Background: Explorer 1 was successfully launched into orbit by the US 1958-02-01
about four months after Sputnik 1 was successfully launched by the Soviet Union 1957-10-04
, and Vanguard 1 wasn't successfully launched until 1958-03-17
.
The Vanguard program started with Vanguard 1:
Vanguard 1 (ID: 1958-Beta 2) is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth orbital satellite to be successfully launched (following Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, and Explorer 1). Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to have solar electric power.
Eisenhower's last two sentences in the filmed message discussed below refer to scientific purpose and international arrangements.
Question What were the international space arrangements and scientific purposes Eisenhower spoke of in October 1957?
The Quote: I've transcribed the block quote below myself from the video clip at http://dbsmaint.galib.uga.edu/news/clips/wsbn33649.html found at Series WSB-TV newsflim clips of Dwight D. Eisenhower congratulating the Soviets on Sputnik and commenting on Project Vanguard and the U.S. ballistic missile program, Washington, D.C., 1957 October 9. It seems fairly accurate, but I don't have an independent official transcript for verification.
Creator: WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
Date of Original: 1957-10-09
As to the Soviet satellite, we congratulate Soviet scientists upon putting a satellite into orbit.
The United States satellite program has been designed from its inception for maximum results in scientific research.
The rocketry employed by our Naval Research Laboratory for launching our Vanguard has been deliberately separated from our ballistic missile effort in order
- first, to accent the scientific purposes of the satellite,
- and second, to avoid interference with top priority missile programs.
Merging of this scientific effort with military programs could have produced an orbiting United States satellite before now, but to the detriment of scientific goals and military progress.
Vanguard, for the reasons indicated, has not had equal priority with that accorded our ballistic missile work. Speed of progress in the satellite project can not be taken as an index of our progress in ballistic missile work.
I consider our country’s satellite program to be well designed and properly scheduled to achieve the scientific purposes for which it was initiated.
We are therefore carrying the program forward in keeping with our arrangements with the international scientific community. (emphasis added)