Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Walt Disney contacted Jock Whitney of the Council of National Defense regarding the production of a series of home front posters concerning careless talk and rumor-mongering.
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Disney wrote:
The first set of sketches is intended for a series of posters entitled, 'BE CAREFUL, YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S LISTENING!' We would be happy to throw our entire resources behind any of these...we can throw our best talent in the studio to work finishing them up...
Disney added that his staff could turn any of the poster ideas into promotional films:
[We] can put any of these ideas into one minute trailers, or four or five minute subjects on any campaign that may be designed to reach the masses.
The Council of National Defense turned down the idea of using any of the art in a home front campaign.
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Not one to let product go unused, some of the art was later sold by Disney to Good Housekeeping magazine. Fifteen of the illustrations appeared in a 1942 issue of the magazine under the heading, "Rough Sketches by Walt Disney."
This post showcases three of my favourites. I absolutely love the caricatures of the Axis leaders.
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