John F. Kennedy
President of the United States
John F. Kennedy became the 35th president of the United States in 1961. While the Apollo Program was already in its early years before Kennedy took office, he continued pursuing manned spaceflight despite his previous desires to terminate the space program. When the Soviet Union put the first man in space, Kennedy made landing the first man on the moon his priority. It would not only benefit the United States’ international positioning but also lend itself well to military advances, despite being costly. In September 1963, he proposed collaboration between the Soviets and America for a second time, although the Soviets were not favorable and declined.
