81. Editorial Note
O’Connell was successful in his plan to establish a Communication Satellite Policy Coordination Committee. He saw the committee as the logical successor to the Katzenbach Committee of 1963–1964, which effected coordination of government policy during COMSAT’s formative stages. In a letter of February 21, 1966, to Secretary Rusk, O’Connell spelled out some of the concerns which had prompted the formation of the committee, including: “Is research and development in the communication satellite field progressing as rapidly as required,” and “Are we progressing with sufficient rapidity in exploiting the new capabilities of satellite communications?” He proposed that the first meeting [Page 153] be held on March 10. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Central Files, 1964–66, TEL 6)
No record was found of Secretary Rusk’s concurrence, but a February 24 memorandum from Bundy to O’Connell refers to O’Connell’s letter of February 21 to Rusk as establishing the committee. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Subject File, Communications (Nat’l Communications System, COMSAT, etc.), Vol. I, Box 6)