'Atirar contra o agressor, onde o vir!' [Fire on the Aggressor Wherever You See Him], 1942 US poster: A photograph taken

'Atirar contra o agressor, onde o vir!' [Fire on the Aggressor Wherever You See Him] (American Battleship North Carolina [Portuguese])

A photograph taken along the deck of a US battleship shows its forward guns firing in a cloud of smoke, with officers on the superstructure, above a Portuguese quotation attributed to President Roosevelt, a US flag and his portrait, inside a blue border of stars. The quotation credited to the president backs the policy (testimonial), the flag and stars add national weight (transfer), and the text gives only US ship counts and claims of superiority (card-stacking).

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Testimonial Transfer Card stacking

Date: 1942
Period: Second World War
Made by: Office of War Information (OWI), U.S. Government (attributed from the NARA RG 44 series; no issuer imprint printed on the sheet)
Region: North America
Country: United States
Medium: Poster
Issuer type: State
Regime: Roosevelt Administration
Leader: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Audience: Foreign public
Purpose: Persuade or win support
Theme: 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 Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
Rights: Public domain (U.S. government work, NARA RG 44 OWI series)
Office of War Information, 1942-1945. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44 (NAID 44268433, 44-PF-R-4g).

Text on the object

Original (Portuguese) · read from the image, not independently checked

"ATIRAR CONTRA O AGRESSOR,
ONDE O VIR!"
... PRESIDENTE ROOSEVELT.

O couraçado melhor protegido e mais armado, existente hoje no mundo,
é o novo vaso de guerra americano "North Carolina", que veio juntar-se
aos demais navios da Armada dos Estados Unidos para cumprir a ordem
do Presidente Roosevelt, de disparar contra os piratas encontrados no
Oceano, em reforço da política da liberdade dos mares.
   Quatro outros grandes couraçados foram lançados à água, os pri-
meiros da nova série de 17 que elevará o número de navios desta classe
para 32, isto é, o dôbro do total que qualquer outra potência naval hoje
possui. A Armada dos Estados Unidos consta, neste momento, de 343
vasos de guerra em atividade e de 345 em construção.

PRESIDENTE ROOSEVELT

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

"FIRE ON THE AGGRESSOR WHEREVER YOU SEE HIM!"
... PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.

The best-protected and most heavily armed battleship in the world today is the new American warship "North Carolina", which has joined the other ships of the United States Navy to carry out the order of President Roosevelt to fire on the pirates found on the ocean, in support of the policy of freedom of the seas.
   Four other large battleships have been launched, the first of the new series of 17 which will raise the number of ships of this class to 32, that is, double the total that any other naval power now possesses. The United States Navy consists, at this moment, of 343 warships in service and 345 under construction.

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT