In addition to being a noted children’s author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, drew editorial cartoons during World War II, including this one from February 13, 1942. The term “Fifth Column” refers to a secret group working to undermine the support of another group; it is usually applied to spies and saboteurs.

Looking at the cartoon today, we see that it is clearly racist in its stereotypical representations of the Japanese. What does the cartoon suggest about the Japanese living in the United States in 1942, and what attitude does it present toward them? If this cartoon was reflective of the general public’s attitude toward the Japanese, how might this attitude have led people to support the internment?

Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego