December 12, 1965
WE ARE all disappointed that Gemini 6 did not go off as expected. But our disappointment is exceeded by our pride in Astronauts Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford and the flight directors of NASA. With the world watching, they acted with remarkable courage in the face of danger and potential disaster.
Their eager desire and determination to try again proves once more that men are the real heroes--and the essential factor--in space exploration.
Note: See also Items 636, 651, 656.
The statement was released at Austin, Tex.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President on the Delayed Takeoff of Gemini 6. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/240917