Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXV, Organization of Foreign Policy; Information Policy; United Nations; Scientific Matters

394. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of International Scientific Affairs (Rollefson) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (McGhee)¹

Washington, October 29, 1962.

SUBJECT

• Bilateral Cooperation with the USSR in Outer Space Activities

Last week we received notification from the Soviets accepting the technical proposals for cooperative projects in outer space activity which had been worked out between Dr. Dryden and Academician Blagonravov last June. This notification was in the form of a note dated October 12 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to our Embassy in Moscow (Tab A)² and a letter dated October 12 to Mr. Webb as Administrator of NASA from M.V. Keldysh, President of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Tab B).³

It was agreed within the Department (in consultation with Ambassador Thompson, Mr. Davis, and Mr. Garthoff on behalf of Deputy Under Secretary Johnson) that the note and the letter from Keldysh together constitute an adequate basis of agreement with the USSR for proceeding with the projects proposed by Dryden and Blagonravov.

NASA prepared, and we cleared within the Department, a press release to be issued by NASA (Tab C).⁴ The White House has directed, however, that the Government should not make any public statement on these developments at this time. Notwithstanding the White House “Hold” on the press release, the story leaked and appeared in this morning’s issue of the Washington Post (Tab D).⁵

Dr. Dryden has offered to notify the Senate and House Space Committees indicating that you and he would be pleased to discuss the matter personally with members of either Committee, if they should so desire. It seems appropriate that this be done as soon as convenient.

All the agencies who were represented in the several earlier meetings which you held on this subject have been notified. NASA, as the agency responsible for proceeding with these projects on behalf of the U.S. Government, will when appropriate make arrangements directly with the Soviet Academy or Blagonravov for meetings of the technical working groups which will develop the detailed arrangements for proceeding with these projects.

You will recall that, at the meeting on this subject which you chaired in mid-June, it was agreed that the President might write to Chairman Khrushchev noting both the agreement to proceed with the specific projects at hand and the prospects of further technical discussions on additional topics. The President was so informed in a memorandum of July 5 from the Acting Secretary (Tab E).⁶ It seems to us now that this need not, and should not be done.

The remaining step will be for Mr. Cleveland, at an appropriate time, to inform the UN Outer Space Committee of these developments through the Acting Secretary General.

These are the steps which were agreed at your meeting on June 15 and were reported to the President on July 5.

Recommendation

If you agree, I will see to it that they are taken as soon as it seems appropriate to Ambassador Thompson and Assistant Secretaries Tyler and Cleveland to do so., i.e.:

1. That the Senate and House Space Committees be notified by Dr. Dryden as soon as the White House withdraws its “Hold” on the NASA press release.

2. That NASA proceed to arrange with the Soviet Academy and Professor Blagonravov the steps to get underway the specific projects which have been agreed.

3. That the UN Outer Space Committee be informed through the Acting Secretary General of the United Nations.

4. That the White House (Mr. Bundy) be notified that, subject to his concurrence, we do not believe a letter on this subject from the President to Premier Khrushchev is necessary or appropriate at this time.⁷

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, SCI Files: Lot 65 D 473, SP 1–1, International Cooperation, USSR. Confidential. Drafted by Robert F. Packard (ISA), and concurred in by Ambassador at Large Llewellyn E. Thompson. Copies were sent to Thompson, Robert J. Manning (P), Leonard C. Meeker (L), Richard N. Gardner (IO), John C. Guthrie (EUR/SOV), Raymond L. Garthoff (G/PM), George Moffitt (IO/UNP), and Arnold Frutkin (NASA). The date of this memorandum was changed by hand from October 25 to October 29.
2. Not printed. In the note the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Embassy that, on September 13 Academician A. A. Blagonravov had informed NASA Representative Frutkin of Soviet approval of the recommendations. Their meeting took place during a session of the UN Committee on the Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes.
3. Not printed. In the letter, Keldysh informed Webb that the Soviet Union considered the agreement to have entered into effect and that Soviet scientists were ready to implement it.
4. Not printed.
5. Not printed. The story, entitled “Crisis Threatens Plan for Space Cooperation,” appeared in the October 25 edition of the Washington Post.
6. Document 392.
7. A handwritten note at the end of the memorandum indicates that McGhee approved all four recommendations on October 31.