1965.07.26 “Hup two three four” by Bruce Shanks

1965.07.26 “Hup two three four”
by Bruce McKinley Shanks (1908-1980)
14 x 16 in., ink and crayon on textured paper
Coppola Collection

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Shanks

Shanks was an American editorial cartoonist who worked for the Buffalo Evening News during the middle of the 20th century. There he won the annual Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in May 1958 (for a 1957 contribution).

In mid-July, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced there would be a dramatic escalation of US involvement in Vietnam.

Mid-July 1965 headlines included:
“U.S. Sends More Troops to Vietnam”
“Draft Call Rises to 35,000”
“Reserves May Be Next”
“Vietnam Buildup Alarms Congress”

And indeed, two days after this cartoon appeared, on July 28, LBJ formally announced he would increase US troops in Vietnam to 125,000, with an open-ended draft call-up and no reserve mobilization at that time—though reservists feared it was imminent.