The Squeeze [Pacific Theater]

Putting ‘The Squeeze’ on the Japanese Empire in the Pacific.

This eye-catching presentation of the Pacific Theater shows the rapidly diminishing Japanese Empire (highlighted in red) being squeezed within a gigantic vice. The Allied forces commanded by Stillwell, MacArthur, and Nimitz comprise the jaws, twisting shut with each turn of the screw. Generalized directions of advance during the summer of 1944 are shown, noting recent attacks on Japanese-held territory near Saipan, Biak, and Mvitkyina. Other targets, susceptible to Allied aerial bombardment, are also highlighted.

The map was designed by Robert M. Chapin, Jr. and published as a supplement for the July 3, 1944 issue of TIME Magazine. Chapin was a professionally trained architect who found jobs to be in low demand during the Great Depression. He took a job in the photo department at Newsweek in 1933, where he apparently picked up a knack for cartographic design. By 1937, he was hired by Time (a rival of Newsweek) as the head of the cartography department, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1970.

During his long tenure at Time, Chapin’s prolific output helped establish a pattern for 20th-century newsroom cartography. The use of bold colors, uncluttered design, and legible typography was immensely popular, and the maps were reprinted for distribution in classrooms and public spaces throughout the country. Despite their widespread appeal, the maps are uncommon on the market and often overlooked in institutional collections. This version is listed in only one example in WorldCat as of May 2024, at Franklin & Marshall College. Additional copies have been found at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oregon State University, and the Hoover Institution. OCLC# 320453590.