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"And now some more official information on the accident at Chernobyl"

The disastrous nuclear power plant accident on April 25-26, 1986, at Chernobyl in the Ukraine area of the Soviet Union, cost lives and released masses of polluted air that endangered the health of thousands and contaminated millions of acres of land. In this cartoon, Herb Block drew a family of skeletons, representing the unverified numbers of people who died immediately, or soon afterward, of radiation sickness. Block included a portrait of President Mikhail Gorbachev and a television set to allude to the failure of the government and media to communicate timely information to their own people and the world.

Rip-Off

In 1975 President Gerald Ford vetoed the proposed Surface Mining and Reclamation Act, despite an overwhelmingly pro-environment vote in the House of Representatives. Ford argued that jobs would be lost, utility bills would increase, Americans would be more dependent on foreign oil, and coal production would be unnecessarily reduced. Herb Block attacked the coal strip mining interests by depicting a man literally peeling off the Earth's crust east of the Rocky Mountains, implying that President Ford was in the pockets of the coal lobbyists.

The Drums

In this cartoon, Block portrayed the "Grim Reaper" pounding a deadly beat as toxic waste containers spill noxious contents into an ominously streaked river of pollution. His cartoon reflected mounting public concern in 1979 over safe storage of such drums in the wake of news coverage about lawsuits involving illegal dumping of wastes, and instances of health and environmental problems surfacing in the proximity of hazardous waste sites in New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, and elsewhere. The reported problems included higher rates of cancer deaths and seepage of life threatening chemical waste into rivers, water supplies, and homes.

The Gray Plague

With his image of the Grim Reaper coming for those who dared to breathe in America's cities, Herb Block indicated that air pollution had become a major issue by 1967. President Lyndon Johnson asked Congress to authorize federal regulation of air quality to protect the environment. When he signed the Air Quality Act of 1967 into law on November 21, 1967, Johnson quoted Dante's Inferno, ". . . dirty water and black snow pour from the dismal air to. . .the putrid slush that waits for them below."

"Mink is for peasants"

Herb Block used the mink coat, a familiar symbol of unethical conduct in public office, as a point of departure for a scathing denunciation of congressmen in collusion with big business. The title, voiced by his smug, crowned figures in ermine-trimmed robes decorated with dollar signs, makes the point that corruption has reached a grandiose scale previously unseen. Block highlighted his objections to the tidelands quitclaim bills, whereby Congress could vote to claim submerged oil lands off the coastlines of three states, and the continuation of tax loopholes for special interests including the oil and utilities industries.

Haunted House

Although Herb Block frequently castigated President Richard Nixon and his Republican administration, in this cartoon he reminded the 91^st Congress--led by Democrats--that they, too, had considerable skeletons in their closet. In the cartoon's foreground, Block derided the seniority system. The cartoonist later railed: "This is a system not for operating a representative government but for strangling it. It often makes fiefdoms of Congressional committees--fiefdoms in which the people's representatives are subject to the whims of chairmen who have little responsibility to anybody."

"Quitting time and all's well"

This cartoon appeared after Congress failed to censure unethical behavior by elected members in both houses. In September 1976, the Senate ethics committee voted not to pursue allegations that minority leader Senator Hugh Scott (R-Penn) received $45,000 from Gulf agents, despite Scott's admission of doing so. On October 2, the House of Representatives refused to expel Representative Andrew Hinshaw (R-Calif), who had been convicted of bribery. Herb Block's image of both committees as fortress towers echoed his 1980 published statement: "Perhaps the biggest scandals in Congress are the ones in which it operates as a private mutual protection club."

Death of a Salesman

Dwight Eisenhower ran for president on a vow to clean up political corruption. On September 18, 1952, with the election just weeks away, the New York Post revealed that his vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon had received secret funding from California businessmen. Herb Block depicted Nixon cast aside, like the lead character Willie Loman in Arthur Miller's 1949 play of the same title. Nixon has packed up his bags, his corruption-sweeping brooms, and a $16,000 secret fund contribution. Nixon saved his political career and the Republican hold on the election with his now-famous "Checkers" speech, in which he defended his honor in a televised broadcast.

