This vivid work of persuasive cartography by LeRoy H. Appleton imagines three possible attacks on the United States in an effort to make the case for strengthening domestic defenses. It was published in the September 1935 issue of Fortune, in the wake of the Wilcox Bill of 1935, which authorized the creation of new air bases. The first potential attack comes from Canada through the northeast, with the industrial Midwest as the enemy's target. The second invasion, by a vaguely defined "coalition of European powers," enters the Chesapeake Bay from bases in the Caribbean. The third attack involves Japanese and British troops sweeping through the Pacific Northwest from Alaska. A key at right identifies Army areas, coastal defenses, Army air fields, "strategic points calling for air defenses," the movements of the imagined enemies, manufacturing centers, oil fields and refineries, and more. Despite the text's assertion that "[t]he U.S. is the safest country in the world," the map emphasizes the vulnerabilities of the nation's industries and resources to enemy attack. It was published at a time where the prevailing post-World War I attitudes of pacifism and isolationism were starting to crumble as the situation in Europe grew increasingly unstable. Accompanied by a 10-page article on the U.S. Army.

References: PJ Mode Collection #2068.01.

Condition: A

A bright, clean example with faint toning along the edges and tiny staple holes along the centerfold.