Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Say!... Who's running this war, anyway?, 1951 US cartoon: A worried man labelled J. Public sits on a park bench before

Say!... Who's running this war, anyway?

A worried man labelled J. Public sits on a park bench before the Capitol dome, surrounded by newspaper sheets headlined on a Korean cease-fire report and on atrocity reports. The cartoon argues that conflicting official statements leave the public unsure who directs the war; card-stacking is a weak fit, as the headlines are selected and set side by side to make that point.

Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon

Card stacking
Date
November 29, 1951
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
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, 5743153 (NAID 5743153).

Text on the object

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

SAY!....WHO'S RUNNING THIS WAR, ANYWAY?
TRUMAN DENIES HAVING ORDERED CEASE-FIRE IN KOREA
PENTAGON CONFUSED BY CEASE-FIRE REPORT
TRUMAN SURPRISED BY ATROCITY REPORTS
PENTAGON BEWILDERED BY ATROCITY REPORTS
J. PUBLIC
JIM BERRYMAN

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