John F. Kennedy photo

Statement by the President on the Orbiting of a Soviet Astronaut.

April 12, 1961

THE ACHIEVEMENT by the USSR of orbiting a man and returning him safely to ground is an outstanding technical accomplishment. We congratulate the Soviet scientists and engineers who made this feat possible. The exploration of our solar system is an ambition which we and all mankind share with the Soviet Union and this is an important step toward that goal. Our own Mercury man-in-space program is directed toward that same end.

Note: The President's statement followed an announcement by the Soviet Government that the Russian astronaut, Maj. Yuri Gagarin, had completed an orbital flight around the earth in I hour and 48 minutes.

John F. Kennedy, Statement by the President on the Orbiting of a Soviet Astronaut. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/234585

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