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On October 4, 1957, the so-called”Space Race” started with the Soviet launching of their first human-made satellite, Sputnik. The satellite was more and weighed approximately 180 pounds. It orbited the Earth every 98 minutes. To say it was a rude awakening to the public was an understatement.
Sputnik made many wonders how close the Soviets might be to long-range missile technology. The type of targeting the United States capable. More people wanted to know how long it would take to catch up with this technology. They also questioned how this development could unfold without the knowledge of America.
But were the White House, Pentagon, and CIA actually caught unaware by Sputnik as the favorite narrative asserts? Recently released CIA documents paint a picture that is different. Keep reading to discover more about what these files show.
THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR
1957 represented the height of the Cold War. Feelings of panic and paranoia ran high. The understanding that the USSR possessed satellite technologies that traveled 18,000 miles 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface felt like a nightmare.
The horrors of World War II remained a memory of 12 years. With Soviet testing of this first atomic bomb in 1949, America seemed to be on the edge of an even deadlier war with its former president.
For many decades, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had worried about Moscow’s long-range missile capabilities. However, contrary to popular belief, Sputnik’s launch did not catch him or the top echelons of the American government off-guard.
1955: THE URGENT NEED FOR A SATELLITE
In January 1955, Director of the CIA, Allen Dulles, addressed a letter to the defense secretary where he discussed the need for scientists to establish a satellite. If the Soviets managed to conquer the United States he feared that a public relations disaster.
Dulles wrote, “There is little doubt but what the state that successfully launches the ground satellite, and thereby introduces the era of space travel, will obtain incalculable global prestige and recognition… Our scientific community, in addition to the country, would gain invaluable esteem and confidence should our country be the first to launch the satellite.”
Eisenhower declared the satellite program of America in 1955. However, behind closed doors, intelligence officials feared that by moving into space, the Kremlin would be tipped off to the advanced rocket technologies of the nation. Government officials found themselves.
THE CIA’S WARNINGS ABOUT SPUTNIK
Documents declassified by the CIA show that senior army officials and the White House not only knew about the Soviet’s satellite program however understood that Sputnik could be launched into space as early as 1957.
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Ahead of the launch, two National Intelligence Estimates that outlined timelines were issued by the CIA. By December 1955, 1 official predicted that the Soviets would start in 1958. Six months before the launch, in March 1957, another intelligence official estimated that the Kremlin was capable of orbiting a satellite prior to the year’s end.
THE NATION response
Nobody could know how the CIA’s concerns and Dulles were until that fateful day in October. Since Dulles predicted, Sputnik was a PR nightmare that resulted in nationwide hysteria. The public concluded that when a satellite over US skies could fly, then their missiles were not far behind.
Dulles with U.S. President Eisenhower in 1956
Eisenhower played with his cards close to his chest. He announced, “So far as the satellite is concerned, that doesn’t increase my apprehensions–not one iota.”
When the first attempt to launch satellite anxiety was stoked by it. American scientists had relied on underwhelming results to avoid drawing attention to their rockets.
A LESSON LEARNED
By 1958, Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). The ARPA will make certain that no shocks came from Moscow while America would be launched by NASA into the Space Race. The National Defense Education Act was passed by congress. It’s objective? To overhaul school science curricula.
Moscow had the upper hand when it came to science’s use. But this lesson wouldn’t go unheeded by America. A little more than a decade later, on July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong became the guy and the first American on the moon.
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