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TheOperational Code of John F. Kennedy During the Cuban Missile Crisis: A Comparison of Public and Private Rhetoric
Author(s) -
Marfleet B. Gregory
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/0162-895x.00203
Subject(s) - rhetoric , missile , context (archaeology) , code (set theory) , political science , period (music) , political economy , law , sociology , history , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , aesthetics , archaeology , set (abstract data type) , programming language
This study examines the manner in which the Cuban missile crisis affected the belief system of President John F. Kennedy. The analysis uses data derived from primary source materials that have become available only in the last 2 years, in addition to well‐known public statements by the president. The Verbs in Context System (VICS) was used to generate insights into how Kennedy's operational code differed across sources and changed during the period of the crisis. The results provide evidence of Kennedy's initial private belligerence and provisional support for the ‘Gettysburg thesis’ while calling into question some other potential interpretations of the effects of the crisis on the president's beliefs.