Office of the Historian

14. Letter From President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev0

Washington, undated.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The American people and I sincerely thank you for your1 message conveying congratulations on behalf of yourself and the Soviet people on the occasion of the flight of Commander Shepard in the first American manned exploration of space.2

We believe that the peaceful exploration of space is a venture undertaken on behalf of mankind as a whole. In that spirit, each new step in the conquest and understanding of space, wherever made, will be an achievement in which all of us share.

Sincerely,3

  1. Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204. No classification marking. Drafted by Hartley (S/S-RO) on May 7 and cleared by Davis, Farley (S/AE), and McCloskey (P). The source text, titled “Suggested Reply,” is double spaced.↩
  2. The word “kind” is crossed out at this point in the source text.↩
  3. See Document 13.↩
  4. Printed from an unsigned copy.↩