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TLS, one page, 6 x 9.75, personal letterhead, July 8, 1960. Letter General Lyman Lemnitzer, Chief of Staff of the Army, in full: “Please allow me to express to you, on behalf of the people of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, our deep appreciation for your thoughtful letter on the occasion of our transfer to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After our many years of close and rewarding association with the United States Army, all of us were swept by many rich and poignant memories when the actual transfer took place. My associates and I will always be grateful for the magnificent leadership and staunch support that the Army provided our missile and space missions. Free men everywhere will be forever indebted to the Army for its towering contributions to the defense of the Free World. The Army also will be long remembered for its efforts in winning world prestige in the exploration of outer space.
We of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center are looking forward keenly to our continued and pleasant companionship with the Army agencies here at Redstone Arsenal. We are going to be the very best of good neighbors to all of the fine Army and contractor organizations in this area; and I'm confident that we're going to enjoy a happy and fruitful relationship for many years to come. I've taken the liberty of enclosing a copy of the talk I made at the transfer ceremony on July 1, which expresses my thoughts on this subject a little more fully. Please let me say again how grateful my associates and I are for the truly satisfying experience of working so long with the leaders and men and women of the great United States Army. There will never be a better one.” Handsomely double-matted and framed with a portrait of von Braun to an overall size of 23.25 x 17.75. In fine condition.
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) officially became part of NASA on July 1, 1960, after the U.S. government decided to shift space exploration from military to civilian control. As part of this, the space-related elements of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, including von Braun’s team and their facilities, were transferred from the U.S. Army to NASA. The MSFC soon took over as the heart of U.S. space launch vehicle engineering, playing a critical role in the Apollo program, particularly in building the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon.
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