Book Review: The Man Who Ran the Moon

Biographer Piers Bizony believes that NASA Administrator James E. Webb has received remarkably little ink, considering Webb was at the helm of the agency during its most tempestuous years. "It is fascinating that in the many astronaut biographies and autobiographies written since the Apollo era, Webb features only as a distant administrator in far-off Washington, influencing their destinies from afar like a capricious fate," he observes.

Bizony may be right. Even a recent exhaustive study of the systems and administration management of 1960s-era NASA (The Secret of Apollo by Stephen B. Johnson) places Webb in a mere walk-on role, popping into the scene every now and then like a cameo actor. With his new biography, The Man Who Ran The Moon, Bizony makes it clear that Webb was no mere bit player. Here was a man equipped not only with vision, but also with the political connections to bring ideas to fruition.

Webb earned his credibility from high-stakes operations. He served as an effective negotiating liaison between the Roosevelt administration and the airline industry during the great airmail scandal of the 1930s. In the private sector, his legal expertise helped the Sperry Corporation become a successful defense contractor. Webb then acted as Director of the Bureau of the Budget for the Truman administration. Truman escalated his appointment to Under Secretary of State. His ultimate position as top administrator of NASA was not necessarily a coveted one. Bizony points out that at least 17 people prior to Webb had turned down the invitation to be the new chief of the agency.