Lyndon B. Johnson

As vice president and chair of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, Johnson helped evaluate the lunar landing option in 1961 and worked with Congress to secure resources for it. After becoming president in November 1963, he maintained the commitment to Kennedy's deadline. NASA's budget nevertheless began declining after its 1966 peak as the Vietnam War and domestic programs competed for federal funding.

Apollo depended on repeated budget decisions across presidential administrations. Johnson's support helped carry the program through spacecraft development, testing, and the first crewed Apollo flights; the competing demands on his administration also constrained plans for what would follow the Moon landings.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s archive record spans President of the United States, 1963–1969, Vice president of the United States, 1961–1963, Chair of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, 1961–1963 through work connected with Executive Office of the President of the United States, National Aeronautics and Space Council. The linked record places that work within Apollo.