Apollo - The battle for credits

Apparently, the makers of the new film about the life of Neil Armstrong ("First Man", build upon James R. Hansen's absolutely excellent book of the same name), have deliberately excluded the iconic planting of the American flag during the first Moon landing on Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.

Starts and Stripes on the Moon- Apollo 11, July 1969.

According to The Telegraph, Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, who stars in the film as Neil Armstrong, was asked if the film was a deliberately un-American take on the moon landing. He replied that Armstrong's accomplishment "transcended countries and borders" as a reason for deliberately excluding this key moment in world history, and for not giving the Americans in particular credit for the monumental achievements that marked the definite victory in the Space Race.

Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in "First Man" Credit: universal Pictures.

This is an outrageous attempt to appropriate the greatest and most spectacular American triumph since WW2.

Intentional twisting of history to enhance a political cause is nothing new. It was an integrated part of the various totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century. But it remains a false play, and it robs the viewer of important lessons to learn.

The choice not to include the planting of the American flag on the Moon, is a strike in a battle of credits for the monumental achievements of the Apollo project. As the celebration of the coming 50-years Apollo anniversaries approaches, the many heirs of the left, who lost the space race, and lost the cold war, will be coming to claim credit for this "the greatest adventure, on which man has ever embarked".

Or rather, they will be coming on (at least) 3 fronts:

• To claim credit, as in this case - "We did it!"
• To claim that Apollo was really a piece of nothing - well, maybe it didn't even happen...
• To claim that it was a waste of time and money anyways... 

Claim no. 3, by the way, "it was a waste of time and money anyways" was the new narrative from the left, when it became clear that they were losing the Space Race. Until then, the Space Race had been all smiles and the proof of a happy communist world future.

This blog plans to deal with each of these claims in future posts, so stay tuned.

Well, back to the issue - and claim no 1: "We, mankind, did it!" The fact that Neil Armstrong and the Americans were humble and gracious in victory, dedicating the triumph to all mankind, should not make Ryan Gosling, the Canadians or anyone else feel they can boast and try to lift credit that do not belong to them by a long shot.

"When we Americans put our minds and energy to it, nobody, but nobody, can do the things we can do. The Eagle did what it was supposed to do and more. I believe the Eagle (and her crew) could only have been made in America." (Apollo 12 Astronaut Alan Bean - 4th American man of 12 American men to set foot on the Moon [2])

Perhaps, no one say it better than Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, who wrote in his book [2]:

"When we Americans put our minds and energy to it, nobody, but nobody, can do the things we can do. The Eagle did what it was supposed to do and more. I believe the Eagle (and her crew) could only have been made in America."  

(Alan Bean)

Dr. Steve Turley made a very precise comment to the issue in this youTube:

 

Mr. Ben Shapiro also made a comment to the spectacle. I think he might be a bit too quick at some points, but I have to agree with his basic arguments:

The Apollo project was done, almost entirely, by Americans and by American sacrifices. By the hard work, skills and strong spirits of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

And, not only was this done by the Americans in general, but by a certain subset of Americans in particular: It was the triumph of the "squares" as Tom Paine (Acting NASA Administrator) put it after the Apollo 8 Christmas triumph:

"We feel humble that we were the ones to perform this...It might show the restless students of the world the benefits...the triumph of the "squares" who work with computers and slide rules, of engineering and of science, and of men who read from the Bible on Christmas eve." [Chicago Tribune, Dec 28th, 1968].

 

Tom Paine (center with glasses) and some of his thousands of square colleagues

"The squares" sent men to the Moon, paid for by the tax-money of hard-working Americans, as a sacrifice to win that battle of the Cold War for the freedom of all mankind - and to bring down one evil tyranny.

"There is nothing more important than winning the Space Race." (JFK [3])

Meanwhile, the left contributed to this, the most important strike for freedom, with little more than smearing and throwing eggs at the Apollo astronaut heroes, seeking to undermine the project at all political levels. They can have no credit for the victory.

[1] James R. Hansen, First Man. The Life of Neil Armstrong, ISBN:9780743492324
[2] Alan Bean with Andrew Chaikin: "Apollo", ISBN: 0-86713-050-4
[3] John M. Logsdon, The Decision to Go to the Moon, 1970, ISBN:0 26212033 X