| Image | 
|
| Reference Number | BT0136 |
| Alt Ref No | BT0136 |
| Artist or Creator | Bert Thomas |
| Title or Caption | "Come on in - it's fine!" |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Published by | Evening News |
| Date | 31 Oct 1939 |
| Format | Artwork |
| Size | 29 x 34cm |
| Technique | black ink/black crayon |
| Embedded text or transcript | Mud and Blood |
| Notes | Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are represented commonly in cartoons of the period as an uncivilised ape and a bear, respectively. Here we see Germany inviting Russia to participate in the war unleashed on 1 September 1939 when Nazi forces invaded Poland. Although Stalin had annexed part of Poland during this conflict, in accordance with the secret protocols of the Nazi-Soviet pact, this was principally to secure a buffer zone on Russia's western border. Stalin was unprepared for war in 1939 and his rapprochment towards Hitler was self-preservation, rather than an indication of a desire for conflict. |
| Subjects | Germany |
| Nazi-Soviet Pact |
| Nazism |
| Russia |
| Russian bear |
| World War 1939-1945 |
| bears |
| expansionism |
| gorillas |
| Copyright holder | Associated Newspapers Ltd. / Solo Syndication |
| Copyright contact details | Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT solo@solosyndication.com |
| Genre | symbols |
| Location of artwork | British Cartoon Archive |
| Relates to cartoon | BT0136 |