The appeal to efficiency as narrative closure: Lyndon Johnson and the Dominican crisis, 1965

1 March 1985

journal article
research article
Published by Taylor & Francis in Southern Speech Communication Journal

Vol. 50 (2) , 103-120
https://doi.org/10.1080/10417948509372626

Abstract

This essay examines the possibility that public approval for a foreign policy action can be based, in part, upon the perception that the action has been effective. Lyndon Johnson's rhetorical justification for the Dominican intervention of 1965 is used here as a case study. Specifically, this essay argues that Johnson was able to secure public support for the intervention by means of a detailed rhetorical narrative. This narrative was able to stress the efficacy of the President's actions by providing the public with a sense of closure, an element noticeably absent from Cold War rhetoric in general.

Keywords

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