The Stars and
Stripes was published in France by the American Expeditionary
Forces (AEF) of the United States Army from February 8,
1918, to June 13, 1919. General John J. Pershing wanted
a newspaper written by servicemen for the soldiers on the
battlefront. On the front page of the first issue, Pershing
endorsed the newspaper and characterized its purpose and
content: "In this initial number of The Stars and Stripes,
published by the men of the Overseas Command, the Commander-in-Chief
of the American Expeditionary Forces extends his greetings
through the editing staff to the readers from the first
line trenches to the base ports. These readers are mainly
the men who have been honored by being the first contingent
of Americans to fight on European soil for the honor of
their country. . . . The paper, written by the men in the
service, should speak the thoughts of the new American Army
and the American people from whom the Army has been drawn.
It is your paper. Good luck to it."
The
newspaper's mission was to strengthen the morale of the
troops and to promote unity within the American forces,
then widely scattered and fulfilling many apparently unrelated
functions. The venture was immediately popular with the
soldiers, quickly selling out its first issue of one thousand
copies. Although designated as the "official newspaper of
the AEF," its independent editorial voice earned the confidence
and affection of common soldiers.
The Stars and
Stripes, published exclusively in France during its seventeen-month
run, used a layout typical of American newspapers of the
day, with wide columns, "all-cap" headlines, and lots of
illustrations. The editorial staff assigned to the newspaper
was composed mostly of enlisted men, including several career
journalists. Second Lieutenant Guy T. Viskniskki from the
Wheeler Newspaper Syndicate, New York Times drama critic
Alexander Woollcott, bibliophile John Winterich, and cartoonist
Abian "Wally" Wallgren of the Washington Post were among
those who contributed their experience and skill.
Beginning
with an initial printing of one thousand copies, The Stars
and Stripes grew to a high-circulation newspaper, reaching
well over half a million readers by its one-year anniversary.
The newspaper's content contributed to its success, as did
its distribution system. By a feat of ingenuity and perseverance,
agents delivered the paper to the majority of the subscribers
on the date of publication. Captain Richard H. Waldo, who
had worked at the New York Times and Good Housekeeping before
his enlistment, devised a system by which soldier distributors,
or "field agents," at each Army Post Office coordinated
distribution by rail, truck, and automobile (including three
Cadillacs). French news dealers also delivered copies of
the weekly to field agents and to hospitality centers staffed
by the YMCA known as "YMCA huts." In addition, distributors
mailed more than two hundred thousand copies to military
bases and individual subscribers back home in the United
States.
Appearing during
a pivotal period in world and American history, The Stars
and Stripes is a unique type of newspaper: a military newspaper
published by the United States government. Documenting the
experience of American soldiers during wartime, The Stars
and Stripes represents a remarkable achievement in twentieth-century
journalism.
Advertising
in The Stars and Stripes
In
every issue of The Stars and Stripes American companies
and organizations, as well as French eateries and shops,
competed for the attention of the servicemen with advertisements
aimed at enticing the doughboys (as American soldiers were
called). Although the advertisements exhibited considerable
reserve and decorum by today's standards, their content
was intended to appeal to the almost exclusively male audience.
Companies as
diverse as American Express, American Safety Razor, Gillette,
Credit Lyonnais Bank, and Brentano's Books, along with organizations
such as the YMCA, Christian Science Reading Rooms, the Harvard
Club of Paris, and the Jewish Welfare Board, courted the
soldiers' business. Wrigley's Chewing Gum was a regular
advertiser, boasting
that "even before American soldiers and sailors landed,
the British, Canadian and French forces had adopted Wrigley's
as their wartime sweetmeat"
Absent today's
truth-in-advertising regulations and product liability lawsuits,
tobacco ads, such as those claiming that Fatima cigarettes
were the brand smoked by the most important people in Washington,
appeared in almost every issue. Other products made excessive
claims, as well. Adams Chewing Gum, for example, was said
not only to relieve thirst, but also to prevent fatigue
among weary soldiers on the march. In advertisements such
as these, appearing throughout the pages of The Stars and
Stripes, American and French companies reveal what they
imagined might allure the doughboys, thereby offering insight
into the popular culture of American soldiers of the time.
Illustrations
in The Stars and Stripes
The
Stars and Stripes used illustrations to communicate ideas,
especially those aimed at justifying military goals and
encouraging the troops' adherence to the war effort. In
the early issues, editors reprinted cartoons from some of
the most prominent U.S. newspapers and magazines, such as
Life, New York World, and Philadelphia Press. The very first
issue contained an editorial cartoon by one of the most
famous illustrators of the day, Charles Dana Gibson. The
cartoon, meant to inspire the troops, was entitled "On Their
Way" and depicted an American soldier marching in step with
a winged "Lady Victory," their arms firmly locked.
In many cases,
the images selected by the editors would be considered propaganda
by today's standards.
Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge's cartoon "Then We Will Have Peace"
showed the empty throne of the Kaiser with a corpse in front
of it, his drawing "The Girl We're All Fighting For" depicted
a soldier gesturing respectfully toward an image of the
Statue of Liberty on the horizon.
Besides expressing
editorial opinion, cartoons entertained the troops, offering
them humorous stories and images that satirized everyday
life in the military. Many of these spoofs, written in 1918
and 1919, remain relevant today. The most popular among
the soldiers were Private Abian A."Wally" Wallgren's cartoons
and irreverent "Helpful Hints," which poked fun at army
conventions from food to uniforms to rank. When a new issue
of The Stars and Stripes arrived, the soldiers scanned it
first for the cartoons by "Wally" Wallgren.
Private Cyrus
Baldridge was also prolific, contributing many cartoons
and illustrations such as "The Owner of the Stars and Stripes,"
a front page "portrait" of an American soldier. After the
war ended, Wallgren, Baldridge, and others published compilations
of The Stars and Stripes cartoons and illustrations that
had lightened the hearts of the doughboys.
Soldier
Authored Material in The Stars and Stripes
Throughout
the seventeen months of its publication, The Stars and Stripes
dedicated a significant amount of space to soldier-authored
material. In the first issue an advertisement asking soldiers
for their contributions read: "If You Are a Writer: Send
Us Copy. If You Are an Artist: Send Us Pictures".
The newspaper's
editors appreciated the poetry and sentimental ballads typical
of the period. Poetry appeared in every issue of The Stars
and Stripes. Although the newspaper occasionally published
reprints of the poetry of famous poets, the soldiers themselves
wrote most of the poems. "The Army's Poets" column was inaugurated
May 3, 1918 and swiftly became the most widely read column
in the newspaper. Soldiers submitted more than seventy-five
thousand poems for possible printing in The Stars and Stripes.
Many of those poems not selected for publication by the
newspaper were published after the war.
Through their
poetry, soldiers commented on life in the trenches, homesickness,
patriotism, and the comradery essential
for wartime success. The humor of the AEF doughboys tended
to be a product of everyday experience, and their poetry
reflects the hardships the men endured, so far from home.
For example, Franklin P. Adams's "A Cootie's Garden of Verses"
relates a soldier's battle with lice:
In winter I get
up at night,
and have to scratch by candle-light;
In summer, quite the other way;
I have to scratch the livelong day.
A soldier boy
should never swear
When coots are in his underwear,
Or underneath his helmet label--
At least, as far he is able.
The trench is
so full of a number of coots,
I'm actually growing quite fond of the brutes.
Women
and the War Effort in The Stars and Stripes
World
War I was the first war in which American women were recruited
to serve in the military. Women were already present in
France as members of the American Red Cross and as canteen
workers, but for the most part, French and Belgian women
staffed American military offices. In October 1917 the new
American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) telephone system was
put in place, but the American soldiers and the French women
working as telephone operators were unable to communicate.
The need for bilingual telephone operators precipitated
the recruitment of American women.
When General
Pershing, commander in chief of the American Expeditionary
Forces, mounted an advertising campaign for bilingual telephone
operators for the Army Signal Corps, more than seven thousand
women responded and more than two hundred were recruited.
These Bell Telephone System operators, known as "Hello Girls,"
worked in France from March 1918 to the end of the war.
The Stars and Stripes reported their activities in several
articles, announcing their arrival with the headline "Uncle
Sam Presents 'Hello, Girls!'" and describing their work
in the article "Six Hello Girls Help First Army".
Women
also served a symbolic function for the fighting men. Women
were the subjects of sentimental poetry; poems to sweethearts
at home or to French mademoiselles appeared in several issues.
The protection of women was held up as an honorable justification
for the war. An article entitled "German Brands Young Mother
with an Iron" that appeared in the first issue of The Stars
and Stripes typifies the manner in which sentimental and
protective feelings towards "womanhood" were aroused to
encourage the soldiers to fight: "It is in accordance with
other stories of the prostitution of womanhood which the
Kaiser is forcing in order to repopulate the German Empire.
The rapid British advance at Cambria, in November, when
towns which the Germans had occupied for three years were
captured before the latter could deport the civilian population
into Germany as is their custom, disclosed the latest effort
of the German army. French women and girls had been made
the victims."
The article then
quoted an American officer: "Among the refugees who passed
along the roads making their way southward farther into
France after we made our first big advance were scores of
women and girls, each marked on her breast by a cross in
red paint. . . . the cross indicated that German soldiers
were the fathers. The crosses had been painted on them,
the women explained, to show that their children would belong
to the German Government. . . . Thank God, America, by coming
into the war, will help to stamp out this beastly 'kultur'
from the world and make it a safe, clean place to live in
for your womenfolk and mine?-our mothers, our sweethearts,
our wives, and our daughters".
In keeping with
the concept of honoring womanhood, The Stars and Stripes
encouraged the doughboys to write letters home to "Mom."
