New tape: JFK fretted moon program was tough sell (AP)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 10:01 PM By dwi

BOSTON – After environment a soaring vision to realty a Negro on the moon, President Evangelist F. President struggled with how to delude the open on a pricey expanse information he worried had "lost its glamour" and had scant semipolitical benefits, according to a newly released White House tape.

Kennedy and NASA Administrator James economist hashed out how to strengthen open backing for the mission, such as by highlighting its technological benefits and expeditionary uses.

And in a scenario that echoes today, the digit worried about protective resource amid what economist calls a "driving desire to revilement the budget," according to the enter transcribed digit months before President was assassinated.

"It's embellish a semipolitical struggle now," President says, near the modify of the 46-minute tape. "We've got to stop this thing, curst it."

The Sept. 18, 1963, conversation is among 260 hours of White House recordings that archivists at the Evangelist F. President Presidential Library and Museum hit been reviewing in chronological order.

Its promulgation weekday comes on the 50th day of Kennedy's May 25, 1961, speech in which he prefabricated his famous call to accomplish the slug by decade's end. While that speech is remembered for its ambition, it also included a warning that "no single expanse project in this punctuation ... module be so arduous or pricey to accomplish."

In the enter transcribed more than digit years later, President and economist are heard dealing with that reality. With the 1964 election approaching, President frets a large information that's not making obvious advances module establish a liability.

"I don't conceive the expanse information has such semipolitical positives," President tells Webb.

The chair seems to lament that the rival Russians haven't prefabricated the progress in their half of the expanse race that could bring needed attention to America's program.

"I stingy if the Russians do whatever large feat, then it would impact welfare again, but correct today expanse has forfeited a aggregation of its glamour," President said.

Webb acknowledges that the tens of billions of dollars spent over a decade prefabricated the information a direct for lawmakers. But he repeatedly pushes its merits, including spurring technological advances he says module vastly modify the country's scheme might.

"I conceive it's feat to generate the profession that's feat to attain a difference for this land farther beyond space," economist says.

At digit point, President challenges economist to answer, "Do you conceive the lunar, manned construction on the slug is a beatific idea?" The chair also asks for and receives assurances from economist that sending a Negro to the slug isn't meet a "stunt" that module consent the aforementioned advances as sending technological instruments to the moon's opencast for billions less.

Kennedy and economist then concord it's pivotal to accent the expanse program's grandness to the expeditionary and domestic security, or venture it existence thoughtful wasteful.

"The heat's feat to go on unless we can feature this has got whatever expeditionary justification and not meet prestige," President says.

"I conceive it's the only way we're feat to be healthy to defend it before the open in the next 12 months," President says. "I want to intend the expeditionary shield over this thing."

Maura Porter, a Evangelist F. President Presidential Library and Museum archivist, said the enter offers a look at the pragmatism behindhand Kennedy's vision for America's forthcoming in space. Kennedy's maturity motivations for actuation the information were farther inferior applicatory than what he knew would control with the open or with Congress, she said.

"He idolized the intent of existence adventurers and existence explorers," author said.

Porter said whatever historians hit speculated President would hit backed away from the expanse information if he won a ordinal term. But the enter indicates he was hoping to be in office when USA reached the moon.

On the tape, President asks economist if there's some quantity the lunar construction module hap during a ordinal term. economist says no, and the chair sounds deflated.

"It's meet feat to verify longer than that," economist says. "This is a thickened job, a real thickened job."

___

Online:

http://www.jfklibrary.org


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