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Lyle Seebeck 5/25/2016

Colorful, Spatial Propaganda

The Nazis went down in history as the archetypical example of how propaganda can aid in the

creation of horrors. This aids in the word’s having a negative connotation today. Many, especially in

the West, believe in the righteousness of the Allied cause as it fought against a fascist empire that

believed in racial cleansing. Fewer understand the role that propaganda had in furthering said righteous

cause. For example, the myth that carrots improve one’s eyesight spread because the British Royal Air

Force found success in repelling the German Luftwaffe and could not afford for the Germans to

discover that the reason was new, superior radar technology.1 Hence the carrot myth that some believe

to this day. Of course this is relatively harmless and a good way to encourage one’s kids to eat

vegetables. We shall see from examining this map by Stanley Turner (fig. 1) that Allied propaganda

extends to maps as well. As said by the American director of the Office of War Information in 1942:

“the enemy is using [propaganda] very effectively. To refuse to use it against him makes about as

much sense as refusing to shoot at the enemy for fear you might hurt him.”2

The first thing we must note when considering the making of this map is that the map’s maker

is Canadian (born in England),3 the map was made in Canada, and the map was published in Toronto.

We see the close ties between Canada and Britain both from common knowledge and from details on

the map. Canada was and is a part of the British Commonwealth. Turner notes that Canada declared

war on Germany just seven days after Britain (recall that the USA sat it out for over two additional

years), that the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was in Canada, and that Canada raided along

with the British in the Atlantic in 1941. The map goes further than to suggest that Canada needs to

maintain its close relationship with Britain for the duration of the war. By featuring every continent

save for Antarctica on the map, and by noting United States aid before their joining the war (e.g. 1 Smith 2 Perry 3 Saskatchewan NAC

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“Greenland under U.S.A. protection Sep. 40” – note that it is implied who the States are protecting

Greenland from), Turner tells the viewer that worldwide teamwork is required in order to stop what he

describes as a “black cloud [spreading] over the heaving crust of Europe [that] is a constant reminder

of the tremendous job ahead before the forces of freedom win a complete victory on land, on sea and in

the air.” The forces of freedom are not limited to one geographic area but rather extend around the

world, or so Turner implies. However Turner makes sure to remind the viewer that the Soviets are only

temporary freedom fighters if they are at all. He does this by placing “British & U.S. agree to send aid

to Russia Oct. 2 - 41” directly above “Russia signs pact with Nazis Aug. 23 – 39.” Therefore this map

also functions as preemptive Cold War propaganda in a sense.

Speaking of the “black cloud,” we see in Turner’s map a clear message of hope and confidence

that the Allied cause will pull through. Naturally, the political state of Germany’s occupied territories

varied from territory to territory. Take for example the contrast between Occupied France and Vichy

France. These are important contrasts for a detailed mapmaker to note. The viewer will note that the

only black on the map is the Reich proper. Even the Sudetenland, annexed by the Nazis in the

infamous Munich Agreement a little under a year before the start of the war, is colored green. A glance

at the legend will confirm green to denote territory “conquered by the Nazis.” Putting aside the fact

that the Sudetenland was not conquered by the Nazis so much as gifted to them, one must appreciate

the level of detail Turner has for the political state of various territories. However, green is not black.

Turner specifically calls the Nazi cause a “black cloud” that is “spreading,” though the black on his

map is not spreading at all. Consider the contrast between Turner’s map and this map seen by the

author of this essay while visiting Normandy (fig. 2,3,4). This series of maps of course shows the

Allied advance against Germany that ended the war on the European front. But here we have much

more of a “black cloud” than in Turner’s map. That is because the Normandy maps aim to show the

triumph of good in the face of a blanket of evil and because Turner wants to convey a message of hope

that Europe will return to a collection of many smaller countries after the coming Allied victory. We

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also see in the Turner map less of an impression of the cloud actually spreading. While there are

arrows pointing to the Nazi advance (into Russia), the map still gives an overall appearance of being

static. Again, this helps with the impression that the Nazis will be stopped.

No analysis of propaganda would be complete without considering the intended audience and

the intended purpose of the map. It is safe to say the map is for Allied eyes only. The maps served

multiple purposes. Turner’s map was one of three (1942, 1944, 1945) that was published by an

advertising agency, licensed to businesses in both the United States and Canada, given custom brand

logos, and given out to customers. The customers received descriptive information about the war,

which explained why certain military actions or maneuvers took place when and where they did.4 Of

course in addition to provide this information and advertise for various products, the maps

propagandized Americans and Canadians.

As with all maps, the Turner map reflects the ideas of the mapmaker concerning the area he is

mapping. In this case our mapmaker is mapping the entire world and clearly feels as through the Allied

cause is just. He seems to feel confident that the war will be won. His map is widely distributed during

wartime. His map transmits his ideas to many people across North America. Therefore his map is

propaganda. As a 21st Century American I would say that hopefully his map made a positive difference

in the war.

4 Onion

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Figure 1: “Dated Events World War Map” by Stanley Turner A.R.G.A. Photo taken by Lyle Seebeck

at the Osher Map Library in Portland, Maine

Figure 2: “The War Against Germany 7 December 1941 30 June 1943” photo taken by Lyle Seebeck

in Normandy, France

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Figure 3: “The War Against Germany 1 June 1943 31 August 1944” photo taken by Lyle Seebeck in

Normandy, France

Figure 4: “The War Against Germany 1 August 1944 8 May 1945” photo taken by Lyle Seebeck in

Normandy, France

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Works Cited Onion, Rebecca. "The Info-Dense Maps Civilians Used to Follow WWII From the Home Front." Slate Magazine. January 23, 2015. Accessed May 25, 2016. http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2015/01/23/history_of_maps_in_wwii_stanley_turner_dated_war_event_maps.html. Perry, John. "War Propaganda for Democracy." The Public Opinion Quarterly 6, no. 3 (1942): 437-43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2744617. "Saskatchewan Artist." Saskatchewan NAC. Accessed May 25, 2016. http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArtistDetail. Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; a History of Nazi Germany. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1960. Smith, K. Annabelle. "A WWII Propaganda Campaign Popularized the Myth That Carrots Help You See in the Dark." Smithsonian.com. August 13, 2013. Accessed May 25, 2016. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-wwii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-that-carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark-28812484/. Turner, Stanley. "Dated Events, World War Map, by Stanley Turner." David Rumsey Map Collection. Accessed May 25, 2016. http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~246596~5515111:Dated-events,-World-War-map,-by-Sta.