355. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (Berding) to the Secretary’s Special Assistant for Disarmament and Atomic Energy (Farley)1

For your information there is quoted below an excerpt from my preliminary and informal notes on the OCB luncheon of December 4, 1957:

“Publicity on Launching of U.S. Satellite

“At the OCB luncheon there was extended discussion of the publicity connected with the attempt to launch an earth satellite at Cape Canaveral, Florida. There was general agreement that the extensive and sensational news stories were having an extremely deleterious impact throughout the world. Mr. Herter remarked that the psychologic beating which the U.S. took because of the launching of Sputnik was being exceeded by the beating the U.S. is suffering because of the publicized fizzle in Florida. The fact that papers throughout the U.S. were carrying official U.S. Navy photographs of arrangements for the launching was mentioned, as were the facilities being accorded to the press at the launching site. Mr. Sprague said that the Department of Defense had been under great pressure from the press, which had adopted an attitude that delay or failure in the launching was impossible. Further, the press felt that it was entitled to full coverage irrespective of the possible impact overseas.

“Later, General Cutler expressed strong views that the proposal to name U.S. satellites after scientists was inadvisable. He felt that the use of names would be misunderstood and would make the U.S. vulnerable to propaganda attacks. Names might mean one thing in English and to the West, but might mean something quite different in other languages and areas. Nationality, racial and religious complications were foreseen. There was general agreement by the Board that efforts should be made to stop the proposed use of the name ‘Goddard’ for the first satellite and that the whole policy of giving names to satellites should be reviewed.

“It was agreed by the Board that Defense should report at the meeting next week on its experiences to date under the guidelines on publicity which were adopted by the Board on November 6, and [Page 775] particularly with regard to difficulties in applying the guidelines in the case of the attempted satellite launching in Florida. The Executive Officer of the OCB was called upon to present to the Board next week updated guidelines incorporating the OCB committee actions subsequent to November 6.”

Arthur L. Richards 2
  1. Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Earth Satellite. Secret. Drafted by Arthur L. Richards, Operations Coordinator in the Office of the Under Secretary of State, whose typed signature appears at the end of the source text. Copies were sent to Elbrick, Rubottom, Robertson, Rountree, and Wilcox.
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.