Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961), and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II. As president he was deeply interested in the use of space technology for national security purposes and directed that ballistic missiles and reconnaissance satellites be developed on a crash basis. However, he was not an enthusiast of manned spaceflight and in his last budget message advised Congress to consider "whether there are any valid scientific reasons for extending manned spaceflight beyond the Mercury Program."

 

References

1. Divine, Robert A. The Sputnik Challenge: Eisenhower's Response to the Soviet Satellite. New York: Oxford University, 1993.
2. Hall, R. Cargill. "The Eisenhower Administration and the Cold War: Framing American Astronautics to Serve National Security." Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 27 (1995): 59-72.