Controversy About Space
Features
MEDFORD
Sports
Tribune
SECTION B
MEDFORD, OREGON. SUNDAY. JUNE 8. 1933 PAGES 1 toll
Is President Kennedy's Man-to-Moon Project Costly Boondoggle?
BY HENRY KEYS
Uniltd Press International
Washington-C?D-President Kennedy's multi-billion
dollar Apollo man-to-the moon project has become en
meshed in controversy which adds up to this:
Is it a costly boondoggle that is syphoning off sci
entific manpower and dollars that should be devoted to
bettering the American way of life?
Or is it as vital to the nation's welfare as the war
time Manhattan project that brought the atomic bomb
and harnessed the nuclear energy into being?
The scientific community is divided. So are the
politicians, some of whom shudder at the expense. But
not so the President, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), and professional military men
who think the nation should have dominance in space,
cost what it may.
Much-Debated Issue
The much-debated issue has been brought into sharp
focus because it is budget appropriation time at the
Capitol. Kennedy and NASA have asked Congress for
a whopping $3.7 billion for space in the next fiscal year.
This is $2 billion more than voted last year. And
that is precisely why the world is hearing so much
about the expensive American race to beat Russia to
the moon.
Many scientists oppose the Apollo project because
they don't see it as a scientific venture. Tiiey argue that
it is 99 per cent engineering and technology and only
1 per cent science.
Top officials of NASA agree. They never have
argued that it was a strictly scientific project. Thus
the issue in debate boils down to the simple, question:
Does the United States want to win the race to the
moon or not?
President Kennedy says it does and must. Congress
last year and the year before heartily agreed and mil
lions of ordinary Americans concurred.
Taking Long Hard Look
Today, however. Congressional Republicans are tak
ing a long, hard look at it and are determined to try
and cut it back.
House GOP whip Leslie Arends, 111., put it this way
after the Senate Republican policy Committee assailed
the program:
"We aro not questioning the value of placing a man
on the moon. We are simply questioning the wisdom of
spending so much in dollars and precious scientific man
power in trying to be first. The best scientific minds of
other nations are concentrating on developing and im
proving products and methods of production. While get
ting first to the moon, we may one day find ourselves a
poor second in other areas of human endeavor."
Sen. Clinton P. Anderson, D-N.M., chairman of the
Senate Space committee, delierved a lengthy rebuttal
on the Senate floor. He said there was no certainty
that critics who would slash billions from the program
"would not then vote against social welfare legislation."
And to GOP charges that the program is merely a head
line grabbing exercise, he warned that a slowdown
"would certainly afford great comfort to our enemies
and spread dismay among our friends overseas."
Summarized In Editorial
The scientific arguments were summarized in an edi
torial in "Science," official journal of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. As such, its
credentials as spokesman for thousands of scientists may
be regarded as beyond challenge. ;
It said, in part: "The nation may sustain the con
tinuing burden of the program principally because of
man's spirit of adventure his desire to conquer the
inanimate. An earlier generation was excited bout reach
ing the North Pole.
"The lasting propaganda value of placing a man on
the moon has been vastly overestimated. The first lunar
landing will be a great occasion; subsequent boredom
Is inevitable. Interest in lunar exploration will be su
stained only if there are important military implica
tions, exciting scientific accomplishments or technologi
cal fallout.
"Military applications seem remote.
"NASA has sought examples of technological fall
out from its program. To date, those cited have not been
impressive . . . not more than a small fraction of the
cost of the moon program will be recovered through
technological fallout.
"The scientific exploration of the moon has been
accorded a secondary priority In the lunar program."
The editorial carried the initials of the editor of
Science, Philip A. Abclson, director of the geophysical
laboratory, Carnegie Institution, Washington, who is well
known to scientists around the world.
On the political front, critics have gained strong sup
port from former President Eisenhower. He declared
that Congress would be guilty of "fiscal recklessness"
unless it performed major surgery on NASA's budget.
He added that "enormous sums" were being wasted and "
that the space program in general was "downright
spongy."
Not Worth Added Burden
"I have never believed that a spectacular dash to
the moon, vastly deepening our national debt, is worth
the added tax burden it will eventually impose upon our
citizens," Eisenhower said. He argued further that the
moon flight should stem from "a natural growth of dem
onstrably valuable space operations, not a crash pro
gram." In October, 1957, Eisenhower told a news confer
ence that Russian Sputnik No. 1 had not raised his
concern over U.S. security "one iota."
President Kennedy frequently takes public note of
this in blaming his predecessor for Russia's lead in the
space race.
