the satellite, immense significance in surveillance of other countries, and leading to space platforms which could be used for rockets?

THE PRESIDENT. Not at this time, no. There is no-suddenly all America seems to become scientists, and I am hearing many, many ideas. [Laughter.] And I think that, given time, satellites will be able to transmit to the earth some kind of information with respect to what they see on the earth or what they find on the earth.

But I think that that period is a long ways off when you stop to consider that even now the Russians, under a dictatorial society where they had some of the finest scientists in the world who have for many years been working on this, apparently from what they say they have put one small ball in the air.

I wouldn't believe that at this moment you have to fear the intelligence aspects of this.

Q. Mr. President, considering what we know of Russia's progress in the missile field, are you satisfied with our own progress in that field, or do you feel there have been unnecessary delays in our development of missiles?

THE PRESIDENT. I can't say there has been unnecessary delay. I know that from the time that I came here and got into the thing earnestly, we have done everything I can think of. I will say this: generally speaking, more than one scientist has told me we were actually spending some money where it was doing no good.

Now the great reason for spending more money is because of the number of strings you put on your bow. In almost every field we have had several types and kinds working ahead to find which would be the more successful, so I can't say that I am dissatisfied.

I can say this: I wish we were further ahead and knew more as to accuracy and to the erosion and to the heat-resistant qualities of metals and all the other things we have to know about. I wish we knew more about it at this moment.

Q. ... Is there some way that could have been done, something that could have been done that wasn't done?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I'll tell you. Shortly after I came here I immediately assembled a group of scientists through the Defense Secretary to study the whole thing and to give us something on which we could proceed with confidence, or at least pursuing the greatest possibilities according to scientific conclusions.

That we have done, and I think we have done it very earnestly, with a great deal of expense, a great deal of time and effort, and I don't know what we could have done more.

Q. Sir, getting back to the missile and satellite question, you were commenting on the Russian claims of developing an ICBM, and you said if done this is a great achievement. Is there doubt in your mind, sir, or in the minds

THE PRESIDENT. I said-now, wait a minute-I said, "if done," when I said "if it's shot accurately to deliver its load at a predetermined spot, that was a very great achievement.”

Q. My question would be, sir, what is our estimation of the Russian claim judged by your "if done" additionally?

THE PRESIDENT. I am not going to give you an estimate of the Russian claim. I will just say this: we weren't invited to witness it; I think that they have fired objects a very considerable distance, but I don't know anything about their accuracy, and until you know something of their accuracy, you know nothing at all about their usefulness in warfare.

... Mr. Wilson said yesterday he doubted they had an ICBM. Is that your view?

Q.

IBM.

THE PRESIDENT. Well, he was probably talking in these terms. I did not see his statement, so I am not commenting on his statement, I am just saying this: he may have been talking in terms of the perfection you need from a military weapon before it is really a weapon. Q. .. The Russians apparently have a better launching device than we have. They have put their missile in the air, and they claim it is 25 percent stronger than the launching device for the ICBM. Now, my question is: Are we making any plans or going to spend any more money on our rocket program? In other words, has Mr. Holaday received new instructions?

7

THE PRESIDENT. Well, Mr. Holaday couldn't receive new instructions from me, for the simple reason that if he doesn't know more about it than I do, I am very foolish to have him there. Now, I have provided to the limit of my ability the money that they have asked for, and that is all I can do.

Q Sir, can you tell us, sir, whether you had any advance. information that a Russian satellite launching was imminent? THE PRESIDENT. Not imminent. For a number of months different scientists have told me, or different people-I don't know whether it was ever told to me officially-that they were working on it, they were doing something about it; but again, no one ever suggested to me as anything of a race except, of course, more than once we would say, well, there is going to be a great psychological advantage in world politics to putting the thing up. But that didn't seem to be a reason, in view of the real scientific character of our development, there didn't seem to be a reason for just trying to grow hysterical about it.

Q. Is it a correct interpretation of what you have said about your satisfaction with the missile program as separate from the satellite program that you have no plans to take any steps to combine the various government units which are involved in this program, and which give certainly the public appearance of a great deal of service rivalry, with some reason to feel that this is why we seem to be lagging behind the Soviets?

THE PRESIDENT. Well now, there seem to be certain facts that are obvious. First of all, I didn't say I was satisfied. I said I didn't know what we could have done better.

The cost of these duplicating, or seemingly duplicating, programs is quite enormous, and I would like to save it. But even now, where two in the IRBM class seem to have gone far enough that we should have some basis of comparison, at my direction there was set up a

Charles E. Wilson, Secretary of Defense, 1953-1957.

7 William M. Holaday, Special Assistant for Guided Missiles, Department of Defense.

committee of experts to decide which way we should go; and they have decided or did the last time, just certainly a few days ago that they didn't have quite yet the basis of fact on which they could determine which was the best direction to go.

Now, in almost every field that I know of, air-to-air, ground-to-air, air-to-ground, ground-to-ground, ballistic missiles, aerodynamic, there are some of these programs that are overlapping all the time.

As I think I told you before, the last estimate I had on armed military research and development, the money we spend yearly without putting a single weapon in our arsenal is $5,200,000. Now that isn't any weak, pusillanimous effort; that is a lot of money.

Q. Mr. President, Senator Butler of Maryland says he is reliably informed that the Navy, if it wanted to, could launch a satellite right away quick. Do you know is that true? Are they sticking to the schedule just for the purpose of

THE PRESIDENT. Well, he must have some information that I don't have.

Now, when the scientific community decided to put this thing with the Navy they looked over the thinking and the plans and the developments of the scientists connected with the several services before they decided on one, and at that time the Navy had one, I think it was called the Viking, and they assigned it because they thought that offered the greatest probability.

