This map was created by Isaac Don Levine for an anti-communist propaganda campaign by the American Federation of Labour. The illustration locates the various labour camps, gulags, that existed throughout the Soviet Union.

The first version of this map was produced in 1947 and provided to UNESCO with a request to conduct an international investigation in the Soviet Union into the situation of forced labour in the country. With no tangible results, the American Federation of Labour decided to transfer the work to Time magazine, which commissioned Levine to produce an updated version that was published in 1951.

Following publication, the labour organisation embarked on a major promotional campaign. Nationally, this illustration was distributed free of charge to trade unions, schools, universities, churches and even public institutions. Internationally, the American Federation of Labour collaborated with the CIA to have this work translated into other languages so that it could reach Latin America and Europe, where the United States feared the advance of communism.

The map quickly became one of the most influential propaganda maps of the Cold War. This is partly due to the authority with which the map details information that, a priori, should not be available to the enemy country. The reality is that Levine did not know where the gulags were located, which is why they appear scattered throughout the territory. The idea is to portray the concentration camps as part of the fundamental nature of the Soviet Union and thus demonise the enemy in the eyes of any potential allies.

It is no coincidence that the map is accompanied by images and photographs, as these are intended to lend a certain authenticity to the data provided.

Sources

• «Gulag» – Slavery, Inc.
• “‘Gulag’—Slavery, Inc.”: The Power of Place and the Rhetorical Life of a Cold War Map