1942.04.29 "Incurable?" by Burris A. Jenkins, Jr.

1942.04.29 “Incurable?”
by Burris A. Jenkins, Jr. (1897-1966)
12 x 15 in, crayon on board
Coppola Collection

Burris Jenkins Jr. was the son of a prominent Kansas City minister, war correspondent and newspaper editor. Jenkins Jr. was a popular sports cartoonist, whose work appeared in the New York Journal-American from 1931. His humorous published verses were also popular. Although best known for his sports themes, Jenkins was also a skilled courtroom illustrator and editorial cartoonist.

Not too subtle. This date is just weeks after the fall of Bataan (April 9, 1942) and mounting American losses in the Pacific, largely due to insufficient air cover.

In the ongoing Allied strategic debates over the role of air power vs. naval and ground power, there was public frustration and journalistic advocacy for embracing modern warfare doctrines. The entire bureaucratic mindset, seen as outdated to earlier wars, lagged behind the realities of WW2.