This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
On July 20, 1969, as the world watched in awe, the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon. The event sparked a wave of messages from world leaders, offering words of congratulations and inspiration. However, a closer look at these messages reveals a complex mix of ideals and self-interest.
For some leaders, the moon landing represented a beacon of hope for freedom and unity. Anatols Dinbergs, an exiled leader from Latvia, spoke of how the mission would contribute to the 'restoration of freedom to all nations.' In contrast, leaders like Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China and Park Chung-hee of South Korea, who maintained control through torture and murder, invoked lofty platitudes about 'world utopia' and 'justice, freedom, and unity' with little irony.
Other leaders, like Joseph-Désiré Mobutu of Congo, betrayed their true nature in their messages. Mobutu claimed the mission of the Apollo 11 astronauts as his own, describing it as 'the conquest of space in order to make man its master.' This metaphor of conquest seemed to strike few leaders at the time as discordant.
President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz of Mexico looked to history for lessons applicable for the occasion. 'In 1492, the discovery of the American Continent transformed geography and the course of human events,' he said, drawing a parallel between that event and the 'conquest of ultraterrestrial space.' This comparison is chilling, as it erases the tens of millions who inhabited pre-Columbian America and their ancient civilizations.
Today, these messages serve as a reminder of the complexities of human nature and the challenges of separating ideals from self-interest.
