This signed editorial cartoon was sent to the FDA in the midst of its “cranberry crisis” in 1959. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Arthur Flemming had announced in a press conference a few weeks before Thanksgiving that residues of a carcinogenic pesticide had been found in that year’s cranberry crop. In a hastily devised plan, industry and FDA chemists collaborated to test and clear every berry sold.

The chaos inspired cartoonists around the country. For years after this debacle, Congress invited the FDA Commissioner to Capitol Hill before the holiday season to personally attest to the safety of the country’s cranberry crop. Cartoon by L.D. Warren, Cincinnati Enquirer. Published: Nov. 24, 1959.