The value
is often in the provenance. The document is likely to have been
produced by an important individual and might be an expression of an
official policy position. This can provide a useful insight into how
a government attempted to present or justify a policy at a
particular time.
In examination, this type of document, (just like
cartoons) allow
the examiners to test your contextual understanding. To make sense
of the source you need to know who the person was and what events
were happening at the time it was produced.
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Weakness is also in the provenance. Public
announcements are by definition designed to invoke a public
response. It may not be what the author really thinks, but what he
or she thinks the public should hear. It maybe part of a propaganda
or election campaign and designed to produce an emotional response.
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Communications between nations are carefully worded
‘diplomatic’ exchanges which may be very different from the private
‘back-channel’ discussions. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the
hawkish public stance of the USA was very different from the secret
discussions being conducted by the President’s brother Robert
Kennedy. |
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