address for cadet-midshipman enquiries. The technique is transfer: the uniform, the heroic profile and the convoy carry the prestige of the service onto the offer.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- War Shipping Administration, U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Themes
- War and the military, Home front
- 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)
War Shipping Administration, U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-443 (NAID 513911).
Text on the object
BE A SHIP'S OFFICER For information to become a CADET - MIDSHIPMAN write to the SUPERVISOR U. S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps War Shipping Administration, Training Organization, Washington (25), D. C. U. S. MERCHANT MARINE CADET CORPS AN OFFICIAL WAR MESSAGE DISTRIBUTED BY THE OWI [emblem motto:] ACTA NON VERBA [imprint:] U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943-O-537805