"The founders would have loved it if they'd thought of it"

By altering the U.S. flag with a cross of stars, Herb Block highlighted the debate about the meaning of the founding fathers' belief on the separation of church and state. By placing the presidential portrait next to the cross of stars, Herb Block underscored the friendly relations between President Ronald Reagan and the religious right during his second term of office.

"You using a pinch of salt in your recipe, dearie?"

Herb Block depicted a scene with two witches brewing potions to criticize the Eisenhower administration's efforts to "ferret out and destroy communist influence in government." The witch labeled "Civilian Employee Security Procedures" asks the other if she's using a pinch of salt, as her companion stirs her kettle of "Accusations." To Block, the Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) security regulations for personnel revised on May 9, 1956, permitted extreme, unwarranted intrusions of privacy. These regulations included inquiries about employees' organizational memberships, questioning of informants, and the AEC's power to subpoena witnesses.

"We don't want no troublemakers from the United States "

In the early 1960s civil rights movement, Freedom Riders endured violent attacks as they rode through the South seeking integration of the bus, rail, and airport terminals. In this cartoon, Herb Block used three armed thugs to criticize the mob that attacked the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 21, 1961. The title, an adaptation of a quote from the city's Police Commissioner, implied that the South's sense of justice differed from that of the rest of the U.S. When local leaders failed to prevent mob brutality, Freedom Ride organizers pushed for national intervention.

An American Tragedy

Herb Block viewed the 1964 presidential campaign of Republican candidate Barry Goldwater as ruthless and extremist. Goldwater's support of ultra-conservatives contrasted with the long tradition of Republican moderates, which Block depicted as drowning. In his nomination acceptance speech on July 16, 1964, Goldwater said, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." The nation's overwhelming support for the Democratic candidate, Lyndon Johnson, tempered Goldwater's victory in the Republican Party.

Contract on America

Based on President Ronald Reagan's 1985 State of the Union Address, the Republican Party's "Contract with America" promised specific legislative actions if their party won a majority in the House. The tactic worked as voters went to the polls in record numbers in an off-year election, restoring both a Republican majority and Reagan-era economic policies. Herb Block demonstrated his distaste for the "Contract" by portraying it as a death warrant to President Bill Clinton's administrative policies.

"Are the campaign speeches over?"

Herb Block lambasted President Ronald Reagan's fiscal policies by depicting symbols that contrasted sharply in form and meaning. His obese "Deficit" figure and the Washington Monument visually juxtaposed debt with a homage to one of the nation's most admired presidents. During both terms of office (1981-1989), Reagan tried to foster economic growth through policies based on supply-side economics. According to the administration's Office of Management and Budget, by the 1986 elections, the federal deficit had ballooned to nearly one trillion dollars.

"One of these days"

Revolution is afoot in Herb Block's drawing of frowning figures rolling a guillotine toward the Bastille-like walls of "Royal Congress Palaces." In a banner unfurled from the U.S. Capitol reading "Government By the Congressmen For the Congressmen," Block adapted hallowed phrases from Lincoln's Gettysburg address, "government by the people, for the people." In 1978, there were reports of Democratic congressmen taking bribes, receiving large fees for speaking, and accepting lavish gifts. Passage of Proposition 13 in June in California enacted large state tax cuts, possibly inspiring Block's dream of a Proposition 14 that would unseat corrupt incumbents.

"Out, damned 'spots'"

Herb Block adapted a quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth and depicted an outraged television viewer reacting angrily to the thirty-second television campaign advertisements called "spots." While spot advertisements on television had played a role in political elections since 1952, the amount of money candidates spent on them soared with the 1970 election. Mean-spirited spots, which candidates used to attack their opponents rather than address issues, also increased in number.

"You wanted something modern, didn't you?"

