Il lessico del potere. The Unknown Known di Errol Morris

Interviewed by documentarian Errol Morris, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defence under George W. Bush (2001-2006), could flaunt one of his most powerful and efficient weapons: oratory. Since the beginning of his political career, in the early 60s, Rumsfeld produced an extensive number of memos, also known as snowflakes. These are confidential notes addressed to the US presidents and their personnel which have been lately unclassified and are currently accessible on Rumsfeld’s online archive. Through the mix and juxtaposition of known and unknown facts, The Unknown Known (2013) condenses thirty-three hours of interviews with Rumsfeld alternated with archive material, audio-visual footage and excerpts of memos read by the very voice of the protagonist. Regarded as a wise, astute man and skilled orator, Rumsfeld tries to seduce his audience by means of captivating words chosen from his vast lexical repertoire. This essay analyses Rumsfeld’s voice as a narrative device and the pragmatic role of language as a tool of political power, by observing the linguistic features, the concepts and metaphors underlying the discourses of one of the main architects of the military invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.