The Man Who Ran the Moon: James E. Webb, NASA, and the Secret History of Project Apollo

by Piers Bizony

One man, more than any other, created the giant space agency we know today as NASA: James E. Webb. The Man Who Ran the Moon explores a time when Webb and an elite group of charismatic business associates took control of America's Apollo moon project, sometimes with disturbing results. In 1967, NASA was rocked by disaster and Apollo was grounded. Webb was savaged in a Congressional investigation. Not just a matter of broken hardware, there were accusations of corruption at the heart of America's space effort. Some of Webb's political allies had been caught up in the biggest scandal ever to hit Washington prior to Watergate. The backwash unfairly tainted NASA's chief. By the time of the first triumphant lunar landing, Webb had resigned and his name had all but been forgotten. But he's the man who got us to the moon, and the power base he forged in the 1960s has kept NASA on a solid footing to this day. Washington insiders now acknowledge Webb as one of the greatest leaders in modern American history. No space boss since his time has wielded so much power and such a powerful story.

Genres: Space, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Science, Politics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2006

About the author

Piers Bizony is a science journalist and space historian who writes for magazines such as Focus and Wired as well as the Independent. His award-winning book on Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was described as 'full of sparkling enthusiasm' by the New Scientist and 'excellent, in every way worthy of Kubrick's original precision-crafted vision' by the Evening Standard.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, and at times a very good book centered on the man who is still widely regarded as NASA's greatest administrator, James E. Webb.

Bizony makes no bones about the fact that his purpose here is to promote Webb's legacy--James Webb was a very effective but quiet leader, who preferred to stay out of the public eye. Bizony has an interesting thesis, arguing that Webb should be regarded as one of the premier politicians of the second half of the 20th century.

That's a lofty argument, and Bizony makes a pretty good case. Webb did three major things which support that case:

First, he asked for, and received, President Kennedy's full endorsement and authority, in exchange for Webb's pledge to run blocking for the White House on matters of space policy--basically giving the White House a bit of political immunity. That gave Webb political status, which in turn gave Webb a lot of clout on Capitol Hill--two things Webb knew were critical to establishing American leadership in space.

Second, Webb strengthened NASA's leadership by sharing his administrative power with his two direct subordinates: associate administrator Robert Seamans and deputy administrator Hugh Dryden--both highly regarded men--to create a leadership triumvirate at the top of NASA. That steered NASA away from top-down leadership, which broadened NASA's authority and made the agency stronger politically.

Third, after the success of Yuri Gagarin's orbital spaceflight, Webb asked for, and received, President Kennedy's political backing for the Apollo program. Webb knew that putting a manned lunar program together was going to take a long-term political commitment, perhaps over more than one presidential administration and multiple congressional terms. Webb argued that a long-term space program needed committed, long-term funding and political support. Kennedy agreed, and assured Webb support for the moon program would be sustained. After Kennedy's assassination, President Johnson--who was already a key political leader for the space program--continued the political support Webb needed to assure Apollo's success.

Those three actions were the keys to Webb's leadership at NASA. Without such leadership, it is doubtful the United States could have gone to the moon before political support finally began eroding by the end of the decade.

Webb was finally undone by the Apollo 204 fire (aka Apollo 1) in 1967, which revealed a lack of technical and managerial oversight by NASA. It also revealed the extent to which Webb had been isolated from the major workings of the NASA centers--Webb had not been made aware of the growing problems with NASA's contractors. Webb ultimately resigned in 1968, but not until the Apollo program was remediated in its bid for the lunar landing.

So that's my summary of the book. There's a little bit of bias, but Bizony is at least forgiven for his honesty, and the book does not read like a rah-rah piece or a hagiography. I was a little irritated by Bizony's occasionally lazy, tossed-off writing style, and I spotted some errors of fact that should have been picked up in the editing process. I wish the book was a little more robust, but overall there's good scholarship here, and at least it establishes a baseline for other potential works on Webb's career. It's a book that needed writing, because Webb was indeed the best man to lead NASA to the moon.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, short book focused on James Webb and his years leading NASA shortly after President Kennedy set the goal to land a man on the moon early in his term, through the Apollo 11 mission which accomplished that goal. It's not a biography of Webb at all, but a look at the major obstacles overcome and decisions made during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, primarily focused on the political and organizational work Webb did.

[Allan Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite an alternative history but certainly a hidden one, this book covers the Apollo missions and NASA from the governmental perspective.

It's a fascinating account that also offers a not terribly impressive comparison between the organisation that took astronauts to the moon, and it's more recent equivalent.

The book was published in 2006 and it's telling to look back from 2019 and consider how succesful the plans from then have been as far as meeting the stated goals are concerned.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a very boring book. It’s more of a timeline of NASA’s failures with Webb involved, and not really recount of his life.

[Dennis Boccippio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will find little new in "The Man Who Ran the Moon", although its focus on an often-overlooked but central figure in the Apollo program - NASA Administrator James Webb - is a welcome supplement to the popular histories of the era. Webb's views on the organization and management of the newborn agency are almost as interesting as his political dealings through the 1960s. The complex interplay between aerospace contractors and the Federal government is also given more exposure than conventional in popular texts.

A quick and easy read, "The Man Who Ran the Moon" is a worthwhile diversion for anyone interested in the history of NASA as an organization or the Apollo program itself, as well as public administration in general and Cold War-era beliefs about technocracies and their role in society.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting behind the scene look at the politics of NASA. While reading astronaut biographies, Webb always seems the mysterious head, only seen from a far.

I wish that Congress would either let NASA turn into a private company (Think of all the inventions they have helped create. If that pattened those, they would have the money.) or let NASA have an active space program of it's own. I like that Webb had a vision of how to build NASA, encourage the academic community to support science, focus on science and math in schools and reach out in fellowship to other countries. Sure, he wasn't perfect, none of us ever are. (Perfect is an American myth). But he had the passion to lead NASA, even though it wasn't the assignment he wanted.

Now I want to know more about Bob Gilruth.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent historical account of the space program and the forgotten man who ran it in its very infancy. A recounting of things that were not in the paper how the president (Kennedy) wanted to "beat" the Russians to the moon. And how Kennedy also wanted to us the NASA programs to deflect from other issues. Then LBJ using the programs to also deflect from an Asian War.

A good read, that is at times a bit dry. But he makes it through those periods quickly. Short chapters which make it easy to read in parts.

[Tom Callen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of dry material which read more like a stuffy college history textbook than a memoir. However, I'm glad I read it. I gleened insight into the early days of NASA I had never really known. The private meetings with JFK, then Lyndon Johnson, all seeming to threaten the existence of NASA at every turn.

This is a book that I'm glad to add to my collection of books related to the Apollo-era of NASA that I own. However, not sure someone with no (or even a passing) interest in NASA would enjoy this book.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of Webb's career at NASA, but glosses over other important figures like Abe Silverstein in favor of high-profile names like von Braun and Gilruth.

[Rod Pyle]

SImply the best book available on James Webb, without whom we would never have set foor on the moon. Well researched and lovingly written by Bizony, one of the best in the business.

[iain meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good history of NASA and the Space Race focussing on James Webb, who led the outfit.

Fascinating

thanks to Camden libraries

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

great insight to a lesser known but probably one of the most influential people of the great space race. Author clearly did some exhaustive research

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and easily readable early history of NASA. Piers is very good on space history.

[Helen Damnation · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter and well researched, it suffers most from the style of the author.