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{
    "localId": "193652",
    "label": "Alan Shepard Oral History Interview",
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{
    "id": "193652",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193652",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Alan Shepard Oral History Interview",
    "description": "Interview with Alan Shepard for the John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program by Walter Sohier, General Counsel, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. June 12, 1964 Houston, Texas",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193652",
    "creators": [
        "Shepard, Alan Bartlett, Jr., 1923-1998"
    ],
    "collections": [
        "John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program",
        "John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program: John F. Kennedy Oral Histories."
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (10/01/1958 - )",
        "Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963",
        "Shepard, Alan Bartlett, Jr., 1923-1998",
        "Interviews",
        "Space programs",
        "Astronauts"
    ],
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{
    "seq": 16,
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    "ocrText": "Interview with Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr.\n16\nWe had a chance to talk with him briefly the following\nmorning. The subjects that were discussed were primarily\nour problems outside of the space program--the problems we\nhad had with appearances; the problems we had with the Life\ncontract; could we, or should we, in fact make special\ncompensation in pay for our astronaut group and future\nastronaut groups. This sort of thing is what we discussed\nprimarily, rather than anything having to do specifically\nwith the hardware of the space program.\nMr. Sohier: How did this meeting come about? Did Vice\nPresident Johnson suggest that maybe you all had problems\nyou wanted to talk out loud about, or was it just a social\nvisit in which you got talking after dinner?\nCommander Shepard: As I recall, I was in Dallas at the\nChance Vought company running a launch simulation in con-\nnection with the study of the Gemini program. John Glenn\ncalled and said that about two months before President\nKennedy had suggested that Vice President Johnson get\ntogether with us at the ranch and just sit down and infor-\nmally discuss what our problems were. Glenn told me that\nthis in fact had transpired and we were to meet at Johnson's\nranch on this particular date. So it's my impression that\nthe meeting actually was at the request of President Kennedy,\nand I don't really feel that too much transpired as a result\nof that meeting. I think it was just a discussion. It gave\nus an opportunity to air our points of view, was an educa-\ntional process for the Vice President, and gave him a chance\nto find out just what some of our problems were.\nMr. Sohier: There are a number of major elements in the\nspace program in which President Kennedy was interested.\nOne that threads all the way through his Administration\nwas the question of how we could cooperate with the\nRussians in space. There's a hint of it in the Inaugural\nAddress, and, of course, in May of last year there was the\nspeech before the United Nations. Did you ever get into\ndiscussions of this sort? Did he ever ask you what the"
}