GEMINI AND APOLLO 



175 



President Kennedy's statement hurt N \ s \.'s support among some 

 of the strongest friends of the space program. In the midst of consider- 

 ing NASA's appropriation. Chairman Albert Thomas (Democrat of 

 Texas) of the Independent Offices Appropriations Subcommittee 

 which was responsible for the NASA budget) protested to the 

 President on September 21, and Teague followed up on September 23 

 with a stinging letter to the President. Quoting the President's May 25. 

 1961, establishment of the lunar landing goal, Teague asked: 



In view of vour statement to the United Nations supporting the possibility 

 of a joint venture with the Russians to reach the Moon, I am very anxious to know 

 whether or not this national goal is being abandoned or changed. 



I was disappointed in the suggestion. I have been a very strong supporter of the 

 space program, believing we can be the first nation to put a man on the Moon and 

 knowing that we must achieve this goal if we are to help establish the fact that 

 space will be used for peaceful purposes. Also, I believe that our national security and 

 the security of the rest of the free world is very dependent upon the success of our 

 space program. 



Representative Bob Casey (Democrat of Texas), Representative 

 Thomas Pelly (Republican of Washington), Representative Richard 

 Roudebush (Republican of Indiana), and numerous other members 

 of the Science Committee joined in the clamor of opposition to the 

 President's suggestion. When the President answered Representative 

 Thomas' letter with the thought that cooperation would not slow 

 down the space program, a copy was sent to Teague, who again 

 reacted sharply: 



That letter says nothing as far as I'm concerned. * * * I'd just as soon attempt 

 to cooperate with any rattlesnake in Texas. 



Teague then fired off a letter to Larry O'Brien, at the White House, 

 who had forwarded to Teague a copy of the President's reply to 

 Thomas: 



Larrv, I am the chairman of an 11-man-subcommittee which has the responsibil- 

 ity of the authorization for the manned space flight program. In my opinion, ten of 

 the eleven members of that subcommittee support our manned space program almos r 

 completely on the basis of national defense and national security. It is my opinion 

 that this year except for the national security aspect, the subcommittee would have 

 cut this budget in half. 



I do not believe the President's letter to Albert Thomas is responsive to the last 

 paragraph of my letter. For that reason, I would appreciate a letter which I may 

 distribute to my subcommittee and which may be placed in the subcommittee authori- 

 zation hearings which will begin again in January. 



President Kennedy knew enough not to start or continue a personal 

 feud with the powerful chairman of the Manned Space Flight Sub- 

 committee. To Teague's September 27, 1963, letter to O'Brien, Mc- 

 George Bundy, the President's adviser on foreign policy, responded on 

 October 4: 



