Interesting find in a book called -

"MOONGATE: Suppressed Findings of the U.S. Space Program
 The NASA-Military Cover-Up" By William L. Brian II
Published by
FUTURE SCIENCE RESEARCH PUBLISHING CO.
P.O. BOX 06392
PORTLAND, OR 97206-0020

Exremely good book, I highly recommend it to all.

********************************************************

Pg.21

In 1947, the Secretary of Defense was added to the cabinet 
and the Research and Development Board (RDB) was placed 
under the Department of Defense. The RDB postponed the 
decision of which military branch would develop and 
deplopy long range missiles. Through 1948, the Navy 
continued their satellite research activity while the Air 
Force discontinued theirs.
  The first public announcemenyt of the sattelite program 
was included in the Report of the Secretary of Defense in 
1948. In "The History of Rocket Technology", written in 
1964, Cargill Hall states:
  Forrestal's early veiled announcment of the U.S. 
satellite program caused a great deal of consternation 
among those working on the sattelite project in the United 
States in 1949 and who were trying to preserve its aspect 
of secrecy....After this occurence, NO OFFICIAL REFERENCE 
in open literature was made to an American satellite 
effort until November 1954, when the Department of 
Defense, in a terse two-sentence comment, reported that 
studies continued to be made in the Earth Sattelite 
Vehicle Program. The statement, approved by Secretary of 
Defense Charles Wilson, was issued after an earlier press 
conference statement by the Secretary that he was unaware 
of an American Satellite program.
  ....In 1955, the White House announced that plans had 
been approved for an Earth-circling satellite for 
scientific observations.  It seens that most of the public 
was never aware that Secretary of Defense Forrestal 
announced the U.S. satellite program in 1948.
  Sputinik I was fired on October 4, 1957.
............... . ... ...-.... 1200  N81N          ........