Executive Order 10730: Little Rock Desegregation

Audience

Eisenhower wrote for both a limited and a large audience. His executive order was an official document that gave authorization to the secretary of defense and other government officials to dispatch federal troops and National Guard units to Little Rock to enforce the law. It was also a public document that informed millions of Americans—and people around the world—that the president was taking strong action to ensure compliance with the law. Eisenhower worried that the Soviets were exploiting the turmoil in Little Rock to gain a propaganda advantage in the cold war by arguing that the realities of American life fell far short of the ideals of freedom and equality. Extensive television and newspaper coverage of the vicious mobs in Little Rock made people around the world keenly aware of American racism. Eisenhower hoped that his executive order would help restore America's tarnished image. The Voice of America broadcast news about the executive order and the deployment of troops to dozens of nations.