"How to swindle the Burmese" Artist unknown, Post-1944

Catalogue ref: INF 3/1842

Two pictures: the first of racially stereotyped Japanese soldiers laughing in an upper room with plenty of supplies, and a dummy's model on the balcony. There are no notes on the actual image itself but notes written on the back give clues to the subject matter of the piece.

The Japanese troops are sitting around a plan entitled, ‘How to swindle the Burmese, Plans for exploiting the country' and are looking very happy amongst their pile of Burmese loot. In a preliminary sketch the dummy on the balcony is holding a sign which states, ‘Co-Prosperity Burma Branch – Under benevolent Japanese Control. Jobs for all! Food! Money! Co partners with Japan.

The dummy is presumed to be Ba Maw, the English educated head of the Republic of Burma Government, which co-operated with the Japanese, the implication being that his government was a puppet government.