Remarks to NASA Personnel at the Kennedy Space Center.

Dr. Paine and all of you here at Cape Kennedy for this occasion:

I do want to say that it has been a very great privilege to be here. And speaking for Mrs. Nixon and my daughter, who are here with me, we think this trip--our trip from Washington to here--was definitely worthwhile.

When I announced earlier in the week that I was trying to arrange my schedule to come down, there were those who said, "Well, why can't you see it all on television?" It is true that I have seen some previous launches on television but I thought I would share with you the experience of one who has never seen a launch live before and what the difference is.

Perhaps if I may use the analogy of sports--I really believe while I like to go to a football game live and feel the crowd and the rest, I really believe that when you sit at home and see a football game on television, you can probably see it as well or even better than you can see it by being there, because the camera will watch that T formation or the quarterback and will be sure you're watching the ball rather than the fake.

But while that is true in the field of sports, football and baseball, it simply is not true in the case of what we have just seen a few moments ago. Here it is a sense of not just the sight and the picture but of feeling it--feeling the great experience of all that is happening.

I would add to that by saying that coming here and coming to this room brings an extra dimension to this great space launch that we saw a moment ago.

Dr. Paine, Frank Borman, Colonel [Thomas P.] Stafford, a lot of my friends in this activity, have often told me: Remember that the three who are up there couldn't be there except for tens of thousands on the ground, tens of thousands of people who sometimes may seem to be-and you may feel you are faceless--just numbers, just like these computers that we see in front of you.

I do want you to know that I realize that except for what you are doing here, they could not be there and they could not make this mission successful.

I think that you can be proud of the fact--and we are proud of the fact--that every one of our astronauts, when they have come to the White House--and I have had the privilege of entertaining several of them--every one of them makes the point that those on the ground, the engineers, and the technicians, and the scientists, and all of those who work in the program, that they are really the heart of this great, successful experience for the American people and for all the people of the world.

Finally, I simply want to say that I know there has been a lot of discussion as to what the future of the space program is. As you know, we have been discussing that in the Cabinet and within the administration.

I do think. you can be assured that in Dr. Paine and his colleagues you have men who are dedicated to this program, who are making the case for it, making the case for it as against other national priorities and making it very effectively. I leaned in the direction of the program before. After hearing what they have had to say with regard to our future plans, I must say that I lean even more in that direction,

Announcements will be made in the future as they have been made in the past as to the commitment of this Nation to the program. I realize that within those in the program, between scientists, engineers, and others, there are different attitudes as to what the emphasis should be, whether we should emphasize more exploration or more in taking the knowledge we have already acquired and making practical applications of it.

All of these matters have been brought to my attention. I can assure you every side is getting a hearing. We want to have a balanced program but most important, we are going forward. America, the United States, is first in space. We are proud to be first in space. We don't say that in a jingoistic way. We say it because as Americans we want to give the people of this country, and particularly our young people, the feeling that here is an area we can concentrate on for a positive goal, concentrate and be proud of being Americans, be proud of what we have accomplished, not only for ourselves but for future generations and for the whole world.

In that vein, I simply want to say I am proud of those three men up there. I talked to them on the phone before they left and I am just proud of everybody in this room and the thousands across this country who made it possible.• You are part of a great organization. The whole Nation owes you a debt of gratitude and, as President of the United States, I express that debt and acknowledge it today.

Here is Mrs. Nixon. I think you would like to know that she is the woman I am with today and every day. The girl in lilac is Tricia, our daughter.

Also, while, of course, he needs no introduction because he has been to several of these launches as Chairman of the Space Council, we are very happy to have today the Vice President of the United States and Mrs. Agnew.

We have a few other celebrities here you should know. I don't think I can see them all, but we have Senator Margaret Chase Smith of the State of Maine, a real space enthusiast. And Senator [Edward J.] Curhey of Florida who told me the weather would be perfect today if I would just come.

We have several Congressmen here: Congressman [Louis, Jr.] Frey, your own Congressman from this area; Congressman [James G.] Fulton from Pennsylvania, also on the Space Committee. Cheer for them real hard because they get your appropriations for you. Congressman [J. Herbert]. Burke from that little pocket of poverty, Fort Lauderdale; and Congressman [William C.] Bill Cramer, is he here? He must be campaigning.

And then I think, too, you would like to see the Science Adviser from sunny California, Lee DuBridge, over here--the President's Science Adviser.

Well, after being an emcee here, I think I will ask for Johnny Carson's¹ job next week.

Thank you very much.

¹A television emcee.