Loose talk costs lives
A text-only horizontal sheet: 'Loose talk costs lives' in large capitals beside a brace and a short message that the Axis counts on others repeating what you tell friends 'in confidence'. The technique is faint here; the headline links talk to deaths (fear-appeal) and the underlined words personalise the warning.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of War Information
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Security and surveillance
- 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 War Information. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1305 (NAID 514918).
Text on the object
LOOSE TALK COSTS LIVES War information makes good conversation. The Axis counts on others repeating what you tell friends "in confidence." Think before you talk! [imprint:] U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943—O—537418 [imprint:] AN OFFICIAL WAR MESSAGE DISTRIBUTED BY THE O.W.I. [emphasis: 'others', 'you' and 'friends' are underlined]
