President Ford Talking with the Apollo-Soyuz Crew Members
7/17/1975
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In spite of Cold War tension, both the United States and the Soviet Union expressed interest in joint space exploration. In 1972, the two countries signed an Agreement of Cooperation.
In July 1975, the first joint Soviet-American spacecraft docking took place. American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts docked their spacecraft in orbit above the earth, as people around the world watched on television. Later that day, the crews of both spacecraft talked with President Gerald Ford on the phone and listened to a message from Soviet Leonid Brezhnev.
This photograph shows President Gerald R. Ford talking on the telephone with the Apollo-Soyuz crew members during the docked portion of the Apollo-Soyuz space flight.
Both superpowers saw this spaceflight as more than scientific progress, and the beginning of the end of the space race. The unique mission combined diplomacy and science, demonstrated that U.S.-Soviet cooperation was possible, and laid the foundation for the current International Space Station.
In July 1975, the first joint Soviet-American spacecraft docking took place. American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts docked their spacecraft in orbit above the earth, as people around the world watched on television. Later that day, the crews of both spacecraft talked with President Gerald Ford on the phone and listened to a message from Soviet Leonid Brezhnev.
This photograph shows President Gerald R. Ford talking on the telephone with the Apollo-Soyuz crew members during the docked portion of the Apollo-Soyuz space flight.
Both superpowers saw this spaceflight as more than scientific progress, and the beginning of the end of the space race. The unique mission combined diplomacy and science, demonstrated that U.S.-Soviet cooperation was possible, and laid the foundation for the current International Space Station.
This primary source comes from the Collection GRF-WHPO: White House Photographic Office Collection (Ford Administration).
National Archives Identifier: 12082705
Full Citation: Photograph A5580-12; President Gerald R. Ford Talking on the Telephone with the Apollo-Soyuz Crew Members during the Docked Portion of the Apollo-Soyuz Space Flight; 7/17/1975; Gerald R. Ford White House Photographs, 8/9/1974 - 1/20/1977; Collection GRF-WHPO: White House Photographic Office Collection (Ford Administration); Gerald R. Ford Library, Ann Arbor, MI. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/ford-phone-apollo-soyuz, January 25, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
