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

417. Position Paper Prepared in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs¹

Washington, undated.

AN INITIATIVE ON OUTER SPACE AT THE 16th SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The attached plan for United Nations Consideration of Outer Space matters outlines a number of initiatives which the United States has the opportunity to take in this field at the Sixteenth Session of the General Assembly. These would represent an important step in implementation of the position the President has taken with respect to international cooperation in outer space and in connection with meteorological and communications satellite systems.

In his January 30th message, the President stated “this Administration intends to explore promptly all possible areas of cooperation with the Soviet Union and other nations ‘to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors’”.² He then extended an invitation to all nations to join with the United States in developing a weather prediction program and a new communications satellite program. Later, in his statement on communications satellite policy, he again invited “all nations to participate in a communications satellite system, in the interest of world peace and closer brotherhood among peoples throughout the world.”³

The attached plan, in brief, calls for the United States to: a) outline to the General Assembly our efforts in the development of communications and meteorological satellites and our plans for international cooperation in their use, and b) present a set of proposals relating to the establishment of a regime of peace and law in Outer Space.

United States proposals relating to peace and law in outer space will serve to strengthen the role of the United Nations in this new field and will represent an effort to curb extension of the harmful consequences of the cold war to the dimension of space. These proposals, together with United States initiatives with regard to cooperative sharing in the field of communications and weather satellites, will contrast strongly with the approach the Soviets have adopted in outer space thus far and will help build legitimacy for outer space activities which the United States wishes to undertake. It is important, for example, to set the stage now for general acceptance of the world-wide communications system which the United States will want to establish by the middle of the present decade and to elicit essential foreign cooperation in regard to allocation of frequencies, establishment of ground terminals, financial support, rate-making, etc.

By taking the initiative in the sharing of its achievements in these areas, the United States can demonstrate that it has the vision and generosity to match its technical accomplishments.

The principal cautionary consideration in developing such an initiatives plan is that the United States should not overcommit itself. In this interest various modifications have been made to an earlier draft of the proposal in an effort to bring it in line with present and estimated future capabilities in these fields.

Attachment

PLAN FOR UNITED NATIONS CONSIDERATION OF OUTER SPACE MATTERS

During the 16th session of the General Assembly the United States would set forth its view of the importance of the role of the United Nations in outer space, would outline United States plans and efforts regarding projects of direct interest to all nations, and would present a set of proposals relating to outer space.

A. Advocacy of a Regime of Peace and Law in Outer Space.

The United States would make clear that we seek a regime of peace and law in outer space and the development of practices, principles and agreements on which such a regime can rest. In this connection, the United States would make the following points:

1) Outer space begins at least as close to the surface of the earth as the region in which satellites may be maintained in orbit.

2) International law, and, in particular, the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations Charter, have application to outer space and celestial bodies.

3) Outer space and celestial bodies are available for exploration and use by all States, in conformity with the principles of international law, and are not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty or otherwise.

4) The benefits of the peaceful exploration and use of outer space should accrue to all mankind. To this end, international cooperation in Outer Space should be maximized.

5) As a first step to keep the arms race from extending to outer space, States examining the question of disarmament should include in their discussions the desirability of the early establishment of effective measures to ensure that weapons of mass destruction are not stationed in outer space or on celestial bodies.

6) The United Nations has an important role to play in facilitating and regulating outer space activities.

7) States launching objects into orbit or sustained space flight should transmit to the Secretary-General, as early as practicable, information concerning such launchings together with data relevant for the purpose of identification of such objects.

8) There should be established within the United Nations Secretariat a small expert group which would:

a) Register all objects launched into orbit or sustained space transit, together with a record of information relating to such objects and facilitating their identification;

b) Communicate, upon request, available information concerning launchings, together with data relevant for identification, to Members of the United Nations and of the Specialized Agencies;

c) Serve as a clearing house of the exchange of scientific, technical and other information relating to outer space activities;

d) Assist in formulating proposals for the promotion of international cooperation in outer space activities;

e) Advise the Secretary-General in matters pertaining to outer space activities;

f) Perform such other functions of a technical nature as may be relevant to the international use of outer space;

g) To these ends, maintain contact with Members of the United Nations and of the Specialized Agencies and with governmental and non-governmental organizations concerned with outer space.

The attached draft resolution (Tab A)⁴ embodying the points outlined above would be submitted for General Assembly consideration.

B. Fostering of Other International Cooperation in Outer Space.

Reemphasizing our view that the exploration and use of space are ultimately a venture on behalf of the human race as a whole, the United States should inform the General Assembly that we are devoting special attention to space activities which are fully expected to become, over a period of years, of widespread practical benefit. We would point out that both in the case of meteorological and communications applications of satellites, we will need not only to perfect the complex ground and space-borne instruments; we will also need to develop workable international cooperative arrangements.

1) In the field of communications, it should be stated that:

a) The United States views the communications satellite as a tool for improving communications and thereby mutual understanding throughout the world. We wish to see our research efforts lead to the establishment of a system which will over a period of years achieve global coverage and maximum linking of the countries of the world. We wish to see United Nations Members not only use the system, but also participate in its ownership and operation if they so desire. We are seeking practical ways to do this. We have already begun to enlist the aid of other countries in the experiments we are now planning, and we shall extend our efforts to include additional countries as this becomes practical.

b) Bearing in mind the importance of preventing space activities from widening the gap between the technologically advanced nations and other nations, we hope that the communications satellite can help meet the needs of developing as well as developed areas. To this end, the United States stands ready to support the technical assistance program of the International Telecommunication Union and to take other appropriate measures to give technical and financial assistance to less developed countries for the development of their domestic communications facilities so that they can take advantage of the world-wide system of space communications.

