Be Careful What You Say

Original artwork for a poster to be used in the ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’ campaign 1939-1946, Catalogue ref: INF 3/232

The government was also worried by the possible presence of a Fifth Column (people working or spying for the enemy) in the country. As a result, the department responsible for propaganda, the Ministry of Information, began a campaign called ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’.

Many of the posters used in the campaign were designed to be funny. Some showed people having conversations on the bus or in cafés with Hitler listening in the background. Others used cartoon characters such as Popeye to get the message across. The funny nature of the posters helped people to understand their message.

The ‘Careless Talk Cost Lives’ campaign was very successful. It worked because people found the message easy to understand and liked the fact that the posters were funny.

Transcript

You never know who’s on the wires!

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY

Return to Home Front 1939-1945 (part two)