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Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
When the Devil Was Well - The Devil...
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

When the Devil Was Well - The Devil...

Artifact ID1979.190.14 (A)
Object Type Printing Plate Mold
Date ca.1940
Medium Paper mache
DimensionsOverall H 7 in x W 5 1/2 in (17.8 cm x 14 cm )
Physical Description
Physical DescriptionPaper cast of an editorial cartoon printing plate for the Lake Geneva Herald, Wisconsin, ca.1940-41. Frame 1: A man (identifiable as Josef Stalin) holds a sword (“Religion in Russia under Article 124”). Additional text at upper left: “‘They (the Stalin regime) have murdered in cold blood, tens of thousands of Christians - Bishop Vitaly of The Russian Orthodox Church-”. Additional text at upper left: “‘We have closed all the opium shops (churches)’ - Berbonuk - Russian Paper”. Additional text at upper left: “‘Practically all the clergy have been liquidated’ [illegible]. Additional text at upper right: “‘The regimes of Lenin and Stalin have leveled the most ruthless drives against Christianity since Diocletian’ - The New World”. Additional text at upper right: “‘There is no more freedom of religion in Russia today than there was in the very beginning of the Soveit [sic] regime’ - Matthew Woll - Vice Pres. A. F. of L.”. Additional text at center right: “‘I abhorred the indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent victims - I heartily deprecated the banishment of religion’ (in Russia) F.D.R. in 1939”. Frame 2: Stalin has a halo (“Article 124”) over him. In front of him is a note (“President Roosevelt’s interpretation of Article 124 ‘Well I haven’t learned it by heart sufficiently to quote - I might be off a little, but anyway - Freedom of Conscience Freedom of Religion Freedom Equally to use Propaganda Against” [illegible]). Caption: "When the devil was well- the devil a saint was he- but- when the devil was sick- the devil a saint would be-". Additional text at lower left: “17”. Artist signature at lower right: "Masterson".
Historical NoteIn 1928, the Soviet Union began the Godless Five-Year Plan, which closed churches, took their property, and executed clergy that opposed the government. The government also introduced a five-day work week that staggered people's days off, which would disincentivize attending weekly worship services.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThis item was donated by Dr. John Roche to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in March 1979.
Credit LineGift of John P. Roche
National Archives Catalog CollectionLyndon B. Johnson Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 192413)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts to the LBJ Library (National Archives Identifier 189698391)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
Person Referenced Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union, 1879 - 1953)
Person Referenced Franklin Delano Roosevelt (United States, 1882 - 1945)
In Collection(s)
Not on view
Place of Publication
Lake Geneva
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