Original Item: Only One Available. Concerns about national security intensify in wartime. During World War II, the Government alerted citizens to the presence of enemy spies and saboteurs lurking just below the surface of American society. "Careless talk" posters warned people that small snippets of information regarding troop movements or other logistical details would be useful to the enemy. Well-meaning citizens could easily compromise national security and soldiers' safety with careless talk.

“Words are ammunition. Each word an American utters either helps or hurts the war effort. He must stop rumors. He must challenge the cynic and the appeaser. He must not speak recklessly. He must remember that the enemy is listening.”

-Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry Office of War Information

“Wanted! For Murder” is a 1944 American World War II propaganda poster by Victor Keppler created to help raise awareness of espionage. This simple, yet effective and dramatic, poster gets right to the point - careless talk about troop movements and locations has serious consequences. An unassuming housewife, her hair in Victory Rolls, stares at us intently. Her careless talk in a flippant moment has led to a soldier's overseas demise. She is framed in a Mugshot-style shot with the text WANTED! FOR MURDER surrounding her. Her careless talk costs lives.

This 20 x 28” poster is in great overall shape with the normal folding marks from being folded and shipped for display during the war. There is also some minor staining of the bottom portion of the poster on the top portion from when it was folded.  The poster has a 1944-printed date in the bottom left, and the bottom right notes it was distributed for the issuing agencies by the Office of War Information.

Comes ready to mount, frame and display!