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April 1942 QST

"There's a WAR to be won."

So goes the headline in an advertisement in the April 1942 edition of QST magazine. Like many American companies during World War II, Cardwell Manufacturing Corporation gave its highest priority to serving the needs of our nation's military. Patriotism was actually taught in schools back in the day, and the majority of citizens understood the need to devote their efforts to achieving victory, even if it meant putting personal interests on hold.

The ad content typifies that attitude: "Though all our facilities of men and machines have long been pledged to the fulfillment of our assigned tasks, and though hundreds of thousands of Cardwell components are in active service on the far flung battlefronts of the United Nations, many times this effort is needed. And so, to our loyal personnel, we are saying, 'Let's redouble production again, NOW!' While to our loyal customers with non-priority orders, we must continue to say, 'We'll be seeing you, with better-than-ever CARDWELLS ... after this war.'"

The well-used ashtray, which would not be shown today (unless it contained joints - the recent government-sanctioned form of smoking), was meant to suggest the long hours in smoke-filled rooms by people strategizing methods of design, production, and distribution.

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Posted March 8, 2021
(updated from original post on 9/12/2012)