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such criticism for the sake of a more balanced account. However, it 

 is not the purpose of the study to dissect the IGY in an attempt to 

 judge what it failed to accomplish. The primary intent is to search 

 for positive contributions the IGY may have made to building bridges 

 between science and diplomacy, and to determine whether the mo- 

 mentum generated by its activities was sufficient to continue thereafter 

 to help translate a variety of international hopes and plans into con- 

 crete realities. 



Too much should not, of course, be read into the apparent detente 

 reflected in this one scientific enterprise, and assessment of its effects 

 on world diplomacy must be tempered by the recognition that many 

 other factors were at work both for and against international amity. 

 Sorting out and weighing the particular impacts and consequences of 

 the IGY would be a manifest impossibility. Nevertheless, it is possible 

 to identify specific attitudes, behavior patterns, and rules of procedure 

 that are consistent with or even promote detente. Without overstating 

 the case, the study attempts to highlight these factors. 



The first part of this analysis provides background information on 

 the IGY, including its antecedents, origin, and evolution, and organi- 

 zation and funding. The scientific program is described in section III ; 

 the scientific results are discussed in section IV. The political impacts 

 are considered in section V, including both general effects and those 

 specific effects due primarily to the Soviet IGY artificial satellite 

 program. In section VI some general comments are made concerning 

 the possibility of applying the international goodwill generated by the 

 world scientific community to the solution of international political 

 problems. Finally, some specific examples are given of the influence of 

 the IGY upon subsequent international diplomacy. 



