Little Accord On Space Co-operation

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 11

Little Accord On Space Co-operation

(N Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) NEW YORK, August 31. The United States and the Soviet Union were today reported to be at odds in their approach to world-wide co-operation in space research.

A 28-nation United Nations committee charged with developing international cooperation in cosmic exploration is due to meet from September 10 for about a week. An authoritative source said that the goodwill between the United States and the Soviet Union which was considered to nave been evident at the committee's meeting last spring, had at least partly evaporated and anything but smooth sailing was predicted for the new session.

The source told Reuter that the Soviet Union had submitted a nine-point plan on the legal aspects of outer space probes and travel, and that all of the points had been rejected by the United States, whose own suggestions had been similarly unacceptable to Russia. Three of the principal matters of contention between the Soviet Union and the United States were listed as:

(1) A Soviet demand that all communications satellites be Government - owned and operated. (2) That nuclear tests in the stratosphere and cosmos be barred. (3) That space vehicles equipped with “espionage” equipment for photographing territory on earth be prohibited. All of these proposals were believed to have met strong American opposition The Telstar satellite is operated by private American telephone interests in cooperation with the United States Government. America recently exploded a highaltitude nuclear weapon, and vehicles equipped with

special cameras have been shot aloft. An informed source said it was hoped that the two nations would be able to compose their differences on the interests of peaceful cooperation, but the situation was by no means as promising as it had been earlier in the year.