One of the most trenchant critics Is the chairman of
the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Sen. J. Wil
liam Fulbright, D-Ark.
Not As Important
"The U.S.-Soviet race for the moon," he said recently,
"is not as important as developing the human and
physical resources of our people and cleaning up the
slums . . .
"It is strange that in a world which bears an In
tolerable burden of hunger, disease, poverty and ani
mosity among its peoples, we should devote so many
of the best minds of both the Western and Communists
worlds to achieving a landing on the moon, where, to
my knowledge, no solutions to our problems await us."
Here is some more of the debate:
Ralph J. Bunche, United Nations undersecretary and
a Nobel Prize winner: "There is less justification for
conducting such efforts as a space race when there is a
crying need for the intensive application of science and
funds to problems like food and water supply, over
population, mental health and control of cancer and
heart disease."
Nuclear scientist Linus Pauling: "While It will con
tribute something in the way of scientific discovery,
the contribution will be very small to putting that
money into several other fields such as medical research
or other basic research ... or In using the funds in
underdeveloped countries."
Dr. Lee A. DuBridge of California Institute of Tech
nology, a firm supporter of the program but who never
theless has reservations: "It Is one of the great scien
tific enterprises of all time. Its Impact on the future of
the world and mankind is simply beyound calculation.
All scientists probably agree that space research is the
most exciting and- challenging new area of scientific
. endeavor opened up. to, human beings. Yet many also
! feel that the prestige and competitive factors have forced
us to move too far too est, to spend too much effort '
to the 'spectacular' as contrasted to the purely scientific
venture."
As expected, the engineers and technologists scorn
the political and scientific critics. And they are not with
out substantial support from many leading scientists
f - '"'mUi.::. ...... .. . "o a. -, - : "' ' I
!
President Kennedy's multl-bllllon-dollar Apollo man-to-moon project has become en
meshed In controversy. This Is an artist's conception of a lunar landing simulate!
scheduled to ba delivered to NASA early In 1964. (UPI)
Dispute With Buddhists Erupts Into Violence
whose pulses race pretty much like ihm ordinary man'
in the excitement of manned space lights.
A vial ion Week and Space Technology, or example,
handed Eisenhower roughly or his remarks.
Among the critics, it said, are "many familiar aces
ranging from ex-President Eisenhower, who still wishes
the space age would dry up and blow 'way, to an
esoteric wing of the scientific community which appears
to be disturbed by the act that non-scientist types, such
as engineers and pilots, have crept into the SDaca pro
gram and are running their portion of It with vigor
- 1 V" v ..
By NEIL SHEEHAN
United Prtss International
Saigon, Vietnam - HJPD -Many
American officials
here fear that President
Ngo Dinh Diem's handling
of the serious dispute with
South Vietnam's Buddhist
majority shows his regime
may lack the political ca
pacity to deal with its pop
ulation in a guerrilla war.
The dispute, simmering
for years, finally erupted
into violence recently when
government troops and ar
mored cars opened fire
against thousands of Bud
dhist demonstrating in the
northern town of Hue
against alleged religious
discrimination. Nine per
sons were killed.
Buddhists accuse Diem nf
favoring Roman Catholics.
They say his government is
Catholic - dominated.
President It Catholic
The president and all
members of his family are
Catholics. One of his broth
ers, Ngo Dinh Thuc, is
archbishop of Hue.
The bloodshed led to
more demonstrations and a
meeting between Diem and
Buddhist leaders in Sai
gon. The Buddhists presented
a list of demands. By mak
ing a couple of minor con
cessions Diem may have
avoided riots and further
bloodshed.
But in refusing to sur
render on major issues he
has put himself at logger
heads with the Buddhist
leaders and done the gov
ernment serious long
range political damage,
many American officials in
dicate. Tht dispute cow seems
to be developing into a
rankling sore which Amer
icans fear may lead to wide
spread passive resistance in
the countryside against gov
ernment programs espe
cially the vital strategic
hamlets operation aimed at
isolating the peasants from
the guerrillas.
Americans here have al
ways been disturbed by the
fact that although the Bud
dhists In South Vietnam
are in a 70 per cent majori
ty, their relations with the
government have been un
friendly for years.
Americans were incredu
lous at the government's
handling of the demonstra
tion In Hue to begin with
and then shocked by Diem's
refusal to soothe outraged
feelings by publicly apolo
gizing. The most important nf
the Buddhist demands were
those calling for an end to
religious inequality, pun
ishment of government of
ficials responsible and pub
licly - paid compensation
for the families of those
killed.