Herb Block poked fun at the 1966 election reform law by likening it to a modernist sculpture, which he fashioned from an assemblage of disparate, outdated auto parts. President Lyndon Johnson had called on Congress in May to pass legislation to update outmoded regulations for election campaign financing and advocated tax deductions for campaign contributions. The Campaign Contribution Law, passed by Congress in October of 1966, provided for direct subsidy of presidential elections, but the measure was attacked as an unworkable hodgepodge of old and new that would never prevent bribery of elected officials through campaign contributions.

"You mean some can and don't do it?"

In his reminder to vote on November 7, 1950, Herb Block conveyed his own global perspective on the priceless value of voting rights. Two ragged drudges, who are portrayed as physically oppressed by the yoke of totalitarianism, express incredulity that U.S. citizens with the precious right to vote sometimes choose not to exercise it. In the fall of 1950, an off year for elections, the news media gave notable attention to stories about voter registration drives and the expectation of high voter turnouts in close races in New York City, Ohio, and Chicago.

"He's taking an awful beating, folks"

Herb Block believed that voters were the real losers in the 1946 off-year election in which Republicans accused Democrats of being Communists and the Democrats equated their Republican counterparts with Hitler. Voter discontent with rising food prices and shortages of such staples as meat and sugar, as well as the growing fear of the spread of communism from Europe, led to a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate. The newly elected congressmen included Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and Joseph McCarthy, each of whom had a profound impact on American politics in the postwar era.

"So Much For the Preliminaries. Your First Real Match Will Be--"

The 1974 election brought large, expected Democratic gains in both houses of Congress. Herb Block acknowledged this fact by portraying the donkey's triumph in a boxing match. He also depicted a referee warning the puny victor verbally and visually about its future giant opponent, the "Congressional Seniority System." Years of observing legislators had convinced Block that the power of seniority in key committee positions, many held by Democrats, often impeded the work of elected people's representatives. A bi-partisan effort to reform House committee system problems including seniority was defeated by Democrats in a secret vote earlier in 1974.

"Explain slowly--what does he need all those weapons for, and why does
  he need nuclear reactors?"

In this cartoon, Block drew Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivering a box of nuclear material to Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1975, the United States signed a cooperative agreement with then-ally Iran, permitting the U.S. to sell nuclear energy equipment to the middle eastern country. Herb Block agreed with critics of President Gerald Ford's foreign policy and questioned why Iran needed nuclear technology when it was so rich in oil.

"This'll show everyone how tough we are"

Herb Block portrayed "Syria" and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser expressing a dangerous bravado and apparent willingness to ignite a powder keg of built-up arms. In the late spring of 1967, both countries had increased troops and military supplies near their borders with Israel as a response to Israel's warning that it would attack if guerrilla raids from Syria did not cease. Earlier, Egypt had banned United Nations' forces from the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip, then barred Israeli ships from the Gulf of Aqaba. Block pictured the heightened tension resulting from these developments in the Middle East, which escalated into the Six-Day War, from June 5 to June 10, 1967.

"'I think it's better if the Iranians go to bed every night wondering what we might do' --Reagan"

In this cartoon created during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1990), Herb Block suggested that President Ronald Reagan's remark in response to an Iraqi attack that killed Americans would cause sleepless, anxious nights not only in the Middle East but also the United States. Following the Iraqi aircraft attack that killed thirty-seven men aboard the U.S. Navy frigate Stark on May 17, the Reagan administration gave no hint of what the United States might do if its ships in the Persian Gulf were attacked by Iran's new land-based missiles.

"It came from out of nowhere"

Here, Herb Block depicted the complete surprise of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Uncle Sam at the Suez War of 1956. In July 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which had been controlled by the British. On October 29, Israel successfully invaded both the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. England and France did not inform the United States when they secretly backed Israel against Egypt in the war and used their military power to attempt to force Egypt to surrender the canal, but Nasser retaliated by sinking forty ships in its waters.

