He Gets a "Picture" from "Unimportant" Scraps Pieced Together
A caricatured Hitler, swastika on his sleeve, holds a cracked map labelled 'British Plans' whose pieces are fed by speech bubbles from soldiers and a dancing couple ('seaplanes and destroyers', 'loading up all night', 'shan't be here tomorrow'). The tell for fear-appeal is the single remedy 'Written or spoken, when in doubt leave out!'; the Hitler caricature is the name-calling element.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Not named; 'Security! Issued in the interest of our forces & your folk at home'; artist signed 'MAC 41'
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Security and surveillance, War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Held by NARA, Unrestricted; wartime print of uncertain issuer, hosted by owner decision
Artist signed 'MAC 41'; issuer not named. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-200.
Text on the object
He gets a "Picture" from "unimportant" scraps PIECED TOGETHER BRITISH PLANS S. Africa's already there my boy! seaplanes and destroyers loading up all night shan't be here tomorrow WRITTEN or SPOKEN - - WHEN IN DOUBT LEAVE OUT! MAC 41 SECURITY! - Issued in the Interest of OUR FORCES & YOUR FOLK AT HOME!
