Ceiling Zero
A dove labelled 'Peace' with an olive branch flies through a storm of wind-blown papers, each a headline: 'Eisenhower letter falls on deaf ears', 'Syngman Rhee rejects truce', 'Explosions rock Seoul', 'U.S. running out of storage space for A-bombs', 'Air Force controversy continues', 'Radford says Navy will not relax Pacific patrols' and '45 B-47's cross Atlantc in 5 1/2 hours'. The tell is card-stacking: headlines selected to show obstacles and weapons around the dove, with the cartoon arguing that peace faced headwinds.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- June 9, 1953
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Washington Evening Star (cartoonist Jim Berryman)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Eisenhower Administration
- Leader
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- Korean War
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), Records of the U.S. Senate, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons (NAID 5730852), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Jim Berryman, Washington Evening Star. National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. Senate, 5743178 (NAID 5743178).
Text on the object
PEACE EISENHOWER LETTER FALLS ON DEAF EARS U.S. RUNNING OUT OF STORAGE SPACE FOR A-BOMBS SYNGMAN RHEE REJECTS TRUCE EXPLOSIONS ROCK SEOUL AIR FORCE CONTROVERSY CONTINUES RADFORD SAYS NAVY WILL NOT RELAX PACIFIC PATROLS 45 B-47's CROSS ATLANTC IN 5½ HOURS
