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BOMB TOKYO With Your Extra Change, printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office in 1943, is a resonant war poster promoting the purchase of war stamps by the American populace. Centered upon an evocative image of an aircraft carrier dispatching bomber aircraft over undulating waves, the poster merges patriotic colors of red, white, and blue to urge citizens to contribute to the war effort and expedite the construction of a so-called "Mystery Ship."
The reference to "Shangri-La" and "Bomb Tokyo" hearkens to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's cryptic response when asked about the origin of the planes used in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942; he quipped they had come from "Shangri-La," a fictional paradise. By 1943, funding the war effort was a paramount concern of the government. Public campaigns, like the one represented in this poster, solicited financial support from ordinary citizens, emphasizing collective action and the direct impact of their contributions.
The imagery of the bomber aircraft signifies the aggressive push by the U.S. military in the Pacific, emphasizing the strategic importance of aircraft carriers. Their ability to project power, exemplified by the Doolittle Raid, made them potent symbols of American resolve and capability. The very act of purchasing war stamps, as this poster illuminates, is linked directly to the operational success and eventual victory in the Pacific theater.
![(Second World War - D-Day - Omaha Beach) OMAHA BEACH-EAST (Colleville-sur-Mer) [:] FIRST BEACH OBSTACLE OVERPRINT [with:] OMAHA BEACH-WEST (Vierville-sur-Mer) [:] FIRST BEACH OBSTACLE OVERPRINT. NP, April 21, 1944 (with overprinting of information dated May 12).](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/100123.jpg)
![(Second World War) Der Grossasiatisch-Amerikanische Raum [The Great Asiatic-American Space]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/88834.jpg)
