276. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to Secretary of State Rogers1 2
Washington, February 17, 1972.
SUBJECT:
- Post-Apollo Space Cooperation with the Europeans
The President has reviewed your memorandum of January 19, 1972 transmitting the report of the technical experts on post-Apollo space cooperation, and is pleased to learn that the discussions are proceeding well.
Inasmuch as a firm decision has now been taken to proceed with development of the space shuttle, some of the tentative guidelines hitherto given the technical experts for joint discussions need elaboration:
- -- In the interests of the foreign policy benefits which we seek through European participation in the development of the Space Transportation System, such participation should be confined to those areas where the risk of management arrangements leading to contention can be minimized. To this end we should limit this participation to clearly separable segments of the total post-Apollo program (e.g., research application module, space tug).
- --Because participation in shuttle orbiter development has already been extensively discussed with Europe, its participation in such development cannot be flatly rejected, but it should be discouraged. If Europe is insistent on pressing for such participation, tasks considered for it may only involve simple, well established technology, simple inter-faces, clearly workable management, and realistic financing.
- -- Participation in shuttle booster development should continue to be precluded.
- -- Great care should be taken not only not to mislead Europe as to the potential usage of the space tug, but to point out the various assumptions and their credibility which drive the utilization analysis.
Henry A. Kissinger