Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1980 Speechwriting in Rhetorical Criticism: an Extension of Theory as Applied to the Johnson Administration. Suzanne Elizabeth Condray Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Condray, Suzanne Elizabeth, "Speechwriting in Rhetorical Criticism: an Extension of Theory as Applied to the Johnson Administration." (1980). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3520. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3520 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or “ target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Page(s)” . If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo­ graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in “sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For any illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and tipped into your xerographic copy. Requests can be made to our Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases we have filmed the best available copy. University Microfilms International 300 N. ZEEB ROAD. ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON WC1R 4EJ, ENGLAND Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8103632 CONDRAY, SUZANNE ELIZABETH SPEECHWRITING IN RHETORICAL CRITICISM: AN EXTENSION 01 THEORY AS APPLIED TO THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION The Louisiana State University and PH.D. 1980 Agricultural and Mechanical Col. University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, M I 48106 Copyright wso by CONDRAY, SUZANNE ELIZABETH All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SPEECHWRITING IN RHETORICAL CRITICISM AN EXTENSION OF THEORY AS APPLIED TO THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechnical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Speech by Suzanne Elizabeth Condray B.A., East Texas Baptist College, 1975 M.A., Colorado State University, 1977 August 1980 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My deepest appreciation to Dr. Owen Peterson for his guidance, editorial comments, and patience in this endeavor. My gracious thanks to Dr. John H. Patton, for sharing’his knowledge and encouragement along the way, and to other members of my committee, Drs. Steven L. Renshaw, John H. Pennybacker, and Robert Coon, for their time and assistance. For the many archivists of the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas, and to each of the individuals who shared their time and experiences with me in interviews, I express my gratitude. Without the continued support of the members of my family these past several years this project, or any other academic endeavor on my part, would have been impossible. To each of them I am forever grateful. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................... ii ABSTRACT............................................... v CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION................................ 1 Statement of the Problem.................... 2 Statement of the Purpose.................... 3 Related Research............................ k Methodology................................. 6 Table of Contents........................... 8 Significance of the Study 9 II. "GHOSTS IN THE WHITE HOUSE?" THE INFLUENCE OF SPEECHWRITING IN PRESIDENTIAL RHETORIC.................... 10 Franklin D. Roosevelt....................... 12 Harry S. Truman............................. 15 Dwight D. Eisenhower........................ 18 John F. Kennedy............................. 20 Lyndon B. Johnson........................... 22 Richard M. Nixon............................ 2k Gerald Ford.................................. 26 James E. Carter............................. 29 Conclusions.................................. 32 III. THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF PRESENT METHODOLOGIES.................... 35 The Speechwriter1 s Presence....... 36 An Extended Form of Ideas and Language ^0 A Delegative, Interactional Situation...... k5 Limitations of Existing Methodologies...... 50 The Preparation Process as a Research Interest..................................... 5k IV. EXTENDING THEORETICAL POSTULATES TO CONSIDER SPEECHWRITING................... 59 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V. AN APPLICATION OF THEORY: LYNDON JOHNSON'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, JANUARY 7, 1964........................... The Speaker and His Writers....... ....... The Rhetorical Situation.................. The Ideas of the Message.................. The Language of the Discourse........ An Evaluation............................. VI. AN APPLICATION OF THEORY: LYNDON JOHNSON’S MARCH 31, 1968 SPEECH........ ............ The Speaker and His Writers...... ........ The Rhetorical Situation. ............... The Ideas of the Message.................. The Language of the Discourse............. An Evaluation............................. VII. CONCLUSION................................ Speechwriting and Rhetorical Criticism. Extending Rhetorical Methodologies....... BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................... VITA.............................................. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Speechwriting practices have long heen associated with rhetorical history. American presidents..have employed,' the speechwriter’s assistance since the beginning of this nation. From the dawn of radio, presidential speechwriting practices have grown to the extent that most presidents rely heavily on the writer to prepare the bulk of their messages. While many political speakers have grown to depend on the speechwriter to assist him in preparing the ideas or language of his message, rhetorical critics have largely ignored the writer's influence on the message and his impact on the preparation process. The purpose of this study is fourfold. First of all, this critic examines the speechwriter's role in the preparation process and his contributions to presidential discourse since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Secondly, she attempts to point out the strengths and weaknesses of present rhetorical theory and criticism in considering speechwriting practices Thirdly, the critic proposes her own theoretical postulates for extending critical methodologies, and finally, she i applies her postulates to two speeches in Lyndon B. Johnson administration. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The writer discusses how speechwriters have played various roles in preparing presidential discourse. Some participants are responsible for preparing only the language of the address, while others assist in policy decision­ making which results in the speechwriter playing a signi­ ficant role in preparing the ideas of the speech. The organization of writers vary, with some presidents relying primarily on individual efforts and others preferring committee writing efforts. Regardless of their roles and organization, the speechwriter's presence proposes an interactional setting, in which the speaker and his writer or writers participate. The critic must examine the speechwriting effort as an interactional process and therefore consider the ffect of the interaction between writers and the speaker on the drafting process and final product. This writer suggests guidelines whereby the critic