Beware of the Leak in the Dam!!
A large dam holds back a reservoir labelled 'Our Natural Resources', with a crack leaking water onto the ground labelled 'Waste of Gas, Oil, Coal, Water, Electricity'. The tell is fear appeal: a looming failure is staged with a single prescribed remedy (stop waste), without quantities.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of War Information (cartoon artwork; artist Charles Alston)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- 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 208, OWI War Effort Cartoon Artworks (NAID 535594), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Office of War Information. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 208, 208-COM-95 (NAID 535636).
Text on the object
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES WASTE OF GAS, OIL, COAL, WATER, ELECTRICITY Alston OWI "BEWARE THE LEAK IN THE DAM!!"