Demand Religious Equality
Diem received them po
lightly but told them they
were "damn foolr" for de
manding religious equali
ty, since the Vietnamese
constitution guarantees It.
He claimed Communist
agents had killed the Bud
dhists In Hue. He praised
government officials for
"keeping order."
He also told the Bud
histt the government would
"take care of" the bereaved
families. But he refused to
pay public compensation,
an important distinction in
Vietnam.
Since Ihe meeting with
Diem thousands of yellow-'
robed Buddhist priests and
nuns have demonstrated
again to show their disatis
faction. The police have
tolerated them, up to now.
The Buddhists plan more
public memorial services,
processions and hunger
strikes for the Hue dead.
The government's repeal
ed statements that Com
munist agents killed the
Hue demonstrators. In the
face of clear evidence its
own troops did the shoot
ing, also puts the regime
in a damaging position of
public Insincerity. It hands
the Communists a tailor
made propaganda issue
which they are now ex
ploiting, well - Informed
Americans say.
They say millions nf peas
ants in this country look
on the guerrilla war as a
struggle between Diem's
family and the Communists,
in which they have little
or nothing to gain either
way.
One of the banners in a
Hue demonstration said
"down with the Diem re
gime" but the Buddhist
priests, wanting to keep
the demonstration along re
ligious lines, made the dem
onstrators take the banner
down.
Buddhist leaders, al
though they insist they are
not out to overthrow the
government, resent the fact
that they have so little po
litical power under Diem
although they are the ma
jority. One Buddhist leader told
this correspondent, "Most
Buddhists want to fight
Communism, because It is
ruthless and materialistic,
hut tncy feel they have no
stake In this government."
Buddhist priests re shown above holding a protest meeting at Main Tu Dam pagoda
In Hue, Vietnam. Before microphone with hands elapsed in prayer (background) is
Thich Trl Quang. Buddhist high priest for central Vietnam. (UPD
and enthusiasm directed toward specific goals that soma
scientists regard as unseemly.
'Final Dismal Years'
"We doubt If many Americans would wish to return
to those final dismal years of the Eisenhower adminis
tration when the succession of Soviet space triumphs
subjected this nation to its worst International humilia
tion since British men-of-war stopped kidnaping Ameri
can sailors on the high seas ...
"When the history of these times Is finally written,
one of the great differences between the Eisenhower and
Kennedy administration will prove to be the former's
Inability to understand and cope with the technological
tides of the era over which it presided, and the percep
tion and vigor with which President Kennedy grasped
this fact early in his regime by establishing the Apollo
program as a top priority national goal and sticking
with It despite the critics' chorus."
The magazine rejected attacks on the program be
cause of its swift pace.
"A technical program that is not run at its fastest
feasible pace is the most wasteful of all," it said. "Apollo
Is now running at very close to its optimum technical
pace, perhaps a shade too slow due to fiscal limitations."
Steady Rata of Conversion
It .also dimlssed criticisms that the program had little
or no scientific merit. It said there has been a steady
rate of conversion from traditional scientific critics ta
supporters during the project Mercury years.
One of the most enthusiastic scientific supporters of
Apollo Is Britain's radio astronomer, Sir Bernard Lovell.
He declared In a recent Interview:
"It is tremendously Important to get to the moon
from the political and prestige and technological and
scientific points of view.
"Scientifically, the moon is the one body In the solar
system which may yield the most critical information
about the formation of a plentary system and from thert
of life Inlself . . .
"The answer must surely be to land men on tha
moon rather than to pursue the goal through a lengthy '
scries of unmanned landings of Instruments which will
never yield the same decisive answers."
Far-Out Intellectual Endesvor
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Glenn T. Sea
borg believes the program should be carried nut because
"We're In the 20th century the goal has been set. It
Is far-out intellectual endeavor and an exploration of
nature."
President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B.
Johnson who heads the space program, agree. The Presi
dent told a recent news conference, "I think time will
prove, even though we can't see the answers wa will
find in space, that the over-all expenditures have been
worthwhile. This program in many ways Is going to
stimulate science."
He said he did not believe that if the space budget
was cut Congress would allocate the money to education
or other of the avenues that critics have suggested.
Both Kennedy and Johnson have said many times
that the question of going to the moon is no longer a
question of being first In space, but of being first In
the world.
Said Johnson: "To reach for the moon Is a risk, but
it Is a risk we must take. Failure to go into space li
tven riskier."