In the Philadelphia Inquirer:
PRINCE OF PEACE WINS; CHRIST HRS*
As soon as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration revealed last spring the identities of the seven Project Mercury astronauts (TIME, April 20), newspaper chains, magazines and radio-TV networks bombarded NASA with bids for exclusive rights to the great adventure story. Firmly NASA turned down all comers: the U.S. taxpayer, who was financing the man-into-space project, was entitled to the full official story—free. But in disclaiming its own right to merchandise the personal accounts of the seven chosen astronauts, NASA passed that right to the spacemen themselves.
Last week through their Washington attorney, Leo DeOrsey (who charged no fee), the astronauts announced their Boswell: LIFE. For some $500,000 to be split seven equal ways, LIFE bought the exclusive right to all seven personal diaries of the astronauts' experiences leading up to and including the first trips into space. The men early decided on the seven-way split (actually 14, since the astronauts' wives are contract signatories) on the common-sense ground that though only one man could be first up, the other six will probably follow him.
LIFE'S contract includes magazine, foreign and domestic serial and book rights. Attorney DeOrsey counseled the astronauts to negotiate separate contracts for television and movie rights, product endorsement and, in DeOrsey's words, "things you couldn't imagine." The "things," added DeOrsey, do not include a bid from a bank to open an astronauts account with the theme: "They might take a risk in space but when it comes to what they do with their money on good old earth . . ." DeOrsey coldly turned the offer down. LIFE has assigned three staffers to stay with the seven astronauts during most of their rigorous conditioning period, has a first article in the works.
*Over a sports story in which Prince of Peace, a softball team in the European Athletic Association, defeated its opponent with the help of a three-run homer by Rightfielder Garret Christ.