Pocket Guide To China (1942): "How To Spot A Jap" Comic
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The Pocket Guide To China was a handbook published by the United States Army, to hand-out to service people stationed in China, in 1942. The main parts of guide itself was one filled with hints, tips and guidance on cultural differences and sensitivities they may encounter while being stationed in China. As well as having a phonetically written phrase book section, to help service people communicate with local people. But what the handbook has become renowned for most is the comic book segment that appeared in the first edition, called "How To Spot A Jap". The comic book only appeared in the 1942 edition, and was removed from all subsequent editions that were published. It was illustrated by well known comic artist Milton Caniff, who drew the popular comic strip of the time "Terry and the Pirates".
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The "How To Spot A Jap" segment of the guide attempts through the comic book illustrations to help service people differentiate between the Chinese and any Japanese they may encounter. As well as explaining potential identifying characteristics of the Japanese. The fear of the "yellow peril" was riding high among American society because of the war, and understandably so. However, the level of cultural insensitivity used in the guide towards Chinese allies, pushes this comic book well into the realms of ignorance and unabashed racism. For a handbook that was supposed to form bridges between the Americans in China and the Chinese themselves, the comic book segment unravels all the good work that the rest of the guide attempts to do. It's little wonder that the powers that be realised it was probably best to leave it out of editions that followed.
Reading the guide, it makes you wonder if Caniff had ever actually met either someone from China or Japan, or indeed both. The racial stereotypes used are simply outrageous, and would have be of no help to service people stationed there. If anything, they would have muddied the waters, and caused potential for miss-identification if it was read as being in anyway accurate by some ill-informed G.I. Each page has moments where you shake your head in disbelief that the US Army actually distributed this thing. The sweeping generalisations, the use of "Lemon Yellow" as a skin colour, that they even started to believe their own grotesque propaganda by stating the Japanese have "buck teeth". And don't get me started on the identifying Japanese infiltrators by the "space between the first and second toes", seriously?! Were the makers and military-brass who authorised this comic book on drugs when they produced this?
Reading the guide, it makes you wonder if Caniff had ever actually met either someone from China or Japan, or indeed both. The racial stereotypes used are simply outrageous, and would have be of no help to service people stationed there. If anything, they would have muddied the waters, and caused potential for miss-identification if it was read as being in anyway accurate by some ill-informed G.I. Each page has moments where you shake your head in disbelief that the US Army actually distributed this thing. The sweeping generalisations, the use of "Lemon Yellow" as a skin colour, that they even started to believe their own grotesque propaganda by stating the Japanese have "buck teeth". And don't get me started on the identifying Japanese infiltrators by the "space between the first and second toes", seriously?! Were the makers and military-brass who authorised this comic book on drugs when they produced this?
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