1945.08.09 "Rough on Leaky Boats" by Paul R Carmack

1945.08.09 “Rough on Leaky Boats”
by Paul R Carmack (1895-1977)
11.2 x 15 in., crayon and ink on board
Coppola Collection

Paul Carmack was a staff cartoonist for the Christian Science Monitor.

On August 9, 1945 (U.S. time), Hiroshima had occurred (Aug 6), Japan was still officially fighting, the Soviet Union had just declared war and launched massive operations in Manchuria, and the news of Nagasaki was not yet fully digested by the public.

This cartoon isolates one shock event: the Soviet declaration of war, not atomic bombing. Tokyo is facing blockades, resource exhaustion, air raids, lost territory, and diplomatic isolation. Japan is not yet sinking — but barely afloat.

On August 9, the atomic bombing was likely still being processed, but Soviet entry was immediately understood as a game-ender. Many contemporary commentators believed: Japan might endure bombs, but it could not survive a two-front war and occupation by Russia.