Un mot de trop... un vaisseau de moins. Soyez discrets! [One word too many... one ship fewer. Be discreet!]

Four stacked bands run from a speaking mouth to an ear, a submarine surfacing beside a convoy, and a capsized ship, linked by white arrows under the French slogan 'Un mot de trop... un vaisseau de moins'. The tell is the causal chain: one spoken word is drawn as leading directly to a sinking, and the call 'Soyez discrets!' places the risk on each listener.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Fear appeal

Date

1942

Period

Second World War

Made by

Commission de l'information de guerre (Wartime Information Board), Ottawa, Canada

Region

North America

Country

Canada

Medium

Poster

Issuer type

State

Regime

Mackenzie King Government

Leader

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Audience

Domestic public

Purpose

Warn or inform

Themes

War and the military, Security and surveillance

Event

World War II

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 Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026

Rights

Public domain (Canadian Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired; no URAA restoration)
Commission de l'information de guerre (Wartime Information Board), Canada, c. 1942-1945. U.S. National Archives, RG 44.

UN MOT
DE TROP....
UN VAISSEAU
DE MOINS

Soyez DISCRETS!

CODE A G-15FL  •  PUBLIÉ PAR LA COMMISSION DE L'INFORMATION DE GUERRE, OTTAWA  •  IMPRIMÉ AU CANADA

ONE WORD
TOO MANY....
ONE SHIP
FEWER

Be DISCREET!

CODE A G-15FL  •  PUBLISHED BY THE WAR INFORMATION COMMISSION, OTTAWA  •  PRINTED IN CANADA