1939.08.26 “Shell Game”
by Lucius Curtis “Lute” Pease, Jr. (1869 -1963)
14 x 17 in., crayon and ink on board
Coppola Collection
Pease was a cartoonist for the Newark Evening News from 1914 to 1954 and received the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. He was a miner in Alaska for 5 years before beginning a career in art. He was an illustrator for the Oregonian and famously interviewed Mark Twain. From his retirement in 1954 until his death in 1963, he devoted himself to fostering his skills as a painter of portraits and landscapes.
This cartoon is rich with commentary and really pinpoints the event.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, was signed on August 23, 1930. As we now know, the alliance was filled with subtext – how to divide up Eastern Europe after the invasion of Poland, which took place just a week later, triggering WW2.
The new World Axis, as Mussolini coined the term in 1936, was still a loose confederation, and Germany’s relationships with its Italian and Japanese partners was volatile, and Spain was reluctant.
Hitler is depicted in the typical garb of the god of war, symbolizing his role as the mastermind. The Fuhrer is playing the shell game with helmets, distracting from the Nazi-Soviet alliance, which was (at least) a shocking detente to the outside world, between the criticism of far left Soviet communism given so often by the far right Nazi fascism.
The other members of the Axis all responded badly to this Pact.
Italy's reaction to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was one of both confusion and concern, particularly regarding the reliability of their alliance with Germany. While outwardly supporting Germany's actions, including in Poland, Italy's lack of enthusiasm and underlying mistrust made it clear they were not fully committed to a war alongside Germany.
The Spanish government, led by General Franco, reacted with a mix of anxiety and calculation to the Pact. While Spain had previously established close ties with Nazi Germany, the pact's implications, particularly the subsequent invasion of Poland, led to a weakening of those ties and a shift towards closer relations with the Anglo-Saxon powers. This contributed to Franco's decision to remain neutral.
The Japanese protested the alliance, which was picked up internationally on August 26.
The Japanese government was deeply shocked and disillusioned by the news of the Pact, as it contradicted the Anti-Comintern Pact, which Japan had signed with Germany to combat communism. Japanese leaders felt betrayed by Germany, their supposed ally, and this prompted a reassessment of their alliance with Germany.
The image conveys how Hitler prioritized strategic advantage over ideological consistency, even if it meant making deals with ideological enemies like the Soviet Union… an inherent distrust that would re-emerge less than 2 years later when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, as had likely been the plan all along.
