This map was drawn by Howard Burke and published by the newspaper. San Francisco Examiner in October 1940, in the context of the Second World War, when the United States had not yet entered the conflict.
This is one of many propaganda maps that sought to raise awareness among the American population of global threats, as detailed in this article. On this occasion, Burke focuses on the precarious situation of the Dutch East Indies after the Netherlands fell under German control in May 1941.
More specifically, it establishes how Japan could easily take over the Dutch colony, which would be a major blow to world trade. At various points on the map and in the legend, the author refers to the great wealth of this colony, as it was one of the world's leading exporters of several precious goods: tin (20 %), oil (10 %), tobacco (50 %), quinine (95 %) and rubber (30 %).
Japan would eventually conquer this colony during the Second World War, although this would not happen until early 1942. This was mainly due to Japan's initial strategy of avoiding direct conflict with the European powers, which could have posed a problem for its expansion in Asia and the Pacific.
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