1961 - Speech, President Kennedy: Special Message To Congress, TRACK ONLY Pt. 8 of 10
Continued... Secondly, an additional 23 million dollars, together w/ 7 million dollars already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket. This gives promise of some day providing a means for even more exciting & ambitious exploration of space, perhaps beyond the moon, perhaps to the very end of the solar system itself.
20:35:08 Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications.
20:35:20 Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars-of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation.
20:35:33 Let it be clear--and this is a judgment which the Members of the Congress must finally make--let it be clear that I am asking the Congress & the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action-a course which will last for many years & carry very heavy costs: 531 million dollars in fiscal '62--an estimated seven to nine billion dollars additional over the next five years. If we are to go only half way, or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all.
20:36:10 Now this is a choice which this country must make, & I am confident that under the leadership of the Space Committees of the Congress, and the Appropriating Committees, that you will consider the matter carefully. It is a most important decision that we make as a nation. But all of you have lived through the last four years & have seen the significance of space & the adventures in space, and no one can predict with certainty what the ultimate meaning will be of mastery of space.
20:36:40 I believe we should go to the moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, & there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work & bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year. (applause)
20:37:20 This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, materiel and facilities, & the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization & discipline which have not always characterized our research & development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful interagency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel.
20:37:56 New objectives & new money cannot solve these problems. They could in fact, aggravate them further--unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space. Continued...
25May61; Presidential Speeches; Cold War;
NOTE: Any continuous 15 minutes of speech, 20:00:05 - 20:45:05 sold at per reel rate.
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1961 - Speech, President Kennedy: Special Message To Congress, TRACK ONLY Pt. 8 of 10 Continued... Secondly, an additional 23 million dollars, together w/ 7 million dollars already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket. This gives promise of some day providing a means for even more exciting & ambitious exploration of space, perhaps beyond the moon, perhaps to the very end of the solar system itself. 20:35:08 Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications. 20:35:20 Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars-of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation. 20:35:33 Let it be clear--and this is a judgment which the Members of the Congress must finally make--let it be clear that I am asking the Congress & the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action-a course which will last for many years & carry very heavy costs: 531 million dollars in fiscal '62--an estimated seven to nine billion dollars additional over the next five years. If we are to go only half way, or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all. 20:36:10 Now this is a choice which this country must make, & I am confident that under the leadership of the Space Committees of the Congress, and the Appropriating Committees, that you will consider the matter carefully. It is a most important decision that we make as a nation. But all of you have lived through the last four years & have seen the significance of space & the adventures in space, and no one can predict with certainty what the ultimate meaning will be of mastery of space. 20:36:40 I believe we should go to the moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, & there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work & bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year. (applause) 20:37:20 This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, materiel and facilities, & the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization & discipline which have not always characterized our research & development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful interagency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel. 20:37:56 New objectives & new money cannot solve these problems. They could in fact, aggravate them further--unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space. Continued... 25May61; Presidential Speeches; Cold War; NOTE: Any continuous 15 minutes of speech, 20:00:05 - 20:45:05 sold at per reel rate.