Wilson, Charles Erwin 'Engine Charlie'

American Manager, Eisenhower's Secretary of Defense 1953-1957, an ardent opponent of spaceflight. He had previously run GM, where he coined the phrase "What's good for General Motors is good for the country".

Secretary of Defense under Eisenhower between 1953 and 1957, an ardent opponent of spaceflight. He had previously run GM, where he coined the phrase "What's good for General Motors is good for the country". Among his decisions was to prevent the Army's Jupiter-C missile putting a satellite into orbit before Sputnik; and favoring the Air Force's Thor missile over the Army's Jupiter (which happened to be built by GM competitor Chrysler).