MEETING ON UNITED STATES/SOVIET SPACE COOPERATION, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 20 APRIL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81B00961R000100100185-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 13, 2001
• Sequence Number: 185
• Publication Date: April 23, 1962
• Content Type: MFR

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DPD 2683-62
23 April 1962
MEMORANDUM FOR TAE RECORD
SUBJECT : Meeting on United States/Soviet Space Cooperation, Department
of State, 20 April
REFERENCE : a. Memo for DD/R, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
(International Security Affairs) from Special Assistant to
the Secretary of State for Atomic Energy and Outer Space
dated 16 April 1962; Subject: "Meeting on U.S.-Soviet
Space Cooperation"
b. Memo for Dr. Wiesner, Dr. Welsh, Mr. Cartwright, Dr. Scoville,
Mr. Bundy from Deputy Special Assistant to the Secretary of
State for Atomic Energy and Outer Space, dated 18 April 1962;
Subject: - Soviet Space Cooperation" (DDR 104-02)
1. A meeting was held in the Department of State Friday, 20 April,
chaired by the Under Secretary of State, to discuss the referenced documents
above in connection with their impact on the forthcoming COSPAR meeting in
Washington 30 April, as well as to afford an opportunity to discuss Soviet
attitudes as indicated by the Dryden--Blagonravov conversations of last month.
2. The Under Secretary invited Dr. Dryden to open the meeting with com-
ments on the two references, which he did along the following lines:
a. Dr. Dryden said that he felt the discussions had been
fairly useful in establishing a climate for more serious and
detailed negotiations, but he indicated that they did not cover
In technical depth all of the subjects mentioned in the President's
reply to Premier Khrushchev. For example, although the President's
letter had proposed bilateral cooperation in the field of communi-
cations satellites, Blagonravov appeared to have been completely
uninstructed, as well as uninformed, on the technical side of the
problem. Dryden said that he appeared interested in cooperation in
a limited way, and that Blagonravov was apparently envious to receive
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U. S. proposals for definite projects that he could. take back to
the USSR as evidence of work having been accomplished in the
meetings.
b. Dr. Dryden stated that "cold war elements in these ses-
sions were at a minimum". The only such problem surfaced was that
of the so-called "Spy-in-the Sky" matter brought up by Biagonravov
which Dryden turned aside as "a legal and,political problem". Dr.
Dryden said that he felt the Soviets were receptive to possible
agreements on coordinated launches and cooperative tracking.
Within the past few days he had signaled Blagenravov through State
channels asking for comments growing out of the March sessions,
any new proposal or position papers developed by the Soviets since
the New York sessions, and be further asked Blagenravov about his
desires for a next formal meeting. No answer had been received,
according to Dr. Dryden, as of 20 April.
c. On the subject of military reconnaissance, Dr. Dryden
said that in addition to Blagenxavov's rather hesitating comments
on the subject of a proposed ban on satellite reconnaissance, the
political advisers in the Soviet delegation had asked repeatedly
for the inclusion of a formal ban on reconnaissance during the
closing day when both delegations were debating the content of a
proposed joint press release. As a matter of fact, since no
agreement was possible between the two groups on this subject, the
ultimate press release turned out to be a rather pale statement,
which actually mentioned no specific proposals as having been
subject to agreement.
3. Mr. James Webb, NASA Adviser, then expressed his preference for a
program for step-by-step progress towards U. S.-Soviet space cooperation
rather than through the mechanism of an all-inclusive "space treaty". Dr.
Dryden added that in his opinion there was every indication that the Russians
desired to use an international forum for the whole question of space coop-
eration, and he seemed to think that following a bilateral start on the
question at first, the Russians might propose that it be considered multi-
laterally in the General Assembly or the Security Council. Dr. Wiesner
added that he was inclined to favor Mr. Webb's views on step-by-step progress
as being susceptible of easier accomplishment. Dr. Dryden then said that he
felt it would be encouraging if Blagonravov was appointed by the Ruesians as
their chief negotiator on substantive space talks but that he would be much
less encouraged if Federov were to head the Russian group. Dr. Wiesner then
commented that in his opinion it was still too early to make any valid judg-
ment on the prospect for full-scale agreements on outer apace subjects.
