This map was drawn by Howard Burke and published by the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper in 1937, two years before the outbreak of World War II and four years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

This publication is part of the ongoing propaganda campaign by the American media to raise awareness of the potential dangers of expansionism by countries such as Japan. More specifically, this map shows the possible routes that the Japanese Empire could use to attack the United States, suggesting a two-step sequence:

• First, take Pearl Harbour, destroy the American Pacific fleet, and establish a foothold in Hawaii.
• From there, they would attack the continental United States, detailing how they would attack San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

It is remarkable that this map predicted the possibility of the attack on Pearl Harbour four years before it took place.

In this article You can find more information about how these types of maps were used in the United States as part of a persuasive discourse to convince the population of the need to participate in the war.

Sources

• How Japan Could Attack the United States: Step-by-Step Manoeuvres