Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency JPRS report, dated 1 August 1990, translates an interview with Major General of Aviation Aleksey Leonov published in the Moscow journal Aviatsiya i Kosmonavtika. Leonov describes the Soviet manned lunar program, how the cosmonauts trained for it, and the test failures that ended it. He also criticizes Soviet secrecy and argues that the Buran shuttle is needed. Asked about UFO claims, he says Aldrin's remark 'they're watching us' referred to Earth, not extraterrestrials.
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# Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1991 ## Document 8 of 17 Clear communications were established with the Houston Flight Control Center after the Moon landing. The picture was being transmitted 'there' and 'back.' On emerging from the craft, Neil Armstrong stepped to the ground very cautiously, then became bolder; his steps became more confident and he began to jump. I looked at these frames. James [sic] Aldrin said to him: 'Look out, they're watching us.' 'They' in the sense of 'Earth.' He further advised not to violate instructions and to be more cautious. And in fact, after this Armstrong began to take normal steps. I told the ufologists this more than once: 'Why are you speculating? This is in fact not so.' 22. [Kuznetsov] We created the Buran space shuttle, it went through the first tests, but now some such as Academician Sagdeyev are saying that it is not necessary. What is your opinion? 23. [Leonov] We have the Mir program. If we wish to seriously receive dividends, it is necessary to return to Earth materials of the studies that have been conducted. The Soyuz craft can return a quantity of cargo that is small in volume and a maximum of 100-120 kg in weight. We plan to return tons. This can be done only by the Buran. In this connection it is impossible to agree with Academician Sagdeyev's opinion that the Buran in general has nothing to do in orbit. We need it as a component part of the Mir program's transportation system. Sagdeyev is wrong here. 24. And further, previously he was silent, but now he objects. It would be more ethical for his part to give an account for his subject matter: Why did the Phoboses, which he launched and into which great assets were placed, fail without having reached the target? 25. [Kuznetsov] Here we probably should touch on questions of improving the profitability of space? 26. [Leonov] Being an embodiment of foremost scientific-technical thinking, cosmonautics is really capable of enormously greater economic return. Having spent $25 billion on the lunar program, the Americans subsequently received a profit twice that by introducing new technologies and developments. Our situation is somewhat different, but through whose fault? Cosmonautics? 27. Back in the 1930's Academician Kapitsa posed a question before the Economic Council of the Council of People's Commissars: 'What incentives for creative innovations are built into the Soviet system?' And he answered himself: 'I see none.' The situation has not changed since then. What projects didn't the economists substantiate to please the politicians? 'Emancipation of peasants,' 'destruction of unpromising villages,' 'transfer of northern rivers' and others of sad memory. And to this day the economic
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 6 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.