Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Untitled, 1958 US cartoon: A tall modern slab building has the letters 'U.N.' struck through at its top and a large panel

Untitled (Babel quotation over the U.N. building)

A tall modern slab building has the letters 'U.N.' struck through at its top and a large panel on its face quoting scripture: 'Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth...'. The cartoon argues by scriptural analogy that the organisation is a modern Babel; the tell is transfer, borrowing the authority of a Bible verse (Genesis 11:9) for a political judgement.

Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon

Transfer
Date
July 25, 1958
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
Persuade or win support
Themes
Religion, Security and surveillance
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
U.S. National Archives, 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, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons, 5743267 (NAID 5743267).

Text on the object

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

U.N. (struck through)
"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth..."
JIM BERRYMAN WASHINGTON STAR

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