615. PREVENTION OF THE WIDER DISSEMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Resolution 1665 (XVI), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 4, 1961 14

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 1380 (XIV) of 20 November 1959 15 and 1576 (XV) of 20 December 1960,16

Convinced that an increase in the number of States possessing nuclear weapons is growing more imminent and threatens to extend and intensify the arms race and to increase the difficulties of avoiding war and of establishing international peace and security based on the rule of law,

Believing in the necessity of an international agreement, subject to inspection and control, whereby the states producing nuclear weapons would refrain from relinquishing control of such weapons to any nation not possessing them and whereby states not possessing such weapons would refrain from manufacturing them,

1. Calls upon all States, and in particular upon the States at present possessing nuclear weapons, to use their best endeavours to secure the conclusion of an international agreement containing provisions under which the nuclear States would undertake to refrain from relinquishing control of nuclear weapons and from transmitting the information necessary for their manufacture to States not possessing such weapons, and provisions under which States not possessing nuclear weapons would undertake not to manufacture or otherwise acquire control of such weapons;

2. Urges all States to co-operate to those ends.

E. The Problem of Guaranteeing the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes

616. SAFETY, AS OPPOSED TO THE PRESTIGE FACTOR, IN THE UNITED STATES MANNED SPACE-VEHICLE (MERCURY) PROGRAM: Reply Made by the President (Kennedy) to a Question Asked at a News Conference, February 8, 1961 (Excerpt) 1

1

We are very concerned that we do not put a man in space in order to gain some additional prestige and have a man take dispropor

14 U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Sixteenth Session, Supplement No. 17 (A/5100), pp. 5-6. This resolution, sponsored by the Representative of Ireland, was adopted unanimously.

15 Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1959, pp. 1400-1401. 16 Text ibid., 1960, pp. 766-767.

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The reply printed here is taken from p. 70 of Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961.

tionate risk, so we are going to be extremely careful in our work, and, even if we should come in second in putting a man in space, I will still be satisfied if, when we finally do put a man in space, his chances of survival are as high as I think that they must be.

617. THE “BOOSTER GAP” IN THE UNITED STATES OUTER SPACE PROGRAM: Reply Made by the President (Kennedy) to a Question Asked at a News Conference, February 15, 1961 2

The Soviet Union, as I said in the State of the Union [message],3 of course, is ahead of us in boosters, and there is an indication they are going to be ahead of us for some time to come. This was, as I said in my statement at the time, this is a scientific achievement that is an impressive one. We have made exceptional gains in space technology, which may not be as dramatic as Sputnik or as a probe to Venus but which in the long run does, at least I think should, give all Americans satisfaction in the efforts that we have made.

Boosters, however, we are behind on, and it is a matter of great concern. The Soviet Union made significant breakthrough in this area some years go. They have continued to maintain their lead, and it explains why they were ahead of us in Sputnik, and it explains why they have been able to put larger objects into space. We have to recognize their chances of continuing to do that unless we are able to make a breakthrough before the Saturn booster comes into operation. Unless we are able to make a scientific breakthrough, we have to recognize that we are in. a secondary position on boosters. It is a matter of great concern. We have sufficiently large boosters to protect us militarily, but for the long, heavy exploration into space, which requires large boosters, the Soviet Union has been ahead, and it is going to be a major task to surpass them.

618. THE ONE-ORBIT FLIGHT OF MAJOR GAGARIN IN VOSTOK I, APRIL 12, 1961: Message of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Presidium of the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet, and the U.S.S.R. Council of Ministers, the Kremlin, April 12, 1961 (Excerpts) ©

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A great event has taken place. For the first time in history man has made a flight in outer space.

* The reply printed here is taken from p. 95 of Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961.

'Ante, doc. 4.

Presumably a reference to Sputnik VII, launched Feb. 4, 1961, with a weight of 14,292 pounds, the heaviest object theretofore sent into orbit.

Effected Feb. 12, 1961, with the launching of a rocket from a satellite already. in orbit.

* These excerpts are taken from the English-language text printed in The Current Digest of the Soviet Press, vol. XIII, No. 15, May 10, 1961, p. 3.

Footnote continued on p. 1192.

At 9:07 a.m., Moscow time, the space ship-satellite "Vostok", with a man on board, rose into space, and, after completing a flight around the globe, it safely returned to the sacred soil of our motherland, the land of the Soviets.

The foun

This is an unprecedented victory of man over the forces of nature, the greatest achievement of science and technology, a triumph of human reason. dation has been laid for manned space flight.

Honor and glory to the first cosmonaut-Comrade Yury Alexeyevich Gagarin, pioneer in the conquest of space!

To us, the Soviet people, who are building communism, has fallen the honor of being the first to penetrate into outer space. We look upon the victories in the conquest of space as the achievements not of our people alone but of all mankind. We gladly place them at the service of all peoples, in the name of progress and of the happiness and well-being of all people on earth. We place our achieve ments and discoveries not at the service of war but at the service of the peace and security of the peoples.

The development of science and technology presents limitless opportunities for mastering the forces of nature and using them for the good of mankind; for this, it is necessary first of all to ensure peace.

On this great day, we once again address to the peoples and governments of all countries an appeal for peace.

