Stop Criminal! (Malay (Jawi script) poster distributed in Asia)
A Korean War poster in Malay (Jawi script). A giant hand marked with the United Nations abbreviation holds a spiked club above a Communist soldier in a red-starred cap, labelled as the aggressor, who stands over a bleeding figure labelled Republic of Korea; flag-bearers from many nations, among them a figure in the stars and stripes, run toward the scene. The text says 53 UN members condemned the Communist attack and that it must be stopped. The tell is name-calling ('criminal' or equivalent), with bandwagon in the ring of 53 national flags and fear-appeal in the blood.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1950
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- U.S. Information Agency (predecessor: State Department International Information and Educational Exchange Program), Propaganda Posters Distributed in Asia series
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Truman Administration
- Leader
- Harry S. Truman
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- Korean War
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), Record Group 306, Propaganda Posters Distributed in Asia, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work; NARA RG 306)
U.S. Information Agency / Department of State, c. 1950-55. National Archives, Record Group 306 (NAID 5730082, 306-PPA-183).
Text on the object
برهنتي ! اورڠ ساله ! 53 بڠسا٢ برساتو منچلا كومونيس ميرڠ ريفبليك كوريا ! ڤيرڠ٢ دري كوريا اوتارا ايت اكن داڤة دبرهنتيكن ! منروسي بڠسا٢ برساتو - كامانن ! [on hand:] يو.اين. [on soldier:] كومونيس كوريا اوتارا [on victim:] ريفبليك كوريا [handwritten, upper left:] Malayalam (600)
Stop! Wrongdoer (offender)! 53 United Nations condemn the Communists' attack on the Republic of Korea! The wars (attacks) from North Korea can be stopped! Through the United Nations - security (peace)! [hand:] U.N. [soldier:] Communist North Korea [victim:] Republic of Korea
Jawi script read from the image; some letter forms and the exact wording of the last lines are uncertain and the English is a best literal rendering. The pencil annotation 'Malayalam (600)' is an archival note and does not match the Malay text; NARA lists the language as Malay.
