Los Alamos National Laboratory
Presidential visits
From left: President Kennedy, President Reagan, President Ford, and President Clinton.CREDIT: Los Alamos National Laboratory
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- Editor
- Whitney Spivey
By John Moore
President Kennedy
On December 7, 1962, President John Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon Johnson traveled to Los Alamos for a briefing on the details of Project Rover, the Lab’s program to develop nuclear rocket engines for space travel. After visiting the Lab, Kennedy addressed Los Alamos residents at the high school football field and then rode down Central Avenue in a motorcade.
President Reagan 
Former Hollywood movie star and future president Ronald Reagan visited Los Alamos in April 1967, when he was governor of California. At that time, the Laboratory was managed entirely by the University of California system.
President Ford
Gerald Ford visited the Lab on July 12, 1975, shortly before becoming president in August.
President Clinton
Bill Clinton visited twice during his presidency—once on May 13, 1993, and again on February 4, 1998. Here, he is with then-Lab Director Sig Hecker and others.
