World War II Holiday Humor: Office of War Information “Santa” Memo

Someone in the Office of War Information (OWI) News Bureau was having a jolly old time writing this memorandum on Christmas Eve 1942. It concerns rumors flying around (by way of a reindeer-led sled) about a “man in whiskers who…will come down many chimneys bringing gifts to hundreds of American homes.” This tongue-in-cheek report from the OWI News Bureau was composed by staff to poke fun at their own bureaucracy. However, even the report’s light-hearted analysis of the “facts” about Santa Claus reveals serious concerns faced by the United States during World War II.

In commemoration, the “Santa” Memo was is display in the “Featured Documents” exhibit in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives in Washington, DC from November 30, 2017 – January 10, 2018

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