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

480. Memorandum From Nathaniel McKitterick of the Office of International Economic and Social Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, to the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Cleveland)¹

Washington, September 13, 1963.

SUBJECT

• President Approves Initiation of Antarctic Inspections

The President has approved the initiation of inspections in Antarctica during the coming austral summer season.² The Washington Embassies of the other eleven Governments which are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty were informed of this decision by this office yesterday and this morning. Attached is a copy of the Press Release being issued by the Department of State at noon today (with 3 o’clock as the release time).³

Plans are considerably advanced for the inspections to be undertaken. Two teams of Observers will be sent to the Antarctic. One team of four, headed by Russian-speaking John Guthrie, Director of the Office of Soviet Affairs, will go by plane from McMurdo to two Soviet stations (Mirnyy and Vostok) and to two Australian stations (Mannon and Wilkes). This team will also visit the New Zealand Scott station and make a flight over the French station at D’Urville for aerial observation (as expressly authorized by paragraph 4 of Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty). This team will consist of four rather than three because we are including an interpreter for full coverage of the Russian language.

The other team of three, headed by Richard Hawkins, Spanish-speaking Foreign Service Officer, will travel by the Coast Guard icebreaker Eastwind from Valparaiso to Palmer Peninsula to inspect the stations of Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom (two each).

Nine observers have been selected, seven of them to serve on the two teams and two serve as alternates.

The reaction of the Soviet Union to our plans has been: this is not necessary but if you wish to go ahead with inspections, you are welcome to visit Soviet Stations.

Four other countries have indicated that they also intend to designate Observers and inspect the United States station at McMurdo and the New Zealand Scott station nearby. These four are Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Each inspection will be undertaken on a unilateral basis.

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, IO Files: Lot 69 D 169, Antarctica Files, Chron. Files, Sept.-Oct. 1963. Confidential. Drafted by Simsarian.
2. A September 4 memorandum from McGeorge Bundy to Secretary Rusk stated that the President had given his formal approval to the Antarctic inspection plan summarized in Rusk’s September 3 memorandum. (Ibid., U.S. Activities in Antarctica, Inspection 1963) The September 3 memorandum was not found.
3. Not printed. For text of the Department of State’s announcement of September 13 that an inspection would be held during the 1963–1964 summer season, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1963, pp. 1045–1046.