An Unhappy Webb Leaves NASA

James Webb had insisted from the early years of Apollo that the undertaking was about much more than landing men on the Moon. Rather, its purpose was “to become preeminent” in all areas of space activity, and to do so “in such a manner that our emerging scientific, technological, and operational competence in space is clearly evident.” To Webb (and John Kennedy), the space program was an instrument of national power, not an enterprise driven by the human desire to explore. In order to make sure that there was enough equipment to achieve the lunar landing goal, NASA ordered 15 Saturn V Moon rockets, 15 lunar landing spacecraft, and 20 command and service module spacecraft. The expectation was that most of this hardware would be necessary to assure Apollo’s success; it seemed likely that a number of attempts would have to be made to achieve the various milestones in the lunar landing program.7

At the peak of the Apollo buildup in fiscal year (FY) 1965, NASA’s bud­get was $5.25 billion; just four years later, the budget had shrunk by some 20 percent, to $3.99 billion, and NASA had only a few approved human space flight missions for the 1970s. Clearly NASA needed new objectives if it were to maintain the skilled workforce assembled for Apollo and other elements of its rapid 1960s buildup and to make use of the facilities and capabilities in which the nation had invested billions of dollars.

Given this lack of future large missions, Webb on August 1, 1968, refused to approve a request to begin procurement of “long-lead-time” items for the Saturn V Moon rocket, beginning the process of shutting down the booster’s production line. This decision was deeply disappointing to Webb. It represented “only the most recent in a series of cutbacks that constitute what may be called a national decision.” To Webb, that decision was “that the United States is not pursuing, for the time being at least, its goal of ‘pre­eminence’ in space.”8

By mid-1968, James Webb was “noticeably very, very tired.” Webb had for some time planned to retire from NASA before the 1968 presidential election. On September 16, 1968, he went to the White House to discuss the timing of his resignation with President Johnson. Given Webb’s unhappiness with

Johnson’s recent lack of support for NASA, it is likely that he made his disap­pointment known to the president. Johnson himself was eager to escape from the burdens of the presidency, and he was not very receptive to Webb’s con­cerns. Somewhat to Webb’s surprise, Johnson immediately accepted Webb’s resignation, effective on Webb’s 62nd birthday, October 7, and sent Webb to the White House press room to announce that action. Asked by a reporter to comment on the status of the space program, Webb responded “I am not satis­fied with the program. I am not satisfied that we as a nation have not been able to go forward to achieve a first position in space.” Commenting on Webb’s departure, The Washington Post noted that he was leaving NASA without its having “a set mission beyond landing on the moon. . . The fading American taste for competition with the Russians in space and the rising competition of other claimants for Federal funds explains NASA’s uncertain estate.” The situ­ation was “hardly his fault,” but for Webb, “it is a bitter pill.”9