Let all people, irrespective of race or nationality, skin color, creed or social status, exert every effort to ensure lasting peace throughout the world. Let us put an end to the arms race! Let us carry out general and total disarmament under strict international control! This will be a decisive contribution to the sacred cause of defending peace.

The glorious victory of our homeland inspires all Soviet people to new exploits in the building of communism.

Forward to new victories in the name of peace, progress and the happiness of humanity!

619. UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO CATCH UP TO THE SPACE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SOVIET UNION: Replies Made by the President (Kennedy) to Questions Asked at a News Conference, April 21, 1961 (Excerpts)

We have added, I think it was $130 million, to the budget on space several weeks ago, which provides some speedup for Saturn, some speedup for Nova, and some speedup for Rover, and I will say that the budget for space next year will be around $2 billion. Now, we are now, and have been for some time, attempting to make a determination as to developing larger boosters-whether the emphasis

On behalf of the United States, President Kennedy sent the following message to Chairman Khrushchev, Apr. 12:

"The people of the United States share with the people of the Soviet Union their satisfaction for the safe flight of the astronaut in man's first venture into space. We congratulate you and the Soviet scientists and engineers who made this feat possible. It is my sincere desire that in the continuing quest for knowledge of outer space our nations can work together to obtain the greatest benefit to mankind." (White House press release dated Apr. 12, 1961; text as printed in the Department of State Bulletin, May 1, 1961, p. 640.)

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The replies printed here are taken from pp. 309-310 of Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961.

should be put on chemical, nuclear rockets or liquid fuel, how much this would cost-and some of these programs have been estimated to be between 20 and 40 billion dollars.

We are attempting to make a determination as to which program offers the best hope before we embark on it, because you may commit a relatively small sum of money now for a result in 1967, '68, or '69, which will cost you billions of dollars, and therefore the Congress passed yesterday the bill providing for a Space Council which will be chaired by the Vice President. We are attempting to make a determination as to which of these various proposals offers the best hope. When that determination is made, we will then make a recommendation to the Congress.

In addition, we have to consider whether there is any program now, regardless of its cost, which offers us hope of being pioneers in a project. It is possible to spend billions of dollars in this project in space to the detriment of other programs and still not be successful. We are behind, as I said before, in large boosters.

We have to make a determination whether there is any effort we could make in time or money which could put us first in any new area. Now, I don't want to start spending the kind of money that I am talking about without making a determination based on careful scientific judgment as to whether a real success can be achieved, or whether, because we are so far behind now in this particular race, we are going to be second in this decade.

So, I would say to you that it's a matter of great concern, but I think before we break through and begin a program which would not reach a completion, as you know, until the end of this decade-for example, trips to the moon may be 10 years off, maybe a little less, but are quite far away and involve, as I say, enormous sums-I don't think we ought to rush into it and begin them until we really know where we are going to end up. And that study is now being undertaken under the direction of the Vice President.

If we can get to the moon before the Russians, we should. . . We first have to make a judgment based on the best information we can get whether we can be ahead of the Russians to the moon. We are now talking about a program which . . . is many years away. We have, as I say, appropriated $126 million more to the Saturn, and we are attempting to find out what else we can do. The Saturn is still going to put us well behind. Saturn does not offer any hope of... being first to the moon. The Saturn is several years behind the Soviet Union. I can just say to you that, regardless of how much money we spend on Saturn, we are still going to be second.

• See infra.

620. RECONSTITUTION OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE COUNCIL: Public Law 87-26, Approved April 25, 1961 9

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of section 201 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2471) 10 are amended to read as follows:

"(a) There is hereby established, in the Executive Office of the President, the National Aeronautics and Space Council (hereinafter called the 'Council') which shall be composed of—

"(1) the Vice President, who shall be Chairman of the Council; "(2) the Secretary of State;

"(3) the Secretary of Defense;

"(4) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and

"(5) the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

"(b) The President shall from time to time designate one of the members of the Council to preside over meetings of the Council during the absence, disability, or unavailability of the Chairman.

"(c) Each member of the Council may designate another officer of his department or agency to serve on the Council as his alternate in his unavoidable absence.

"(d) Each alternate member designated under subsection (c) of this section shall be designated to serve as such by and with the advice and consent of the Senate unless at the time of his designation he holds an office in the Federal Government to which he was appointed by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

"(e) It shall be the function of the Council to advise and assist the President, as he may request, with respect to the performance of functions in the aeronautics and space field, including the following functions:

"(1) survey all significant aeronautical and space activities, including the policies, plans, programs, and accomplishments of all departments and agencies of the United States engaged in such activities:

"(2) develop a comprehensive program of aeronautical and space activities to be conducted by departments and agencies of the United States;

"(3) designate and fix responsibility for the direction of major aeronautical and space activities;

H.R. 6169, 87th Cong.; 75 Stat. 46. See H.R. 6169, A Bill To Amend the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958: Hearing Before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, 87th Congress, 1st Session, April 12, 1961: H. Rept. 225, 87th Cong., Apr. 13, 1961; Amending the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958: Hearing Before the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, U.S. Senate, 87th Congress, 1st Session, on H.R. 6169, April 19, 1961; and S. Rept. 174, 87th Cong., Apr. 19, 1961.

10 Also American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pp. 1421-1424.