Don't waste anything
Industry-sponsored scrap-conservation poster: a locomotive in front of a large red V on a blue field, with five bulleted commands (conserve, convert, use it up, make it do, save the pieces). The text says railroads are the nation's chief source of scrap metal. The techniques are transfer (the V symbol and flag colours) and card-stacking (the railroads' own contribution is presented without figures).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Association of American Railroads
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Corporation
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance, 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)
Association of American Railroads. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-700 (NAID 514181).
Text on the object
DON'T WASTE anything ★ CONSERVE ★ CONVERT ★ USE IT UP ★ MAKE IT DO ★ SAVE THE PIECES SCRAP METAL TODAY IS PRECIOUS METAL America's fighting forces need it for ships, tanks, guns. The railroads . . . the nation's chief source of "scrap" metal . . . scientifically salvage this essential war material. ★ ★ ★ ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS ★ ★ ★
