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After the Cuban missile crisis, Kennedy and Khrushchev warmed the Cold War somewhat, resulting in the nuclear test ban treaty and other cooperative efforts. Kennedy also set the tone of the space race (at least publicly) not as a “them vs us”, but as an endeavor of mankind. So what if Kennedy initiated a plan to include cosmonauts in the moon landing program, specifically in the Apollo series, and have a cosmonaut be the second man on the moon instead of Aldrin?

Would the Soviets accept? Would Johnson follow through? Would Soviet participation help the program (e.g. identify and prevent the Apollo 1 fire)? How would this effect Soviet/US relations throughout the 60s and after?

Ric350
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