Intel warning

Declassified documents say US knew Sputnik was soon to orbit

The launch of Sputnik opened the space age and became a major victory for the Kremlin that highlighted its military might and technological abilities. But it wasn’t a surprise to those in the know within the Eisenhower administration.

Before the launch, the CIA issued two National Intelligence Estimates that included possible timelines for what was then called an “earth satellite vehicle.” In December 1955, one predicted the Soviets could launch one by 1958. In March 1957 — about six months before the launch — another intelligence estimate said Moscow was capable of putting a satellite into orbit before the end of that year.

And even earlier, then CIA Director Allen Dulles wrote a letter to the defense secretary in which he pushed for rapid development of an American earth satellite and warned of a public relations fallout for the United States if the Soviets were first to launch one.