Life, 1917-09-20 · page 27 of 40
Life — September 20, 1917 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is World War I-era satirical commentary mocking German propaganda claims about mistreated interned sailors. The cartoon depicts the Kaiser (identifiable by his distinctive spiked helmet and withered arm, which he unconsciously reveals) receiving outraged reports from his Foreign Minister about alleged American brutality toward German prisoners: denying them chocolate sauce on ice cream, limiting shoe shines to once weekly, and forbidding golf caddies. The satire's point is transparent: these trivial "atrocities" are absurdly exaggerated German complaints used to justify actual reprisals. The accompanying article extends the mockery, suggesting Germany's male propagandists have bungled their lies so badly that perhaps women should take over the lying. The cartoon ridicules German attempts to justify military actions through obviously fabricated victim narratives—a propaganda technique Life's readers would recognize as transparent wartime dishonesty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE? am The Reason for the Reprisals HI face of the German foreign minister was black with rage. Coughing incoherent fragments of the German language and exuding frightfulness at every pore, he entered the Kaiser’s presence and clawed the air wildly. “What has happened?” cried the Kaiser, forgetting in his anxiety to conceal his withered arm with his customary care. Your Majest panted the foreign minister, “I have just now received sage from agents in Amer telling of the horrible treatment to which interned Ge man sailors have been subjected. of those who are held prisoners ies attempted to break therr parole escape, and the Americ by refusing to let them have chocolate sauce with vanilla ice-cream, and by depriving them of the to have their shoes shined more than once a week!” The K torted with horror and loathing. “What brute beasts!" he — cried “What unutterable swine!” The foreign minister raised a hand iser’s features were con- that trembled with emotion. Nor is that all, your Majest Amer said he. * The also discovered that several of the German sailors who are interned at Palm Beach had erected a sceret wireless station for the purpose of transmitting information to the Fa- therland, and that others had supplied the I. W. W. with money to instigate labor troubles. Their punishment ex- ceeds the bounds of belief. They were deprived of the use of caddies while ing golf, and were forbidden to ed for three whole days!” The Kaiser gnashed his teeth and 2 3 shook his clenched fists at the silent skies, “Dear Heaven!” he cried, : “ “what have my children done that the ve silloat s F; 4? > hands of the world should thus be &, 2) turned against them? Strive as I will ne UND ort to wage a knightly v ir, the fates pre- vent!” A Ray of Hope for Germany With a look of infinite sadness, the OLICE MAGISTRATE FITZGERALD of Omaha announces that a careful study War Lord carefully smoothed the ends P of the witnesses who have appeared before him at various times has convinced of his turned-up mustaches and him that women are better liars than men, Germany should be deeply interested in ghtened a few dozen of his medals this opinion. Germany has kept her statesmen, military heads, naval experts and and decorations which had been dis- journalists lying industriously ever since the war started; and they have made a frightful botch of things. Magistrate Fitzgerald's discovery may explain why Ger many’s liars have so signally failed to get their stuff across. They have all been men. and consequently unskillful. Maybe if Germany should let her women-folk do her lying, somebody would believe the lies. arranged by the violence of his ges- ticulation, The Americans must be punished for (Continued on page 477) comicbooks.com