If he talks off the record ... report him!
Cartoon security poster set in a bar: a man in a green plaid coat holding a beer gestures as he talks to a man in a brown suit and cap with a cigarette, while the bartender listens. The text reads 'If he talks off the record ... report him!' under the standard banner. The fear-appeal is faint; the scene frames casual talk as something a listener should report.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- OCASC Intelligence Section (U.S. Army), signed by Cpl. A.E. [illegible]
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Security and surveillance, 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)
OCASC Intelligence Section (U.S. Army). National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1068D (NAID 514594).
Text on the object
IF YOU QUESTION IT-REPORT IT! COME [running figure], CALL 242 [figure with telephone] or WRITE [figure at desk] -INTELLIGENCE OFFICER. IF HE TALKS Off the record ... REPORT HIM! [imprint: PRODUCTION OF OCASC -INTELLIGENCE SECTION-] [signature: roundel reading CPL. A.E. [illegible]]
