AH Question: Earlier Post-Apollo planning?

Related to the "How to improve the Shuttle" thread, here is a "how to improve it better" thread (or, if as most people prefer, you want to do away with it altogether, a "how to do away with the Shuttle better" thread")

It is well known that James Webb, the administrator of NASA through almost the whole 1960s, greatly disliked post-Apollo (11) planning, and prevented significant planning and funding of post-Apollo programs during his tenure. This led to unfortunate results when less space-friendly Congresses and Administrations entered office and subsequently cut budgets to the bone at the very time NASA was attempting to sell a large new program (though that was partially because of the idiot Paine--a True Visionary if there ever was one).

So...the question is...how could NASA start planning for "post-Apollo" programs sooner, say with at least a few Phase A/B-type studies in the works by the mid-60s, and what results would that most likely have? The constraints in place are that you are working with the historical background of non-NASA programs and politics--so the Soviets will do what they did IOTL up to when they started to react to NASA post-Apollo planning, American domestic politics will be unchanged, and--most importantly--you will still have to deal with the Great Society and the Vietnam War.

EDIT: You may also want to consider possible managerial changes in the system--the NASA bureaucracy rather rapidly became rather remarkably sclerotic after Apollo was wrapped up. Here is what appears to be a good source on their actual management practices in the '60s (and to some extent their success, or rather lack thereof, in adapting to later periods).
 
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the post-Apollo planning was a Monster
called Apollo Applications Program, in 1966 it planned 27 Launches of Saturn V & IB
include:
several dual launch manned Lunar mission, up to 90 day on moon
several Space Station: two wet skylab and and more dry skylab's
Several Apollo CSM Block III and modified LM in low, high or geostationary Orbit

there were three simlear proposal to counter
in 1968 Bellcomm (Apollo and advanced planning contractor}
foresee the problem of cut budgets and proposed a much small an cheaper
with Gemini MOL hardware launch with Titan III-M
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/2010/07/series-of-small-specialist-space.html

and in 1962 McDonnell Aircraft Corporation proposed a
Modular Space Station Evolving from Gemini (post Gemini Program)
were Gemini dock with mini space station launch by Titan II or Titan III
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/2010/10/modular-space-station-evolving-from.html

and in 1968 McDonnell Aircraft Corporation proposed MOL to NASA
http://www.up-ship.com/drawndoc/sdoc61ani.jpg
 
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Archibald

Banned
The real question is: what NASA wants after Apollo. Strictly speaking, this mean recognizing that
a) NASA 1959 plan consisted of Apollo + space station + a vague circumlunar plan "somewhere after 1970)
b) Kennedy's endeavour was "a bridge to far": only four years in the space age, and only days after manned spaceflight (!) started, going to the Moon is pushing too hard (not for technology, rather for goals and balance of the human spaceflight program future)

The real question is
Do we want to return to the 1959 plan ? OPTION 1
OR
Since this step was skipped through Apollo, do we want to remain on the Moon ? OPTION 2
OR
Should we push farther than the Moon (Mars, Mars, MARS !!!) ?? OPTION 3

From a political point of view, OPTION 2 sounds more reasonable. Unfortunately, since NASA is an engineering agency, its motto is
"if that's works, that"s obsolete. To survive we need to build new, shiny and expensive machines" (read: Mars, Mars, MARS !!!)

So NASA frantically pushed for OPTION 3. And failed, and had to fall back on OPTION 1 (kind of return to the 1959 plan !)

Post-Apollo planning can start around 1965-66, what lack is a will from the administrator. What Webb failed to understood was that pushing for more LUNAR exploration wouldn't have hampered early landings (has manadated by Kennedy)
 
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