Archives West Finding Aid

This collection consists of specimens of aerial propaganda leaflets and posters produced by the United States Office of War Information during World War II. These were to be dropped by United States Army Air Force aircraft in Japan and its occupied areas in China, Indo-China, and Taiwan, between October 1944 and August 1945. The leaflets and posters include text, photographs, maps, and cartoon illustrations depicting bombings, Allied advances, and individuals significant to the war. They are accompanied by detailed descriptions with item identification numbers, distribution information, and English translations of text (mimeographed typescripts attached to specimens). In some cases, the specimen is absent and only the description is present.

The purpose of the leaflets and posters delivered to Japan-occupied areas was to raise the morale of the inhabitants, to encourage them to assist fallen U.S. Army personnel, and to provide information about the Allied armies. According to the unidentified collector, the Chinese news leaflets were "dropped in occupied China to encourage the underground and demoralize the enemy by providing news of Allied victories in various parts of the world." The items dropped in Japan were intended to discredit Japanese victories, lower Japanese morale, and initiate a revolt of Japanese soldiers against their commanding officers.