Theater of War [Pacific Theater]

An optimistic American assessment from early in World War II.

“U.S. Will Spend 2 1/2 Times All the Gold in the World to Beat the Axis.”

This bold headline was published in the Jan. 11, 1942 edition of the Boston Sunday Advertiser Green Magazine. About a month before, Japan had attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor and subsequently captured most of the Allies’ territories across the South Pacific. The unfortunate geopolitical circumstances (Singapore must be held) are outlined in a map of the theater on the left side of the page.

The image confidently presents a flood of warships, transports, and planes crossing the Pacific and South China Sea into Japanese territory. Accompanying text and further diagrams on the right side of the page emphasize ambitious plans and American material commitment to the war, with the Pacific Theater as obviously the primary focus.