78 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



I am seriously disturbed by the persistency and strength of implications reaching 

 me to the effect that a radical change in our national space policy is contemplated 

 within some areas of the executive branch. In essence, it is implied that United States 

 policy should be revised to accentuate the military uses of space at the expense of 

 civilian and peaceful uses. 



Of course, I am aware that no official statement to this effect has been forth- 

 coming; but the voluminous rash of such reports appearing in the press, and particu- 

 larly in the military and trade journals, is, it seems to me, indicative that more than 

 mere rumor is involved. 



Moreover, I cannot fail to take cognizance of the fact that emphasis on the 

 military uses of space is being promoted in a quasi-public fashion within the defense 

 establishment. Moi can I ignore the suggestion, implicit in the unabridged version 

 of the Wiesner report, that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration role 

 in space is purely one of scientific research and that the military role in the develop- 

 ment of space systems will be predominant. Such an assertion not only seems to dis- 

 regard the spirit of the law but minimizes the values of peaceful space exploration 

 and exploitation. 



Brooks stressed in his letter how important it was to support the 

 civilian space program as a means of "preserving the peaceful image 

 of the United States." He wrote the President that he did not want to 

 see "the military tail undertake to wag the space dog" and that "if 

 N \SA's role is in any way diminished in favor of a space research 

 program conducted by a single military service, it seems unlikely to 

 me that we shall ever overtake our Soviet competition which, by the 

 way, has been peculiarly effective because of its public emphasis on 

 scientific and peaceful uses of space." 



The letter from the chairman of the House Committee on Science 

 and Astronautics to President Kennedy had a very healthy effect in 

 strengthening the determination of the President to protect NASA's 

 turf. The President responded to Chairman Brooks on March 23, 1961 : 



It is not now, nor has it ever been my intention to subordinate the activities in 

 space of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to those of the Depart- 

 ment of Defense. * * * Furthermore, I have been assured by Dr. Wiesner that it 

 was not the intention of his space task force to recommend rhe restriction of \AS\ 

 to the area of scientific research in space. 



Even though the letter left unanswered issues like the possible 

 future interest of the Air Force in developing large space boosters, or 

 manned flights moonward, the interchange cleared the air and helped 

 strengthen NASA's position against the forces eager to get a bigger 

 cut of the space budget pie. 



MANNED FLIGHT AND THE KENNEDY BUDGET 



As the House committee started its 1961 hearings, one by one 

 every NASA official informed the committee that they favored speed- 

 ing up the timetable for a manned flight to the Moon. Webb informed 



