In a contemporary magazine article, Arthur L. Mayer, who was also Assistant Coordinator of the War Activities Committee - Motion Picture Industry, discusses the role of “Private Snafu” in documentaries.  The “Private Snafu” films were usually exhibited along with magazines as part of the military service’s entertainment package known as “G.I. movies.”

Mayer’s discussion reveals that the “Private Snafu” series acted as effective propaganda with an agenda to advocate and instruct its targeted audience, the soldiers, and was also embedded as entertainment.  The incorporation and exhibition of the “Private Snafu” series vis-à-vis other forms of media, such as mainstream film and magazines, and exclusively for soldiers demonstrates that branding propaganda as entertainment enhanced its effectiveness.

During the early 40s, American animators created propaganda in the form of animation to desensitize soldiers and civilians alike to the harsh conditions. Animations, such as the Private Snafu series and The New Spirit (1943), were created to unify against the enemy. As opposed to the pretentious "realism" of Hollywood films, animations were more insidious in presenting propaganda through seemingly innocent cartoons.