They Always Come Out On Top
A drawing based on the Iwo Jima flag-raising scene shows Marines driving a flagpole into rubble, with two quotations dated August 29 and September 6, 1950 attributed to Harry S. Truman about the Marine Corps and an apology for his language. The cartoon uses the flag-raising imagery to attach the Marines' wartime record to the dispute, which is the transfer tell; it argues the Corps outlasts criticism.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- September 7, 1950
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Washington Evening Star (cartoonist Jim Berryman)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Truman Administration
- Leader
- Harry S. Truman
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Media and information
- 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, 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, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons (NAID 5730852), item 5743150 (NAID 5743150).
Text on the object
August 29, 1950 ...."The Navy's police force...... They have a propaganda machine almost equal to Stalin's......." Harry S. Truman September 6, 1950 "I sincerely regret the unfor- tunate choice of language which I used.... I am profoundly aware of the magnificent history of the United States Marine Corps...." H.S.T. THEY ALWAYS COME OUT ON TOP Cartoon by Jim Berryman The Evening Star Washington, D.C.
