1941.10.02 “The Time and Tied”
by Max P. Milians (1907-2005)
11.5 x 14 in., ink of board
Coppola Collection
Milians signed his cartoons with nine zeros (“millions”) as an underline. His work was syndicated across America from the 1930s up until the 1970s.
In September 1941, the headlines were filled with German U-Boat successes.
S.S. Sessa (Norwegian vessel) sunk earlier in summer 1941 by U-371.
September 4, 1941 – USS Greer attacked by a German U-boat.
September 6, 1941 – SS Montana torpedoed by a German U-boat near Iceland.
September 19, 1941 – Pink Star (a Panamanian freighter under U.S. charter) sunk by U-boat U-552.
On September 11, 1941, FDR gives the famous “shoot-on-sight” speech, where he states:
“If German or Italian vessels of war enter the waters the protection of which is necessary for American defense, they do so at their own peril.” Yet despite this bold rhetoric, Congress had not yet repealed Neutrality Acts, and US forces were still legally constrained in responding.
“Neutrality Ties Roosevelt’s Hands, Say Observers” – Boston Globe, Oct. 1, 1941
Two other US ships, escorting others, were sunk in October, only elevating the dramatic tension leading right up to US entry into WW2, which would finally come less than two months later, in December 1941.
