399. Telegram From the Mission in Geneva to the Department of State1

1525. For Frutkin NASA. Outer Space Bilateral. At final meeting May 24 Dryden and Blagonravov exchanged English and Russian texts of geomagnetism agreement reported Mission tel 14532 with editorial changes: In numbered para 8 “an attachment” should read “attachments” and word “survey” following thereafter should be plural. In para 9 final clause first sentence should read “and of analysis of the results.”

As reported telcon with NASA,3Blagonravov stated he had tried unsuccessfully to obtain agreement on all three areas of agreement prior Friday’s mtg.4 But Soviet Academy had said in view of internal problems in Academy they wished have personal report by Blagonravov [Page 905] prior to acting. He felt two weeks would be sufficient for Academy review and that approval might come during time of COSPAR mtg. In lieu of signed covering statement as reported reftel, Blagonravov proposed exchange of letters, noting each side would refer matter back home for review, and referring to earlier agreement that Section VI of Rome memo be amended to provide notification of any changes “in shortest possible time after conclusion” geomagnetic discussion here. Was agreed that new geomagnetic text should replace Para IV in Rome text. He obviously instructed handle this in low key and avoid implication of anything beyond completion of job begun in Rome.

Texts of letters follow:

May 24, 1963

Dear Dr. Dryden:

During our meeting last May 16, I informed you, on the instruction of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR of the following changes in the text of the recommendations we had agreed upon in Rome: In Section VI, the period of coming into force, instead of the words “in a two-month period beginning with today” to put in the words “in the shortest possible time after the conclusion of discussions concerning the conduct of a world magnetic survey by means of artificial satellites.”

As I had already informed you in my letter of May 16, 1963,5 in connection with the conclusion of our negotiations in Geneva, I shall, upon my return to Moscow, inform the Academy of Sciences of the USSR of the mutual understanding we have reached on the question of a magnetic survey by means of artificial earth satellites. The decision of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR on this question shall be communicated to NASA of the United States of America according to the arrangements concerning the recommendations we had agreed upon in Rome.

Academician A. Blagonravov

May 24, 1963

Dear Academician Blagonravov:

The proposal of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, which you communicated to me on May 16, to make certain changes in Section VI of the recommendations we made in Rome, is accepted. In Section VI the words “in a two-month period beginning with today are replaced by “in the shortest possible time after the conclusion of discussions concerning the conduct of a world magnetic survey by means of artificial satellites.”

At our meeting today we exchanged English and Russian texts of the mutual understanding we have reached on the question of a magnetic [Page 906] survey by means of earth satellites, which completes our discussion of this question begun in Rome and reported in Paragraph IV of the Rome recommendations. On my return, I will report this recommendation to NASA and inform you promptly of our decision on acceptance.

Hugh L. Dryden

Tubby
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1960–63, SP 1–1 US–USSR. Limited Official Use.
  2. Not printed. (Ibid.)
  3. No other record of this telephone conversation has been found.
  4. May 24.
  5. See Document 398.