Feb. 21, 1962 - Following is the text of Premier Khrushchev’s congratulatory letter to President Kennedy: “Esteemed Mr. President: On behalf of the Soviet Union and myself personally, I congratulate you and the American people on the successful launching of a spaceship with a man on board. Another step has been made in the exploration of space, and the family of the cosmonauts has this time been joined by a citizen of the United States of America, Lieut. Col. John Glenn. Successful launchings of spaceships, marking the reaching of new heights in science and technology, make us justly proud of the unlimited potentialities of human genius to serve the welfare of man. I should like to hope that the genius of man, who penetrated the depth of the universe, will be able to find a road to an enduring peace and to ensure prosperity to all peoples on our planet earth, which, in the space age, though it does not seem to be so large, is still dear to all its inhabitants. If our countries pooled their efforts — scientific, technical, and material — to explore outer space, this would be very beneficial to the advance of science and would be acclaimed by all peoples who would like to see scientific achievements benefit man and not to be used for “cold war” purposes and the arms race. Please convey hearty congratulations and best wishes to astronaut John Glenn. N. KHRUSHCHEV.”
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