USE OF OUTER SPACE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28747, 19 November 1958, Page 15

USE OF OUTER SPACE

Discussions In U.N. Committee | ’ i • Rec. 10 p.m.i NEW YORK. November 18.] Commander Allan Noble, the British Minister of State, was ex-; pected to hit out today at Soviet' insistence on tying the issue of foreign military bases to any ban; on military use of outer space. ' Addressing the United Nations General Assembly's Political Committee, he was expected also to back the Western plan to set up a special committee to study the major problems arising from man’s space conquest. The committee' has before it a 20-nation resolution proposing such a committee—countering the Soviet move against military bases and its proposal to establish a United Nations agency. The Western position is that it :s ton early to set up an agency, and that the proposed committee would best meet the requirements of the moment. Many diplomats fear that the Russians might threaten to boy-j cott the committee if they did not get their own way. Moves towards a possible compromise which would be mutually acceptable have already begun. Membership of the Westernproposed committee has been a subject of discussion in the lobbies. Australia, which has the Woomera rocket range and world leadership in radio-astronomy, is believed assured of a place in the committee. Several other nations are vying for membership. j