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4. The Under Secretary then said that he had just about reached the
conclusion that the Soviets in this instance may have been earnestly seeking
sabstantive agreements with us, as opposed to some of their propaganda
efforts in the past. Dr. Reichelderfer then said that he could report posi-
tive interest in cooperation among his Soviet counterparts in recent months.
Dr. Wexschler, also of the Weather Bureau, said that in his attendance of
the WMO meetings at Geneva last month, the Soviets finally furnished his
counterpart to the meeting, even though he was not in attendance at the
time the session started, which was prior to Khrushchev's reply to Mr. Kennedy.
One obstacle to full cooperation in the field of meteorological satellites
seems to be, according to Wexschler, a basic opposition on their part to any
read-out by this country of their meteorological satellite photography.
Privately after the meeting Dr. Wexschler commented to me on this subject
that he felt this reluctance was due to the fairly primitive state of the
Soviet meteorological photographic art as compared with U. S. products. This
deficiency he attributes to past emphasis in the Soviet space program which
favored spectacular headline-attracting launches, as opposed to a purely
scientific space program. Dr. Dryden added that he did think that the first
Soviet meteorological satellite will be included in the present Cosmos series.
5. Dr. Wexschler continued in commenting on his counterpart scientists
and their attitudes by saying that they were firmly opposed in the WMO meeting
to constant level balloon systems for meteorological communication, and that
several of these scientists had commented to him that this opposition was
grounded in past U. S. attempts to exploit balloon systems for %liege].
reconnaissance". He said that their entire attitude seemed to be that they
preferred to water down U. S. specific proposals for cooperation to rather
knave generalities. Part of this he attributed to what be feels is the
definite lack of information exchange between meteorologists and "rocket
people" in the USSR.
(. Dr. Welsh of the National Aeronautics Council said that he also
preferred step-by-step agreement on individual projects as the way to great-
est success. In company with Dr. Dryden he is of the view that in all
instances the Soviets will insist on lengthy and definitive written agree-
ments before committing to terms on a particular project. Dr. Dryden said
that in the New York meetings the Soviets seemed to be opposed to any exchange
of technical information on tracking stations' capabilities. He said this
makes it easier for the United States to withhold similar technical informa-
tion from them, an aim which he says his delegation was conscious of during
the New York sessions. Dr. Dryden said that he was of the opinion that the
May twenty-eighth Geneva meeting of the Legal Section of the United Nations
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space would bring us face to face
for the first time with the satellite reconnaissance question. He said as
he saw it, the Soviets were preparing to give us "a rough time" at this
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meeting. The group agreed with the position taken by one of the representa-
tives of the United States that the WMO meeting in May may also give us
indicators of Soviet attitudes of reconnaissance satellites. Also Dr. Wexschler
had earlier said that this subject was not brought up at the March WMO meeting.
7. On the question of coordinated launches, Dr. Dryden said that in the
event the Soviets agreed to exchange photographs from weather satellites, the
United States would then not need to launch as many of them as are currently
programed. Dr. Dryden also reported that there was discussion in New York of
a joint consultative forum between United States and Russian bio-medical types
as an aftermath of manned flights undertaken by either side, but that no
formal agreement was reached.
a. The Under Secretary expressed his continued concern about "this spy-
in-the-sky business", and after soliciting Dr. Scoville's views on the effect
of this subject on bilateral space cooperation, he said that he was disturbed
by current newspaper interpretations of the new restrictive DOD press policy,
and he added, "We must find a way to change that". The meeting concluded on
the note that the resumption of atomic tests this month may well have an
immediately discernible adverse effect on space cooperation, possible evidenced
as soon as the COSPAR meeting, as well as in possible walkouts by the Soviet
representatives to the United Nations Outer Space Committee at their conclaves
in New York.
JAMES A. CUNNINGHAM, JR.
Assistant Chief, DPD
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