S. military officials and scientists to find out what kind of technology the Russians must have and why the U.S. did not have superior technology (Krock, "G.O.P. On Defensive on Issue of Security," 1957).

The press certainly wasn't afraid to expose the reality behind the U.S. government's shock and surprise at the Sputnik launch, and even went so far as to exploit many politician's feelings of vulnerability to the communist nation. In the government, behind the scenes there was much fear and finger pointing, but the official story in the news articles, at least initially, emphasized the scientific accomplishments and feats that the Russians had undertaken, and not the potential foreign policy and military repercussions of the event. The Russians were bold enough to launch a satellite unannounced, and the U.S. was fearful that they would engage the rest of the world from a similar perspective (Schwartz, "Soviet Exploits its...
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