Atoms for Peace, the famous speech given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, was able to thoroughly inform the citizens of America about the country’s nuclear developments. The speech was given during a time when the world had been suffering through devastating wars and disputed technological advances. The United States had been testing with nuclear weapons, and had recently utilized them against Japan during World War II. However, the US kept much of their progress on such weaponry a secret from the country. That is, until Eisenhower’s speech revealed just what the government had been up to.
The main idea of Eisenhower’s message was to educate the audience, which in this case is the American citizen. On top of that, Eisenhower hoped to ease the fear the Americans had about nuclear weapons. Eisenhower eased the fear of the Americans by stating, “The United States knows that peaceful power from atomic energy is no dream of the future. The capability, already proved, is here today.” He explained that nuclear weapons would be used to promote peace rather than be used to simply kill. As the rhetor, Eisenhower clearly explained the message of promoting the use of nuclear weaponry for peaceful acts and as a defensive tactic against the other countries building up their nuclear weapons including the Soviet Union. While the audience of Eisenhower’s speech is the citizens, the rhetorical audience is the United Nations General Assembly. This is evident because Eisenhower’s speech took place in the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, and the council members are also able to respond to the situation and are able to affect the decision and change it. While he addressed the General Assembly, Eisenhower also understood that the American citizens would hear the speech, as a result he spoke to both throughout the speech.
The audience of Eisenhower’s speech is the American citizens. This is clearly expressed because