A message-centered dramatistic theory of communication was used in conjunction with Q-sort technique and factor analysis to build and test a message-centered foreign-policy inventory that contained three dramatic interpretations of U.S. involvement in foreign affairs: cold war, power politics, and neo-isolationism. Analysis of results from two groups of 30 subjects indicated that the power-politics drama was the most accepted rhetorical vision in Peoria, Illinois. Cold war was a close second, but it appeared to polarize Peorians. Neo-isolationism was a distant third. The results were interpreted as providing empirical verification not only for the typology of foreign-policy dramas but also for Bormann's dramatistic theory of communication. The design used in the study indicates that rhetorical messages may be tested for their persuasiveness, producing a direct relationship between message production and audience analysis without risking the credibility of a speaker. (Author/AA)