In support of their intensive Mother's Day campaigns, the
newspaper published heart-wrenching cartoons depicting a
forlorn mother waiting for the postman or tearfully reading
her son's letter. Editorials and headlines touted the millions
of letters sent back home by dutiful soldiers. The newspaper
also promoted the War Orphans Project, in which companies
and officers "adopted" French war orphans by pledging to
provide them with financial support. Articles promoting
the effort were often accompanied by images of little girls
and descriptions of the orphans' plight.
And
much more in this incredible 71 week publication run.
This
is a must have collection for any war history buff!
Here are
the computer requirements to run and operate this CD. You must
have a PC running Windows software and a web browser. The issues
are in PDF format. Mac users: this disk
will run on most newer Macs and will run on all Macs that support
PC emulation. There is no special PC based software needed to
use this CD.
The
newspaper's mission was to strengthen the morale of the
troops and to promote unity within the American forces,
then widely scattered and fulfilling many apparently unrelated
functions. The venture was immediately popular with the
soldiers, quickly selling out its first issue of one thousand
copies. Although designated as the "official newspaper of
the AEF," its independent editorial voice earned the confidence
and affection of common soldiers. 
Beginning
with an initial printing of one thousand copies, The Stars
and Stripes grew to a high-circulation newspaper, reaching
well over half a million readers by its one-year anniversary.
The newspaper's content contributed to its success, as did
its distribution system. By a feat of ingenuity and perseverance,
agents delivered the paper to the majority of the subscribers
on the date of publication. Captain Richard H. Waldo, who
had worked at the New York Times and Good Housekeeping before
his enlistment, devised a system by which soldier distributors,
or "field agents," at each Army Post Office coordinated
distribution by rail, truck, and automobile (including three
Cadillacs). French news dealers also delivered copies of
the weekly to field agents and to hospitality centers staffed
by the YMCA known as "YMCA huts." In addition, distributors
mailed more than two hundred thousand copies to military
bases and individual subscribers back home in the United
States. 
In
every issue of The Stars and Stripes American companies
and organizations, as well as French eateries and shops,
competed for the attention of the servicemen with advertisements
aimed at enticing the doughboys (as American soldiers were
called). Although the advertisements exhibited considerable
reserve and decorum by today's standards, their content
was intended to appeal to the almost exclusively male audience.
boasting
that "even before American soldiers and sailors landed,
the British, Canadian and French forces had adopted Wrigley's
as their wartime sweetmeat" 
The
Stars and Stripes used illustrations to communicate ideas,
especially those aimed at justifying military goals and
encouraging the troops' adherence to the war effort. In
the early issues, editors reprinted cartoons from some of
the most prominent U.S. newspapers and magazines, such as
Life, New York World, and Philadelphia Press. The very first
issue contained an editorial cartoon by one of the most
famous illustrators of the day, Charles Dana Gibson. The
cartoon, meant to inspire the troops, was entitled "On Their
Way" and depicted an American soldier marching in step with
a winged "Lady Victory," their arms firmly locked.
standards.
Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge's cartoon "Then We Will Have Peace"
showed the empty throne of the Kaiser with a corpse in front
of it, his drawing "The Girl We're All Fighting For" depicted
a soldier gesturing respectfully toward an image of the
Statue of Liberty on the horizon. 
Throughout
the seventeen months of its publication, The Stars and Stripes
dedicated a significant amount of space to soldier-authored
material. In the first issue an advertisement asking soldiers
for their contributions read: "If You Are a Writer: Send
Us Copy. If You Are an Artist: Send Us Pictures".
essential
for wartime success. The humor of the AEF doughboys tended
to be a product of everyday experience, and their poetry
reflects the hardships the men endured, so far from home.
For example, Franklin P. Adams's "A Cootie's Garden of Verses"
relates a soldier's battle with lice: 
World
War I was the first war in which American women were recruited
to serve in the military. Women were already present in
France as members of the American Red Cross and as canteen
workers, but for the most part, French and Belgian women
staffed American military offices. In October 1917 the new
American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) telephone system was
put in place, but the American soldiers and the French women
working as telephone operators were unable to communicate.
The need for bilingual telephone operators precipitated
the recruitment of American women.
Women
also served a symbolic function for the fighting men. Women
were the subjects of sentimental poetry; poems to sweethearts
at home or to French mademoiselles appeared in several issues.
The protection of women was held up as an honorable justification
for the war. An article entitled "German Brands Young Mother
with an Iron" that appeared in the first issue of The Stars
and Stripes typifies the manner in which sentimental and
protective feelings towards "womanhood" were aroused to
encourage the soldiers to fight: "It is in accordance with
other stories of the prostitution of womanhood which the
Kaiser is forcing in order to repopulate the German Empire.
The rapid British advance at Cambria, in November, when
towns which the Germans had occupied for three years were
captured before the latter could deport the civilian population
into Germany as is their custom, disclosed the latest effort
of the German army. French women and girls had been made
the victims." 