Bulamu animal cami mu! (We are only animals to you) (Pampango poster distributed in the Philippines)
A purple-and-yellow poster reprinting a letter said to be from a German nun held with 1,500 others in a labour camp in Russia, ringed by drawings of guards whipping and beating nuns and of a bridge over the Dnieper. It asks readers to pray for the nuns. The tell is testimonial: an anonymous letter is vouched for only by the publications that carried it, with no checkable names or dates.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- March 26, 1951
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- U.S. Information Agency (predecessor: State Dept. information program), Asia posters series; imprint: Pamahalan ning Kasaham Catolico ning Pilipinas
- 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
- Themes
- Religion, War and the military
- Event
- Cold 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, March 26, 1951. National Archives, Record Group 306 (NAID 5730156, 306-PPA-255).
Text on the object
"BULAMU ANIMAL CAMI MU!" (SULAT NING METUNG A MADRE QNG RUSYA) "CALUGURAN CUNG MANGATUA: "Pagnasan cu sana ing aintindian yu caniting sulat cu qng bandang tauli a balita cu ing ma-bie cu pa. Tutu nang malambat a panaun ing pangapadala mi carin Russia. Mecad panamda-man yu nung nu anti ing caibug cu nang muli ban aquit dacayu. Nu na mo anti ing ecu pamani-ulat: Eyu cami sana cacalinguan! Pangadi yu cami sana! Saupan yu cami! Macalunus cami, mipaburen qng casaquitan! Eyu cami sana cacalinguan! Pangadi yu cami! [...] Metung yang balitang metangap queti quecatamu a menibat Russia inguil qng macapangablad a capasa-quitan a palasap da ding sundalung Ruso caring libu limang dalan a madre a atiyu qng lalam dang upaya qng carelang culungan, at iti mabalu mu inyang me-kaparala yang sulat a palihim ing metung careng ma-dreng aculung da. Ing madreng mekaparalang sulat, metung yang Alemana. Ing mesabing sulat mibulalag ya caring geganaga-nang labuad ning Europa; qng ulinaniti, ding Christian Brothers tamu carin Beltsville, Md. abalu da ing me-bangguit a balita babo. Bayu pamu, mibalita qng Brooklyn's "The Crusader." Ing balita da ding madre qng suculan tungcul qng macapangilabut dang capania-usan qng mayupayang Miglalang, qng capamilatan ning pangading Aleman a bildug da cabaldugan qng amanung Ingles. (Kinopia ya qng "The Crusader," Brooklyn, N.Y.) Pamahalan ning Kasaham Catolico ning Pilipinas
"We Are Only Animals to You!" (literal; Kapampangan, best reading) / (Letter of a nun in Russia) / "My dear parents: I would like you to understand this letter of mine as the last news that I am still alive. It has indeed been a long time since we were sent to Russia. [...] Do not forget us! Pray for us! Help us! [...] / This news that reached us from Russia concerns the suffering endured at the hands of Russian soldiers by fifteen hundred nuns in their camp, known because a letter was smuggled out to the parents of one of the nuns. The nun who wrote the letter was a German. [...] It was published in Brooklyn's "The Crusader." [...] (Copied from "The Crusader," Brooklyn, N.Y.) / [Imprint:] Published by the Catholic Union of the Philippines
Body text abridged at [...]; headline, subtitle, opening, explanatory box and imprint are given as printed. Translation is a literal best reading.
