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    "localId": "193650",
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    "id": "193650",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "John Glenn Oral Histroy Interview",
    "description": "Interview with Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr. by Walter B. Sohier, General Counsel, National Aeronautics and Space Administration June 12, 1964 Seabrooke, TX",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193650",
    "creators": [
        "Glenn, John, 1921-2016"
    ],
    "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",
        "Interviews",
        "Astronauts",
        "Space programs"
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    "ocrText": "Interview with Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr.\n2\nit like we did an airplane or were we pretty much at the\nmercy of the guidance systems until we were in orbit. Prob-\nlems of that nature--what pressures we would be operating\nunder; what we would do if the pressure in the spacecraft\nfailed. He was interested in real detail.\nMr. Sohier: Did he talk about the safety aspect, and seek\nyour judgment as to whether the thing ought to go at this\npoint in time?\nColonel Glenn: Yes, he was concerned about this. He brought\nup whether we felt very personally every possible thing had\nbeen done to ensure our safety and I told him that when we\nfirst came into the program one of the things we were told,\nby Dr. Gilruth, was that we had veto control over anything\nthat was to occur on the project. That at any time we, as\nexperienced test pilots, saw something going on that we\ndidn't like or there was an area that we thought needed more\ntesting or anything that we weren't satisfied with, to let\nhim know. Also, that any time we didn't feel right about\ngoing, he didn't want us to go. The President thought that\nwas an excellent way to conduct such a project.\nMr. Sohier: Did he go into the reasons that he wanted to\nask you these questions, the reason for his concern as to\nthe fact that perhaps he was getting some flak on the safety\nissue? Was there any discussion of that sort?\nColonel Glenn: No. I was aware that he had been getting\nsome questions on this, of course, and I knew of his interest\nin that context, but I don't think it was mainly that. I\ndidn't get the impression that he was looking for material to\nrefute anyone's criticism of him. I took it, and I think he\nmeant it, as an interest in one human being to another--as\none \"guy\" to another, if you will, if you can put the\nPresident in that context.\nMr. Sohier: Yes. Now, your flight, I guess, was February 20,\nwasn't it? There were ceremonies after that at the Cape which\nhe went down to, I think."
}