85TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION

H. CON. RES. 265

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 10, 1958

Mr. KEATING submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(also, H. Con. Res. 268, Mr. Hillings)

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas the paramount aim of United States foreign policy is to promote peace by all possible means; and

Whereas recent developments have demonstrated that outer space will be used increasingly by the nations of the world; and

Whereas the use of outer space poses great military dangers to the world but also promises untold treasures for peaceful uses: Now therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (The Senate concurring), That the Congress of the United States express in strongest terms its desire that the regions of outer space be devoted to peaceful purposes. It is further the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to take the initiative and to press for devotion of outer space to peaceful purposes through the United Nations or by such other means as may be most appropriate. Such means may relate to, but need not be limited to

(1) an international agreement barring the use of outer space for any military purpose;

(2) an international agreement that outer space and all outer space planetary and subplanetary masses are not subject to appropriation by any nation;

(3) adaption of an existing international organization or agency or formation of a new one for the joint exploration of outer space; and

(4) efforts to gain international agreement and cooperation on legal, jurisdictional, communications, navigation, and other problems concerning the use and control of outer space.

COMMITTEE HEARINGS AND REPORTS RELATED TO OUTER SPACE, 85TH CONGRESS, 2D SESSION: SELECTED REFERENCES

(Prepared by Frederick J. Rosenthal, Assistant Bibliographer, Legislative Reference Service, The Library of Congress)

United States Congress. Conference Committees, 1958. Supplemental military construction authorization act; conference report to accompany H. R. 9739. [Washington, Ú. S. Government Printing Office, 1958] 9 pages (85th Cong., 2d sess. House. Rept. No. 1329).

House. Committee on Appropriations. Department of Defense appropriations for 1959. Hearings before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, 85th Congress, 2d session. Overall policy statements. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. 611 pages. Supplemental defense appropriation_bill, 1958; report to accompany H. R. 10146. [Washington, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1958] 14 pages (85th Cong., 2d sess. House. Rept. No. 1288.

Supplemental defense appropriations for 1958. Hearings before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, 85th Congress, 2d sess. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. 389 pages.

Committee on Armed Services. Investigation of national defense missiles. Hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, 85th Congress, 2d session, pursuant to House Resolution 67. January 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 30, 31, February 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, and 25, 1958. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. Pages 3973-4926. (Its Publication, 85th Cong., No. 71).

Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. International Geophysical Year; the Arctic; Antarctica. Report of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, pursuant to section 136 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, Public Law 601, 79th Congress, and House Resolution 99, as amended, 85th Congress. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. 182 pages (85th Cong., 2d sess. House. Rept. No. 1348).

Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Second supplemental appropriation bill, 1958. Hearings before the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, 85th Congress, 2d session, on H. R. 10881, an act making supplemental appro

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priations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1958, and for other purposes. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. 466 pages. Second supplemental appropriation bill 1958; report to accompany H. R. 10881. [Washington, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1958] 39 pages. (85th Cong. 2d sess. Senate. Rept. No. 1344).

Supplemental defense appropriation bill 1958. Hearings before the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, 85th Congress, 2d session on H. R. 10146, an act making supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1958, and for other purposes. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. 136 pages.

Supplemental defense appropriation_bill, 1958; report to accompany H. R. 10146. [Washington, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1958] 8 pages. (85th Cong. 2d sess. Senate. Rept. No. 1238).

Committee on Armed Services. Authorizing the Secretary of the Air Force to establish and develop certain installations for the national security; report to accompany H. R. 9739. [Washington, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1958] 15 pages. (85th Cong. 2d sess. Senate. Rept. No. 1231).

Fiscal year 1958 supplemental military construction authorization (Air Force). Hearings before the Subcommittee on Military Construction, United States Senate, 85th Congress, 2d session, on H. R. 9739, an act to authorize the Secretary of the Air Force to establish and develop certain installations for the national security, and to confer certain authority on the Secretary of Defense, and for other purposes. January 21 and 24, 1958. Washington, United States Government Printing Of fice, 1958. 93 pages.

Inquiry into satellite and missile programs. Hearings before the Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee, United States Senate, 85th Congress, 1st and 2d sessions. November 25, 26, 27, December 13, 14, 16, and 17, 1957, January 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, and 23, 1958; part 1. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1958. 1,377 pages. Statement of the Senate Preparedness Subcommittee issued by Chairman Lyndon B. Johnson and Ranking Minority Member Styles Bridges at the direction of the Subcommittee. [Washington, 1958] mimeographed.

