The Great Invasion of 19??

A direct challenge to American isolationism.

The interwar period saw a lively debate among Americans as to the necessary level of defensive preparedness in the event of another European War. Proponents of a strong military argued that a large standing army and significant investment in infrastructure was critical, whereas isolationists and pacifists saw the vast Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as effective barriers to international intrigue.

This somewhat ludicrous map of the United States argues for more robust armed forces by theorizing possible land invasion from Canada, amphibious assault across the Atlantic, and a coalition attack from Britain and Japan on the West Coast. Accompanying text and vignettes highlight America’s disparate stationed troops, major (and vulnerable) industrial centers, and the possibility of attack from Mexico. The dreaded ‘Fifth Column’ of Japanese Americans is also referenced – “Californians suppose they have secret arms and drill at night in dark halls.”

Illustrated by L.H. Appleton and published in New York as part of a 1935 issue of Fortune Magazine.