Public Papers of John F. Kennedy, 1961

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Author: John F. Kennedy  | Date: November 28, 1961

486
Remarks Upon Presenting the Harmon Trophy to Three Test Pilots of the X-15 Rocket Plane.
November 28, 1961

I WANT to express my great pleasure at having an opportunity, as President, to participate in this ceremony which presents this very famous and celebrated award, which is held by some of our most distinguished aviators, to these three fliers who I think in the year 1960 have done what earlier winners of this award have done in their time and generation.
Among the winners of this award are Ithink Colonel Lindbergh, Major Balchen, and General LeMay—probably I think Mr. Sikorsky and probably five or six others who are here today, who also won it, who made their contribution to aviation.

I think that this award is particularly gratifying because it is a very exact combination of technical development, engineering skill by the companies involved in manufacturing this plane, by the Air Force, and by the three men, who demonstrate that even though we may be able to make the most advanced contributions in the field of scientific development, the men are required-particularly those that are highly trained and with unusual courage and skill.

I think, as you pointed out, flights of over four thousand miles an hour, at two hundred and fifteen or twenty thousand feet, all this I think is an extraordinary achievement. So that in presenting it to these three men I think they will also permit us to share their pride and satisfaction as a country.

So gentlemen, on behalf of the trustees, on behalf of the people of this country, I want to present this trophy to you, and to tell you that your achievements give us the greatest possible satisfaction and a sense of pride in knowing that Americans have made this tremendous contribution—and that we produced you three.

NOTE: The ceremonies were held in the Fish Room at the White House. The trophy was presented jointly to Joseph A. Walker, chief engineering test pilot and a physicist with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; A. Scott Crossfield, development engineer and research test pilot of North American Aviation, Inc.; and Maj. Robert M. White, who set a new speed and altitude record.

During his remarks, the President referred to Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, Col. Bernt Balchen, Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, and Igor I. Sikorsky.

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Chicago: John F. Kennedy, "486 Remarks Upon Presenting the Harmon Trophy to Three Test Pilots of the X-15 Rocket Plane.," Public Papers of John F. Kennedy, 1961 in Federal Register Division. National Archives and Records Service, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, 1961 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1956-), P.819 755. Original Sources, accessed March 28, 2024, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=GZWXYZWG9DJH2TV.

MLA: Kennedy, John F. "486 Remarks Upon Presenting the Harmon Trophy to Three Test Pilots of the X-15 Rocket Plane." Public Papers of John F. Kennedy, 1961, in Federal Register Division. National Archives and Records Service, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, 1961 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1956-), P.819, page 755. Original Sources. 28 Mar. 2024. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=GZWXYZWG9DJH2TV.

Harvard: Kennedy, JF, '486 Remarks Upon Presenting the Harmon Trophy to Three Test Pilots of the X-15 Rocket Plane.' in Public Papers of John F. Kennedy, 1961. cited in , Federal Register Division. National Archives and Records Service, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, 1961 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1956-), P.819, pp.755. Original Sources, retrieved 28 March 2024, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=GZWXYZWG9DJH2TV.