War Bonds: An Obligation to Our Veterans

IBM Advertising Supports Returning Veterans

Published October 21, 2021

Updated on November 7, 2021

 IBM National Advertising Supports Veterans, Dependents, and the United Nations

In 1945, World War II came to a close. Germany surrendered unconditionally in May and the Japanese in September. During this time, forward thinking political, business and spiritual leaders wanted to avoid another Versailles. In April, a San Francisco Conference was held to establish a United Nations charter and determine how to best ensure that peace might be achieved if the world learned from its failures after World War I.

To convey the level of commitment of IBM and its chief executive officer to supporting their economic system of capitalism, their political system of democracy, and world peace, the four 1945 campaigns are listed below:

• First Day of [United Nations] School: April 25–27
• 7th War Loan: May 14–16
• Victory Loan: October 29–31
• Obligation: October 29–31

The sidebar documents the span and complexity of these wartime advertising campaigns paid for by the corporation. In addition, IBM employees during World War II purchased $28,000,000 in war bonds.

This documents the effort, time and money put into IBM's World War II war bond advertising.

To assist the reader in understanding how critical the year 1945 was to the war effort and to set the context for these advertising efforts, a list of critical dates from World War II is included below the advertisements.

In addition, the corporation—to kick off the new year—made a rapid transition: It produced its first, post-war, nationwide, commercial, advertising campaign. If the full employment tradition was to be maintained, "somebody" had to sell "something." IBM"s marketing team did its part to support sales.

• ​The Electromatic Typewriter: December 27–31

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"First Day of School" advertising ran from April 25 through 27 in 300+ U.S. newspapers. *

"7th War Loan" ran from May 14 through 16 in 350+ U.S. newspapers. *

"Victory Loan" ran from October 29 through 31 in 250+ U.S. newspapers. *

"Obligation" ran jointly with "Victory Loan" from October 29 through 31 in 130+ U.S. newspapers. *

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Reconversion was a post-World War II term used to discuss the "readjustment" of the economic system of capitalism and the political system of democracy from its wartime, government-funded economy back to a peacetime, consumer-driven economy. IBM's advertising team by the end of 1945 ran their first, post-war, nationwide, commercial advertisement: The IBM 1946 Electromatic Typewriter.

​They were putting into practice what they had learned from their years of advertising war bonds.

In September 1945, Dorothy Crew wrote—looking forward—that the , "biggest pent-up demand is for typewriters, which were out of civilian production for more than three years. Industry sources estimate that more than 2,000,000 new typewriters are needed, compared with a normal prewar annual volume of approximately 750,000." In May 1954, Bruce Bliven Jr. wrote—looking backward in The Wonderful Writing Machine—that during "the years 1946 to 1953, typewriters were scarce rather than abundant; one firm has not yet caught up with the backlog of orders that mounted during World War II."

So one person looking into the future, and one person peering into the past confirmed that this advertising campaign was the right one, at the right time, and in the right place.

​"Electromatic Typewriter" advertising ran nationwide. It ran December 27 through 31 in almost 500 U.S. newspapers. *

* The number of newspapers is a conservative estimate as these are papers which are carried on newspapers.com, and it is apparent that the advertisements took longer to appear in some papers (outside the dates listed) probably because of normal processing delays for such massive, nationwide campaigns.

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 Critical 1943 World War II Dates: (these may not appear properly on a mobile device)

January 9:
January 17:
February 4-11:
February 19:
March 7:
March 17:
March 19:
April 1:
April 12:
April 13:

Americans invade Philippines.
Red Army captures Warsaw.
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta.
Marines land on Iwo Jima.
U.S. 1st Army troops cross the Rhine at Remagen.
U.S. 3rd Army troops capture Coblenz.
U.S. planes cripple Japanese fleet.
Americans invade Okinawa.
President Roosevelt dies.
Russians capture of Vienna.

April 18:
April 21:
April 25:
​April 25-27:​
May 7:
​​May 14-16:
June 2
July 5:
July 21
August 6-9:
August 14:
Oct 29-31:
Oct 29-31:

U.S. Third Army crosses into Czechoslovakia.
Russians fight into the suburbs of Berlin.
First session of San Francisco Conference to draft United Nations charter.
​IBM United Nations Advertising Campaign: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
Germany surrenders unconditionally.
IBM War Bonds Advertising Campaign: 7th WAR LOAN.
IBM Poughkeepsie Plant receives Army-Navy Fourth Award (Star).​
General MacArthur liberates Philippines.
IBM Endicott Plant receives Army-Navy Fifth Award (Star)
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan accepts surrender terms.
IBM Victory War Bonds Advertising Campaign: VICTORY LOAN.
​IBM Victory War Bonds Advertising Campaign: OBLIGATION.

In 1943 and 1944, IBM also ran a full-year set of advertisements to encourage the individual citizen to purchase war bonds to pay for the massive war effort and avoid burdening future generations with its costs. ​That information is here:

• 1943 War Bond Advertising
• ​1944 War Bond Advertising

As always, if you or your family were in any way associated with these or other IBM World War II activities or have information you believe is valuable to understanding IBM and Thomas J. Watson Sr.'s contribution to the war effort, please contact us.

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