A CHRONOLOGY ON SPACE AND ASTRONAUTICS

Prepared by Catherine S. Corry, Research Assistant, Senior Specialists Division, Legislative Reference Service, The Library of Congress

1948

December 29: The First Report of the Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, reported that the United States had been engaged in research on an earth satellite. The Report of the Executive Secretary of the Research and Development Board, contained as an appendix, stated:

"The Earth Satellite Vehicle Program, which was being carried out independently by each military service, was assigned to the Committee on Guided Missiles for coordination. To provide an integrated program with resultant elimination of duplication, the committee recommended that current efforts in this field be limited to studies and component designs; well-defined areas of such research have been allocated to each of the three military departments." [National Military Establishment, First Report of the Secretary of Defense, 1948, p. 129.]

1954

August 26: The Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1955 appropriated $2,000,000 to the National Science Foundation for carrying out the United States program for the International Geophysical Year. [Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1955, Public Law 663, 68 Stat. 818.]

October 4: The Special Committee of the International Geophysical Year concluded its meeting in Rome, Italy, during which it adopted the following recommendation:

"In view of the great importance of observations during extended periods of time of extraterrestrial radiations and geophysical phenomena in the upper atmosphere, and in view of the advanced state of present rocket techniques, CSAGI recommends that thought be given to the launching of small satellite vehicles, to their scientific instrumentation, and to the new problems associated with satellite experiments, such as power supply, telemetering, and orientation of the vehicle." [Special Committee of the International Geophysical Year. Meeting of the Special Committee of the International Geophysical Year, Rome, Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 1954. Part XI, p. 5.]

December 21: The Department of Defense in a two-sentence comment reported that studies continued to be made in the earth satellite vehicle program. The statement, approved by Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson, was issued after a press conference statement by the Secretary that he was unaware of an American satellite program. [New York Times, November 17, 1954, p. 15. Ibid., December 22, 1954, p. 10.]

1955

April 15: The Soviet newspaper, Vechernaya Moskva, announced that a commission for interplanetary communication, including physicist, Peter Kapitsa, had been created to develop an earth satellite, which would improve weather forecasting by taking photographs. [New York Times, July 30, 1955, pp. 1, 7.] June 30: The Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1956, appropriated "$10,000,000 to remain available until June 30, 1960." for the American International Geophysical Year program. [Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1956, Public Law 112, 69 Stat. 208.]

July 29: The National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation announced that the United States was planning to construct an earth satellite which would be launched during the International Geophysical Year. These organizations would sponsor the project with assistance from the Department of Defense which would furnish the equipment and facilities. The program was to be carried out under the IGY program and “the results obtained will be made available to the scientists of the world." A White House briefing on the announcement was given by James C. Hagerty and noted scientists, who discussed the scientific data which earth satellites would provide. They announced that the satellite would probably be the size of a basketball and might carry instruments; few other details of the vehicle were described. A letter from Joseph Kaplan, chairman of the United States National Committee for the International Geophysical Year, announcing the United States satellite plans in response to the October resolution of the Special Committee for the International Geophysical Year was delivered to Professor Sydney Chapmen, its president. [New York Times, July 30, 1955, pp. 8, 9.]

August 2. L. I. Sedov, chairman of the U. S. S. R. Academy of Sciences Interdepartmental Commission on Interplanetary Communications, made the following statement at a press conference during the International Congress of Astronauts, according to the Tass announcement: "In my opinion, it will be possible to launch an 'artificial satellite of the Earth' within the next two years, and there is a technological possibility of creating 'artificial satellites' of various sizes and weights." [Krieger, F. J A casebook on Soviet astronautics. RM-1760, ASTIA Document Number AD 108750, June 21, 1956. (U. S. Air Force Project Rand, Research Memorandum), p. 2.]

1956

May 19: Under the Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1956, the National Science Foundation received an appropriation of "$27,000,000, to remain available until June 30, 1960" for the International Geophysical Year. [Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1956, Public Law 533, 69 Stat. 207.]

June 21: The Rand Corporation issued a research memorandum, A Casebooks on Soviet Astronautics, by F. J. Krieger. The case