It’s interesting to see how FDR’s minions were using cartoons to shape public opinion
Until the early 1950s TV only existed as experimental technology and a novelty for the very rich. Cartoons were shown in movie theaters before the feature and maybe in between double features.
This Popeye cartoon was from 1941
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqFylKOtpdU
It was released November 14th 1941, about three weeks before Pearl Harbor would happen. While the enemy is deliberately left vague, the enemy has aircraft carriers
Who had aircrafter carriers in 1941?
France had 1 from post WW 1 era
England had 2, I believe
Germany had 1
The United States had 7
Japan had 9
Russia had none, Italy had none.
My sense is the theme of this is preparing the merchant mariners for the idea of being needed to fill the ranks when war broke out, though it is interesting how the Navy officer is portrayed
I’ll let CC connect the dots on the last 10 seconds of the cartoon. I think the Aircraft depicted is the B-24, but I’m not positive
It was before my time, but I believe leadership in the US knew that involvement in the war was inevitable and was using the strategy and tactics of staying neutral as long as possible to ramp up the war machine, build public opinion, and keep the worlds seas open to US commercial ships as long as possible.
Keeping the seas open to US business allowed the US to build up wealth to win the war at lower cost than our allies experienced, and positioned our country exceedingly well for the post war period.
I am not sure which dot you are referring to, Art. The US had been squeezing Japan by restricting its access to the energy it needed. It would have been reasonable to expect Japan to respond. Had Japan not responded, I believe the US would have continued pushing the envelope of neutrality until one of the Axis powers attacked. Germany and Japan in the early 1940s were led by regimes that most people would consider evil and their growing strength was considered a threat to the US interests and sense of goodness.
The dots are related to something a while back – inter service rivalry.
So Popeye was going to become the insignia for the US Navy Bomber Squadron, with pictures of some very large 4 propeller heavy lift bomber aircraft. They’re too big to launch from an aircraft carrier – why would the Navy want such a thing.? Why wouldn’t that be the USAF?
I didn’t know the answer when I asked the question and an not an armament geek. The b-24 fits the bill generally – Ford started making them in 1939 – the first group were sold to the British RAF. Their purpose was to bomb German U-Boats from the air over the North Atlantic. The US Navy did the same taking off from this side of the Atlantic and Canada also flew them to protect the shipping lanes. So why was the navy flying heavy long range bombers to blow up U boats and not the Air Force?
Ok, you give up. 😉 This will the the British RAF to patroling the North Atlantic from its western waters, and Canadian radio station VOCM’s call letters in an earlier thread. Quoting from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_and_Labrador
“When prosperity returned to the colony in 1942 agitation began to end the Commission.[63] Newfoundland, with a population of 313,000 (plus 5,200 in Labrador), seemed too small to be independent.[64] The British government decided to let Newfoundlanders deliberate and choose their own future by calling a National Convention in 1946. Chaired by Judge Cyril J. Fox, it consisted of 45 elected members, one of whom was the future first premier of Newfoundland, Joey Smallwood.[65]” …
“The first referendum took place on June 3, 1948; 44.5% of people voted for responsible government, 41.1% voted for confederation with Canada, while 14.3% voted for Commission of Government. Since none of the choices had gained over 50%, a second referendum with only the two more popular choices was held on July 22, 1948. In that referendum 52.3% voted for confederation with Canada while 47.7% voted for responsible government.[69] As the results of the binding referendum were to join Canada, Newfoundland began to negotiate with Canada to enter into Confederation. After negotiations were completed, the British Government accepted the terms of confederation and subsequently passed the British North America Act, 1949 through Parliament. Newfoundland officially joined Canada at midnight, March 31, 1949.[69]”
To Summarize (and connect the dots) – VOCM does not start with a C like most Canadian stations because Newfoundland was not part of Canada until March 31, 1949, nearly four years after World War Two ended. Newfoundland and Labrador stations still start with a “V” rather than the “C” used by the rest of Canadian stations.
Another little piece of trivia – we all know that AM radio in the United States has a frequency separation of 10 kHz – but you will find at least one FCC licensed station not using the North American AM Spacing standard
At the time of the onset of WW II there was no Air Force as a separate entity. The Air Force as we know it today was named the Army Air Force and was kind of the ugly sister, of the Army.
Curtis Lemay pretty much founded the Air Force as we know it.
The Navy and Army were pretty confused at the start of the war in terms of who did what. Now it is so regimented and IMO run by fools and politicians that it would probably end up being the same today. You must also take into account the advances in technology that we have today.
That clears that up – I noticed the stuff I was reading used the acronym USAAF – now it makes sense.
“Several decades ago, Edward Lorenz noticed something seemingly minor: his computational weather models yielded very different results if he changed the input variables only a tiny bit. Lorenz published a paper on this topic in 1963 and that led to the modern field of chaos.” from http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/the-fiftieth-anniversary-of-chaos/
It also led to the 1960s NBC series, “Get Smart” where “Chaos” and “Control” battled as viewers watched.
So you’re saying a butterfly flapping its wings in Kenya 50 years ago could result 50 years later in the overthrow and murder of Qaddaffi in Libya?
Which side would Jesus be on?
Would he support the plan articulated in this 31 second video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBFZ5w6yWZw
Preparing/Shaping public opinion to prepare for future events goes back a long ways, but I had never seen that cartoon. How long had Popeye been around prior to the 1940’s?
Not positive – another episode in which Olive Oyle seemed to be a crack whore in a Mexican bar was from 1933 – that one was named “blow me down” . Bluto goes into a busy bar in what is transparently over the border in Mexico and pulled out his guns and just starts firing randomly in all directions. In retrospect, that was clearly part of the “guns are evil” campaign.
Interestingly in the 1960s, they took the cartoon and had people in South Korea trace the cartoon frame by frame and create an identical cartoon, except it was in color. Colorization using computers didn’t exist yet.
Bluto was the first Fast and Furious…. he was ridding the world of those evil drinkers in 1933. Remember (quoting wikipedia) “The Repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933”
Once marijuana is re-legalized in the states, we need to send Bluto back over the border to gun down Mexicans cooking with animal lard rather than vegetable oils imported from the United States made from patented and genetically engineered crops from Iowa and its neighbors.
CC, those GMO vegetable oils from Iowa, as well as other various and nefarious states, are the Life-Blood of those who seek to change your genetics.
Not to mention fluoridated water and HAARP!
You connected the dots very well – that makes the 1933 cartoon all the more significant and likely political. With prohibition in effect, Popeye went to Tijuana to get booze, and Olive Oyle was forced into a life of prostitution and being raped and beaten by the gun loving, liquor drinking Bluto.
So if the US repealed Prohibition, that means there will be random gunfire in the streets from big scary brutes and your wife and daughters will be forced into being prostitutes for the bar patrons
Not to mention the effect on “the children”
You have to remember also that Olive Oyle was also two timing Popeye or Bluto (interchangeable in this instance) half of the time. I never could figure out who SweetPea’s father was.
Wimpy