Truman Congratulates Russians on Spaceflight “If It’s True”

Aug. 12, 1962 - Former President Harry S. Truman (pictured right Thursday with former President Herbert Hoover at the dedication of the Hoover library) said today that he congratulated the Soviet Union for orbiting two men around the world “if it’s true.” “You’ll have to prove it to me,” Mr. Truman said, “and I congratulate them if it is so.” As an explanation for his skepticism, he said, “The Russians never told me the truth all the time I was dealing with them.”#NASA #Space #1960s #OTD #history