In a meeting in November 1962, the president bluntly told James Webb,
the NASA administrator, that putting a man on the moon was his top
priority. Mr. Webb said it was more important to understand the
environment of space, prompting Mr. Kennedy to say, “If we get second to
the Moon, it’s nice, but it’s like being second anytime.”
Mr. Webb continued to push back, prompting the president to spell it
out: “I’m not that interested in space,” he said, only in beating the
Russians.
As I have noted here earlier, the arms race was the controlling issue in the 1960s. This only confirms it further. Maybe we need to start considering how we can beat the Chinese or at least ensure they do not eventually beat us at our own game.
