Final answer:
American officials remained silent about Laika's treatment in space due to the United States' setbacks in the space race and to maintain a positive public image.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason why American officials said nothing about Laika's treatment in space is because at that time, the United States was lagging behind the Soviet Union in the space race. The Soviet Union had successfully launched several space missions, including sending dogs into orbit. On the other hand, the United States had experienced setbacks and failures in their space program. The officials may have chosen to remain silent to avoid drawing further attention to their own failures and to maintain a positive public image.