Content note: Includes small caricatures of Hitler, a Japanese leader and Mussolini; Benny drawn with simian features. This object is shown as it was published. Why
"Benny" bungles again! America's Alertmen!
Hand-lettered cartoon: Benny rushes by with a telephone, the receiver torn from its box, shouting a garbled message ('Somebody phoned there's some kind of a something doing something somewhere'), while an officer at a desk is blown back. Small cartoon figures of Hitler, a Japanese leader and Mussolini say 'Our friend Benny'. Four message-handling rules are listed. The tell for name-calling is 'Benny' as the label for the careless messenger.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Headquarters, Antiaircraft Artillery Command, Eastern Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (Maj. Gen. Sanderford Jarman commanding)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, 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)
Headquarters, Antiaircraft Artillery Command, Eastern Theater of Operations, U.S. Army. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-479C (NAID 513951).
Text on the object
"BENNY" BUNGLES AGAIN! SOMEBODY PHONED THERE'S SOME KIND OF A SOMETHING DOING SOMETHING SOMEWHERE- AND IT'S COMING OUR WAY!! AMERICA'S ALERTMEN! WHEN YOU RECEIVE A MESSAGE: 1. Don't get excited 2. Get the message straight 3. Get sender's name, rank, organization 4. Deliver message immediately OUR FRIEND BENNY! [imprint:] THIS IS NO. 3 IN A SERIES OF POSTERS ON THE WRONG-DOINGS OF "BENNY THE BUNGLER." DON'T BE LIKE HIM! [imprint:] Created + Produced by HEADQUARTERS ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY COMMAND EASTERN THEATER OF OPERATIONS SANDERFORD JARMAN Major General, U.S. Army Commanding [handwritten margin:] 2-1-42 [handwritten margin:] [illegible] #15, [handwritten:] level 3! [handwritten:] 3844
