I doesn't seem that support for that can be found in Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflight-related_ac...

"not included are alleged unreported Soviet space accidents, which are considered fringe theories by a majority of historians."

Maybe you refer to the overall conditions of all those involved in the projects (construction workers etc)?

Otherwise, I agree with your premise of a military campaign, the moon landing just wouldn't have happened without all the earlier development of nuclear missiles. Everything about the rockets, their propulsion and their navigation was first developed to successfully bomb the planned targets with the nuclear and thermonuclear warheads.