Don't Be a Sucker

by U.S. War Department · 1947

PrejudiceCold WarRacism

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This 1947 black-and-white film, "Don't Be a Sucker," warns Americans against the dangers of fanaticism and hatred, urging them to unite rather than divide. Set against the backdrop of the emerging Cold War, the film contrasts the naive gambling of Henry with the strategic scheming of Mike, who fears losing his American identity to perceived threats from foreigners, Negroes, and the Catholic church. Mike's rhetoric highlights the importance of excluding these groups to preserve what he considers true American values. The video also features a mason who warns against Catholics and other groups, framing them as enemies seeking to take over the country, and calls for their destruction. A former professor, who witnessed similar rhetoric leading to prejudice and division in Nazi Germany, cautions against such talk, warning that it can have devastating real-world consequences. The segment details how Hitler systematically targeted and marginalized various minority groups in Germany, including Jews, Catholics, and Freemasons, to unify the nation under Nazi control, using propaganda and manipulation to turn these groups against each other and exploit their fears. The film ends with a reminder that the suppression of truth began with the banning of books and could have been prevented.