"This will make him a fine, useful animal"

Threats to civil liberties take many forms in Herb Block's cartoons, as exemplified by his sleek, lunging "Wiretapping beast," later described by Block as "the illegal and unlicensed pet of supposed law enforcement officers." With his depiction of the uncaged panther, Block warned against the Kennedy administration's expression of support in July of 1961 for legislative proposals to permit federal wiretapping related to threats to national security, kidnapping, and serious federal crimes.

The Recording Angels

Herb Block depicted government wiretapping of private telephone conversations as bats in the night snooping for private gain rather than as guardian angels. In 1955, Block wrote: "The Attorney General of the United States, in his boundless zeal to protect the government from anything which protects the rights of individuals, has modestly requested that he be empowered to authorize taps on telephones at his own discretion." At this time, the Eisenhower administration argued that the fear of communism pervading the country justified investigating American citizens.

Personal Profile

Herb Block graphically conveyed his concern for individual privacy by depicting a fragile silhouette being blasted into oblivion by the collecting of personal data, which is exploited by the economic and political forces of credit and government agencies. In late 1976 and early 1977, the individual's right to privacy as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment (i.e., protection from unreasonable search and seizure) was hotly debated as Congress and the judicial system pondered decisions on access to such vital personal papers as medical and banking records. A rough sketch for this cartoon identifies the types of personal data and the collecting agencies at issue.

To preserve secrecy we overclassify lots more material . . . resulting in
more spying . . .

In this cartoon, Herb Block portrayed the federal government's approach to classified documents as an endless cycle. He reinforced his point with the oval shaped text, an idea which may have begun with the accompanying rough sketch. In 1985, the FBI exposed a spy ring operated by Naval officer John A. Walker, Jr. It became clear that many key documents relating to national security had been exposed and that millions of people had access to them. On June 6, 1985, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation released a report calling for a reduction in classification and further restriction in the number of personnel who could access the records.

The streams are running again in Scandinavia, the little streams of Norway

At times, Herb Block attracted readers' attention to important topics by altering his style. Here, he used ink wash to heighten the emotional impact of his depiction of the fall of Norway to the Germans. On April 9, 1940, during World War II, Nazi Germany began its occupation of Norway, a neutral country in a location that served the dual purpose of supplying much-needed iron ore and providing a means to attack the British navy. The Norwegians found other means to defy the Germans even though they were unable to put up military resistance. For example, many Norwegians wore a paper clip on their lapels and refused to support the Nazi government of Vidkun Quisling.

". . . Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow . . ."

In May 1963 it looked as though negotiations for the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty between the U.S. and the Soviet Union had failed. For the title of this cartoon, Herb Block quoted from Shakespeare's Macbeth to indicate the folly of President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's failure to agree to limit nuclear testing. Block's famous character, Mr. Atom, snuffed out the light of Test Ban negotiations to represent the darkening mood of the United States during the Cold War. Protest against nuclear weapons persisted, compelling the Cold War leaders to come back to the table and sign the treaty, which they did in July 1963.

American Doubt about the Vietnam War

Among his many cartoons about the Vietnam War (1965-1973), Herb Block drew this symbolic warning about the United States being in over its head during the Tet Offensive. North Vietnamese forces made their bold assault in late January of 1968 with the aim of toppling the Saigon government and obliterating U.S. hopes in the region. The Tet Offensive did not prove decisive militarily, but it added to American doubt about the war. Shown here is a larger-than-life Uncle Sam, hoisting his rifle aloft and slipping into the morass of southeast Asia. The face of Block's Uncle Sam embodied the American anxiety and ambivalence about the Johnson administration's war policies.

Bosnia

On January 12, 1993, United Nations' officials reported increased shelling of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, despite earlier calls for a cease-fire. The same day The New York Times published conclusions from a report commissioned by the U.S. Agency for International Development, stating that the U.N.'s Bosnian relief effort was largely a failure and charging that U.N. policies "were clearly failing to prevent genocide." Herb Block's shocking image of a Bosnian woman and child lying dead in their own blood underscored the brutality of the Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001). He blamed both Milosevic Serbians and world leaders by showing the woman impaled on a knife as well as an umbrella.