c) We believe that the United Nations will itself play a constructive role. As the problems of using this new tool are identified, the United Nations should deal effectively with them. A pressing problem which can be met by an existing specialized agency (the International Telecommunication Union) is the allocation of radio frequencies. We believe the ITU conference now tentatively scheduled for 1963 should in fact be called and that sufficient progress will have been made by that time to provide the basis for action which will accommodate the interests of all nations in ensuring the optimum use of the limited radio frequencies.

d) In our view special arrangements should be made to service the communications needs of the United Nations through this new system. This might be done in many ways. Communications satellites could provide rapid, reliable communications for United Nations emergency operations such as that in the Congo. They could provide for direct television contact between the United Nations Secretary General and foreign government leaders; conferences between heads of government might be conducted through this medium if the necessity arose. To generate world-wide understanding of vital issues before the United Nations, provision should be made for television and radio relay of United Nations Security Council and General Assembly sessions and information programs of the United Nations Department of Public Affairs. The United States hopes that by the Fall of 1962 one of our experimental satellites will be capable, for brief periods, of transmitting across the Atlantic live television reports of debates in the General Assembly.

2) In the field of meteorology, The United States would state that:

a) Scientific and technological developments in the atmospheric sciences have been extraordinarily rapid in recent years, due in large part to applications of electronic computers, instrumented balloons, rockets, satellites, and several indirect methods for probing the atmosphere. Furthermore, advances in physical theory and computer techniques make it now possible to study the atmosphere in unprecedented scope and detail. This progress opens the way for improvement of the scientific basis of weather forecasting and for examination of the possibilities of large scale weather modification. These prospects hold great promise for both developed and underdeveloped countries. By making natural phenomena more predictable, they would foster progress in industry, agriculture, and health, and open the way to a rising standard of living around the world.

Much of the progress already achieved has resulted from international scientific cooperation, and further progress depends in large measure on the services of the World Meteorological Organization. This Specialized Agency of the United Nations has defined for itself a valuable role which should be maintained and strengthened.

b) To make best use of existing resources and new opportunities for progress, the United States advocates that consideration be given by the United Nations, through UNESCO and WMO as appropriate, to the establishment of an International Atmospheric Science Program (IASP) and an International Meteorological Service Program (IMSP), coordinated to achieve the following purposes on a systematic world-wide basis:

1) To obtain, through IASP, global coverage in atmospheric data gathering and improved understanding of higher altitude conditions through the coordinated international use of rocket firings, indirect probes, and meteorological satellites in a World Weather Watch (WWW). By extending the coverage of existing data-gathering networks, the WWW would encourage a firmer scientific basis for weather forecasting, greater knowledge of basic physical forces affecting climate, and the possibility of investigations of large-scale climate modification.

2) To assist member nations, or groups of nations, to make effective use of currently existing meteorological techniques and data by establishing, under IMSP, Regional Weather Analysis Centers. Such Regional Centers could be established in underdeveloped areas through intergovernmental agreement, in part fostered by WMO’s technical assistance and communication programs.

c) To facilitate these international programs, the U.S. is prepared to make available the new opportunities for significant improvement in data gathering and transmission techniques achieved by its meteorological and communications satellites. The U.S. is conducting research on methods which would permit direct read-out of satellite cloud photography in any part of the world. If this is successful, the way will be opened for a marked increase in the timely availability of useful data. The U.S. is further planning an international workshop in which technical experts from 104 weather services will be able to develop skills for analyzing cloud cover photographs and other meteorological satellite observations. In addition, the U.S. envisions that the facilities of its communications satellite program, currently in the process of development, could be made available to improve the timely interchange of meteorological data on a regular basis.

d) To achieve these ends, the United States recommends that the General Assembly

1) Invite the International Council of Scientific Unions to constitute an appropriate body for continuing high level scientific advice and innovation in the field of Atmospheric Sciences in the form of a Special Committee on the Atmospheric Sciences.

2) Invite UNESCO to constitute an Atmospheric Sciences Commission (ASC) to focus the resources of governments on the IASP and IMSP and to achieve their implementation.

3) Commend the WMO for its effective service activities in communication and technical assistance and encourage the continued expansion of these functions to facilitate the objectives of the IMSP.

3) In the field of navigation, the U.S. would state that it is currently developing a navigational satellite system that will provide precise and frequent positional information at any point on the earth’s surface. This system, which utilizes four transit satellites in polar orbits at 600 nautical miles altitude, has been successfully tested and is planned to become fully operational in 1962 or 1963. The U.S. will make available the specifications for the shipborne navigational equipment which will enable ships of all nations to share in this advance in navigational science. The U.S. is currently exploring ways in which the services of the appropriate Specialized Agencies of the United Nations might be utilized in extending the benefits of this system to all members of the United Nations.

Activities of the Outer Space Committee.

The United States should refer to the foregoing and to the rapidly accelerating pace of outer space activities. We should note that two years have elapsed since a committee representing the General Assembly reviewed outer space matters. We are keenly disappointed that the Committee established by the General Assembly at its 14th Session has never met to undertake the work assigned it. We attach great importance to the United Nations role in outer space matters and to the constructive work which the Outer Space Committee should perform. In this regard the United States therefore strongly urges the activation of the Outer Space Committee, recommends that since its current members have not yet been able to exercise their functions as such their terms should be extended for the years 1962–1963, and calls upon all members of this committee to participate in its work in a spirit of international cooperation.

1. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Subjects Series, United Nations, General, 9/61, Box 310. Confidential. Drafted by Richard N. Gardner, Oliver S. Crosby, Elmore Jackson (all of IO), and Herbert L. Reis (L).
2. See Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961, p. 26.
3. See ibid., p. 530.
4. Not printed.