Now, I understand that other services have claimed they could have done this quicker, and so on. I don't know that any of the other services know all the problems that the Navy has encountered, but anyway it was again a scientific determination and wasn't anything service or political about it. It was the scientists that agreed upon it.

Q. Mr. President, the scientists seem most impressed with the fact that the Russian satellite weighs as much as it does, 184 pounds. Does your information indicate that we will launch one that heavy?

THE PRESIDENT. I will tell you this: I think this is not secret at all, Dr. Bronk visited me again yesterday, and he had had a talk with one of the very high officials in the governmental scientific work of Russia and he said merely that he didn't know that that figure was correct. So far as I know we are not thinking of putting one of that weight in the air. Q. Mr. President, in light of the great faith which the American people have in your military knowledge and leadership, are you saying at this time that with the Russian satellite whirling about the world, you are not more concerned nor overly concerned about our Nation's security?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I think I have time and again emphasized my concern about the Nation's security. I believe I just a few months back went on the television to make a special plea about this. As a matter of fact, I plead very strongly for $38 billion in new appropriations this year, and was cut quite severely in that new appropriations for next year.

Now, so far as the satellite itself is concerned, that does not raise my apprehensions, not one iota. I see nothing at this moment, at this stage of development, that is significant in that development as far as

security is concerned, except, as I pointed out, it does definitely prove the possession by the Russian scientists of a very powerful thrust in their rocketry, and that is important. I can only say that I have had every group that I know anything about, to ask them is there anything more we can do in the development of our rocket program any better than it is being done? And, except for certain minor items or, you might say, almost involving administration, there has been. little said.

Q. Mr. President, could you tell me what is our best knowledge of the weight of the Russian satellite; and if it does weigh anything close to 180 pounds, is this an indication that it is scientifically more valuable than ours will be when we get it up?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, certainly again I am quoting the scientists, there is no indication that this will be scientifically more valuable. If it is 180 pounds, I think it has astonished our scientists; I would say that.

you

Q. ... Can tell us more about the satellite you say we plan to launch in December? Will this be the initial sphere that would weigh only a few pounds, and would not contain any recording instruments?

THE PRESIDENT. That was the plan. The plan is, the first one that goes up, is just merely to let it orbit, checking your speeds, your directions, your equipment and everything else, and the next oneyou see, the equipment that goes into these things is a very expensive-it is the most delicate machinery, and in that equipment itself is involved some of the latest scientific discoveries that we have.

Now, the satellite-the mere fact that this thing orbits involves no new discovery to science. They knew it could be done at least they say so, and they have for a long time-so that is no new discovery, so in itself it imposes no additional threat to the United States. [Confers with Mr. Hagerty.]

Mr. Hagerty reminds me there may be several of these test vehicles put out before the instrumentation itself goes up.

Q. . . . Sir, do you believe that the United States should now attempt to negotiate an earth satellite agreement outside of the overall first step program which has been previously proposed?

THE PRESIDENT. Mr. Dulles issued a statement on that last evening which seems to have been misinterpreted. He said that, with reference to this reported suggestion by Mr. Khrushchev, that there should be a U.S.-Soviet study of the control of objects entering outer space.

The Department of State first recalls that the London proposals of last August made by Canada, France, United Kingdom, and the United States called for just such a study.10 It is hoped that this offer will be accepted by the Soviet Union.

The State Department emphasizes that these London proposals call for a multilateral international study and not a bilateral study between the United States and U.S.S.R., and the United States would not be disposed to consider any alteration of this aspect of the proposals, although if its associates agree to such a study it might be initiated without waiting the conclusion of other substantive features of the proposal.

8 James C. Hagerty, White House Press Secretary. Ante, p. 40.

10 Ante, p. 40.

I just suggest you don't forget it said that if our associates agree, then we think that such a study, not a plan, but such a study could be initiated.

Statement by President Eisenhower, October 9, 1957 1

1. The first serious discussion of an earth satellite as a scientific experiment to be incorporated in the program for the International Geophysical Year took place at a meeting of the International Council of Scientific Unions in Rome in October 1954. At this meeting, at which Soviet scientists were present, a resolution was adopted by the scientists of the world recommending that "in view of the advanced state of present rocket techniques thought be given to the launching of small satellite vehicles.

.

2. Following this International Council meeting, the United States National Committee for the International Geophysical Year, working under the sponsorship of the National Academy of Sciences, recommended that the United States institute a scientific satellite program. It was determined by the administration that this program would be carried out as part of the United States contribution to the International Geophysical Year.

Responsibility within the Government for scientific aspects of the program was assigned to the National Science Foundation, working in close cooperation with the United States National Committee for the International Geophysical Year. The Department of Defense was made responsible for supplying the rocketry needed to place a satellite in orbit without interfering with the top-priority ballistic missile program. In line with the recommendations of a group of United States scientists advising the Department of Defense, the satellite project was assigned to the Naval Research Laboratory as Project Vanguard.

3. On July 29, 1955, at a White House press conference, participated in by representatives of the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences, it was announced that plans "are going forward for the launching of small, unmanned earth circling satellites as part of the United States participation in the International Geophysical Year, which takes place between July 1957 and December 1958."

At this press conference it was specifically stated that the "data which will be collected from this program will be made available to all scientists throughout the world." The National Science Foundation, it was also announced, would work with the United States National Committee for the International Geophysical Year to formulate plans for the satellite and its instrumentation as well as plans for the preparation and deployment of the ground-observer equipment required for the program.

1 Department of State Bulletin, Oct. 28, 1957, pp. 673–674. 2 See ante, p. 27.