America:
1962-1975
Political Cartoons
This political cartoon shows LBJ going up a “Vietnam Escalator.” LBJ says “our position hasn’t changed at all,” but presumably, the escalator is moving, which represents how LBJ ignored the fact that he was escalating American presence in Vietnam. His advisor seems to be looking at LBJ with disbelief.
This political cartoon shows American soldiers discussing why they are in Indochina and Vietnam. They conclude that “the reason [they’re] in Indochina is to protect [themselves] in Indochina.” This statement is paradoxical because what the soldiers are saying is that American involvement in Indochina is increasing, while the newspaper they’re reading says it’s decreasing. This cartoon highlights Nixon’s broken promises that he would pull out American troops from Vietnam.
This political cartoon titled “Taped” shows the chaos of the Watergate Scandal. It shows the US “Wiretapping and Bugging” using tape (recording) to wrap up “American Privacy.” In the background it says “Mum’s the Word.” This shows how the US was invading Americans privacy and not revealing its doings to anyone. The sarcophagus in the background shows that the American right to privacy had already been taken away. In essence, this political cartoon depicts the Watergate Scandal in one picture.
This political cartoon shows Nixon hanging in between two tapes that each read, respectively, “I am” and “a crook.” In between Nixon’s teeth, he is holding the word “not,” as if the word was ripped out. Nixon famously said, “I am not a crook” when interviewed about the Watergate Scandal. The tapes are what ultimately incriminated Nixon, which is why the “not” is ripped out of the tape. Nixon is also dangling between the tapes as if he was about to fall off, which probably represents the fall of his career.