... We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.[355] Full text
On November 21, 1962, in a cabinet meeting with NASA administrator Webb and other officials, Kennedy explained that the Moon shot was important for reasons of international prestige, and that the expense was justified.[356] Johnson assured him that lessons learned from the space program had military value as well. Costs for the Apollo program were expected to reach $40 billion (equivalent to $358.33 billion in 2021).[357]
In a September 1963 speech before the United Nations, Kennedy urged cooperation between the Soviets and Americans in space, specifically recommending that Apollo be switched to "a joint expedition to the Moon".[358] Khrushchev again declined, and the Soviets did not commit to a manned Moon mission until 1964.[359] On July 20, 1969, almost six years after Kennedy's death, Apollo 11 landed the first manned spacecraft on the Moon.

Administration, Cabinet, and judicial appointments
The Kennedy cabinetOfficeNameTermPresidentJohn F. Kennedy1961–1963Vice PresidentLyndon B. Johnson1961–1963Secretary of StateDean Rusk1961–1963Secretary of the TreasuryC. Douglas Dillon1961–1963Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara1961–1963Attorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedy1961–1963Postmaster GeneralJ. 