Silence means security: A wise Old Owl sat in an oak
Security poster: a wide-eyed brown owl on a branch at night, its body covered by a large orange oak leaf carrying a rhyme ending 'Soldier . . . . be like that Old Bird!', over a blue band reading 'Silence means security'. The technique is faint; the owl's reputation for wisdom is lent to the request to say little.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- War Department, Adjutant General's Office
- 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)
War Department, Adjutant General's Office. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-297 (NAID 513744).
Text on the object
A wise Old Owl sat in an oak The more he saw the less he spoke The less he spoke the more he heard Soldier . . . . . be like that Old Bird! ★ SILENCE MEANS SECURITY ★ [imprint: W. D., A.G.O. "OWL" SECURITY POSTER] [imprint: U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943--O--514854]
