Soviet probes were not just attempting. In fact these were the only ones which delivered lunar soil to the mankind for research. Almost everything we know about the Moon geology is from success of the Luna robots. The author is very ignorant and keen to raise the US superiority in the eyes of the uninformed reader. Looks like the Cold War is still running, huh. Robots did the real job. Sending man to the Moon was a joke of some self-important mind. Robots do better. Lunokhod-1 is quite a thing, not a Hollywood animation. It is still there!
Upd: for the interested mind http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Luna/Luna.php
I seriously doubt man really stepped on the Moon. Lunokhod-1 laser experiments had more practical value than fancy jumps of Aldrin.