102. Editorial Note
On June 4, 1968, President Johnson returned to Glassboro, New Jersey, the site of his 1967 summit with Soviet Chairman Kosygin. Johnson spoke of the progress and setbacks of the previous year and [Page 193] proposed additional fields in which the two nations could build cooperation. (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968, Book I, pages 679–684) One of his “new” proposals called for stepping up efforts to develop a global communication satellite system. “The United States believes that better communications are essential to mutual understanding between nations,” he said. “We look forward to the day when the Soviet Union and the nations of Eastern Europe will join the system.”
Henry Owen, Director of the Policy Planning Staff, commented on the proposal the next day: “it is unrealistic to suppose that the Soviets would join an organization which is subject to a U.S. veto and managed by a private U.S. corporation.” The questions of vetoes and voting rights were sensitive ones: “If the Soviets were not willing to settle for a respectable piece of the action, then their participation would not be much of a bonus for cooperation anyway.” Owen concluded: “In brief, we should try to show the Soviets that they can’t beat INTELSAT, so they might as well join it.” (Memorandum from Owen to Starr, June 5; Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 70 D 156, Task Force on Communications Policy, Meeting Minutes, August 1967–November 1968)
On July 19 the Department transmitted another proposal to the Soviets, following it up with an offer of talks at the upcoming UN Outer Space Conference in Vienna in August. (Airgram A–307 to Vienna, July 19; National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Central Files, 1967–69, TEL 6) Officials in the Embassy in Moscow reported that the Soviet Deputy Director for Space Communications told them that the principles of INTELSAT did not appear “good enough” for the Soviet Union to consider. He was unenthusiastic about the proposed talks in Vienna. (Telegram 5021 from Moscow, August 9; ibid.)