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

401. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency¹

Washington, July 31, 1963.

SUBJECT

• Soviet Views on Future Space Operations

Dr. Hugh Dryden of NASA has received a letter, date 23 July 1963, from Sir Bernard Lovell, Director of the Jodrell Bank Radio-astronomical observatory, forwarding the suggestions of Matislav Keldysh, President of the Academy of Sciences USSR.²

During his talks with Lovell, Keldysh suggested that plans for an early manned lunar landing should be developed on an international basis. Keldysh claimed that Soviet scientists had rejected any manned lunar landing mission for the time being because of the hazards of solar flares, the tremendous launch propulsion requirements, and the ability of unmanned instrumented probes to solve the scientific problems involved in lunar exploration more cheaply and quickly.

Lovell concluded during his conversations with Keldysh that decisions had been made by the Soviets to continue instrumented probes to Mars, Venus, and the moon; that the apparatus for a soft landing of instruments on the moon will be ready for launch in a matter of months; and that rendezvous and docking techniques would be developed “with an immediate aim (perhaps 1965–66)” of establishing a manned space platform for astronomical observations. Lovell also forwarded the details of a cooperative program arranged between Jodrell Bank and the Deep Space Tracking Center at Yevpatoriya, which he visited during his recent trip to the USSR.

We believe that the proposal submitted by Keldysh—that a manned lunar enterprise be considered on an international basis-is another step in a Soviet move to internationalize manned lunar exploration. This step closely coincides with one taken during an early July 1963 meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Liege, Belgium. According to a US scientist, V.A. Ambartsumyam—a member of the Academy of Sciences USSR and President of the IAU—told foreign scientists that both he and Keldysh are of the opinion that any attempted manned flight to the moon should be deferred at this time in favor of deep space probes. He stated that the potential scientific results that might be obtained from a manned lunar mission do not justify the great expenses necessary to achieve it.

1. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, Space Activities, U.S.-USSR Cooperation, 1961–63, Box 308. Confidential. The memorandum gives no addressee and is unsigned, but is attached to a covering memorandum from Cline to Bundy, which reads: “1. Mr. McCone and I think you may be interested in the attached memorandum. 2. The President of the USSR Academy of Sciences has suggested that an international program be launched for an early-manned lunar landing mission. The memorandum summarizes and comments on his suggestions, forwarded to Hugh Dryden of NASA in a letter from Sir Bernard Lovell following the latter’s visit to the USSR. 3. We have made no distribution of this memorandum.”
2. See footnote 3, Document 404.