413. Letter From the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Webb) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)1
Dear Alex:
As you know, the President, in a National Security Action Memorandum dated November 12, directed me to take personal responsibility for the formulation of proposals for possible cooperation in space matters with the Soviet Union and for coordinating with other agencies as appropriate.
To establish a basis for a report to the President, I asked that a staff paper be prepared and circulated informally among several of the interested agencies, including your office. A number of helpful comments have now been received and incorporated. As it now stands, I believe the paper is responsive to your own letter of October 14. Accordingly, I am forwarding it to you herewith.2
I am asking Dr. Dryden to convene an interagency meeting as early as possible in January in order to provide for formal coordination of all interested offices, prior to forwarding a final report to the President.
While the enclosed paper is primarily concerned with the technical content of, and suitable framework for, possible discussions with the Soviet Union, some thought has also been given to the timing and channels appropriate for such discussions. I want to assure you, however, that we recognize fully the Department of State’s responsibilities in this regard.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, SCI Files: Lot 65 D 473, Box 1, SP 1–1, International Cooperation USSR. Confidential.↩
- For text of Webb’s report, “US–USSR Cooperation in Space Research Programs,” see Exploring the Unknown, Volume II: External Relationships, pp. 170–182.↩