Calling All River Men
Recruitment and work-discipline poster for river and canal workers: a towboat pushes loaded oil, coal and cargo barges, with a dark eagle below and the slogan 'America's inner strength, her rivers and canals'. The tells are glittering generalities ('inner strength') and the transfer of the soldiers' cause onto barge work ('for our fighting men').
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of Defense Transportation and Recruitment and Manning Organization, War Shipping Administration
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Labor, Home front, War and the military
- 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)
Office of Defense Transportation and Recruitment and Manning Organization, War Shipping Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-536 (NAID 514015).
Text on the object
Calling All RIVER MEN You move the oil, coal and food for our fighting men Cut out delays Stay on the job All the way All the time [signature: C. RUGGIERO - USMS] AMERICA'S INNER STRENGTH HER RIVERS AND CANALS Distributed by the Office of Defense Transportation and Recruitment and Manning Organization, War Shipping Administration [imprint: U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943—O—545821]
