Sanctioning foreign policy: The rhetorical use of Harry Truman in presidential discourse

This article examines how contemporary presidents invoke the memory of President Harry Truman within their foreign policy discourse. Specifically, it is argued that Truman has become an authorizing figure—a person of historical importance that rhetors invoke and interpret in justifying their own policies and principles. Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Bush cited and interpreted Truman\u27s words and deeds in various ways to serve different foreign policy ends. Exploring how contemporary presidents use and appropriate Truman\u27s memory presents an opportunity to mine the contour of the thirty-third president\u27s foreign policy legacy and to obtain a better understanding of collective memory in presidential rhetoric