It was the greatest achievement of humanity and the legacy left by President John F. Kennedy. But exactly 50 years after Kennedy announced his ambitious plan to get a man to the moon, new records have emerged showing that the US president thought the program had "lost its charm" and was upset about how to introduce the space program to the average American.

How to maintain funding for the Apollo project

The records show in detail how Kenedy and NASA official James Webb fervently discussed how to strengthen public support for the mission to the moon, for example by emphasizing its technological contribution and military use. And in a scenario similar to today's, the two men on the record taken two months before the Kennedy assassination feared that funding would be maintained during what Webb called "an obvious desire to cut the budget." political struggle, Ken Kennedy said at the end of the 46-minute record. "We have to keep the thing, damn it."

John F. Kennedy

The September 18, 1963 interview is one of 260 hours of recordings that the archivists of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum have gradually revised chronologically. They were published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's speech of May 25, 1961, in which he made his famous declaration of reaching the Moon by the end of the decade. Although recalled for its ambition, the speech also included a warning that "no space project during this period will be as difficult or expensive to complete."

The program was losing credibility

In a record taken two years later, Kennedy and Webb face this fact. With the 1964 election approaching, Kennedy is angry that a massive program that is yielding no apparent results will lose credibility. "I don't think the space program has much political benefits," Kennedy told Webb. The president seems to be lamenting that Russian rivals have not made any significant progress in their part of the space races that could bring the desired attention to the American program. "I mean, if the Russians do a good job, it'll arouse interest again, but at this time, the universe has lost its charm," Kennedy said.

Webb acknowledges that lawmakers have focused on the program because of the tens of billions of dollars spent over the decade. But he reiterates his contribution, including the pressure for technological progress, which he says will greatly expand the country's economic power.

Landing on the moon - a stunt

"I think it will lead to technologies that will contribute to this country not only in space research," said Webb. At one point, Kennedy asks Webb to answer this question: "Do you think landing a human crew on the moon is a good idea?" The president also asks to ensure that man's mission to the moon is not just a 'stunt' that the finale will bring the same scientific knowledge as sending billions of cheaper scientific instruments to the lunar surface, and Webb will provide it to him.

Kennedy and Webb then agree that it is crucial to emphasize the importance of the space program for the military and national security, or to risk being considered a waste. "Unless we say it has some military justification and not just prestige, the pressure will continue," Kennedy said. "I think that's the only way we'll be able to defend it in public for another 12 months," Kennedy said. "I want military cover for that."

Kennedy longed to be an explorer

Maura Porter, an archivist at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, said the records offered a glimpse of Kennedy's pragmatism against a vision of America's future in space. Kennedy's main motivations for enforcing the space program were far less practical than what the public or Congress would like, she said. "He loved the idea of ​​being an adventurer and explorer," Porter said. She also said that some historians assumed that Kennedy would give up the space program if he won a second term. But the record clearly shows that he hoped to be in office by the time America reached the moon.

On the record, Kennedy asks Webb if there is any chance of landing on the moon during his second term. Webb told him no and the president sounded disappointed. "It's just going to take longer," Webb said. "This is hard work, real hard work."

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