351 



Wilson, "provided an example of how international agreements can 

 be made to work smoothly." 212 Astin has commented that "valid 

 and important scientific goals can lead governments away from narrow 

 nationalistic rigidities toward free and constructive international 

 cooperation." 213 Although these comments may tend to oversimplify 

 the transfer process, implicit in them is the recognition that, having 

 agreed once in one area, it is easier for human beings to move forward 

 toward agreement in another area than had there been no original 

 agreement at all. Agreements made during the IGY were sufficiently 

 widespread and long-lasting as to make plausible the possibility that 

 their consummation helped contribute to eventual agreements in 

 political areas. 



Still another factor is that of common understanding, without 

 which agreement in any area is impossible. Berkner has remarked 

 that the 



. . . rule of law among nations will not be achieved until men are bound 

 together by common threads of cultural understanding. Certainly science is one 

 of those threads — perhaps a major line that permits men to speak to one another 

 with comprehension, confidence, and common purpose. Coming in times of inter- 

 national tension, the IGY was a clear demonstration of the power of such cultural 

 bonds. 21 * 



Thus the IGY, in helping to ameliorate international tensions and 

 spread good will, provided "a common meeting ground and a common 

 goal for nations that disagreed on about all else." 216 



International Diplomacy and the IGY 



As indicated earlier, the specific objective of this study is to deter- 

 mine to what extent, if any, the IGY contributed to international 

 diplomacy by opening up new communication channels, stimulating 

 cooperation, and promoting increased understanding among the 67 

 nations that participated jointly in its activities. A review of the 

 circumstances suggests that these factors may have contributed 

 substantially to at least three major diplomatic achievements: the 

 1961 Antarctic Treaty, the 1963 Test Ban Treaty, and the 1967 

 Space Treaty. 216 



THE ANTARCTIC TREATY 



Perhaps no better example exists of the direct effect of scientific 

 affairs on international diplomacy than the Antarctic Treaty, of 

 which the first sentence of article I states, "Antarctica shall be used 

 for peaceful purposes only." 217 As a result of this agreement, "a whole 

 continent on this planet was, for the first time in man's history, 

 reserved as a universal laboratory for one and all, whoever desires to 

 freely pursue scientific investigation for peaceful purposes." 218 This 



as Wilson, New Moons, p. 326. 



218 Astin, "The Scientific Community," p. 34. 



a « Remark by Berkner in his introduction to - Wilson, New Moons, p. ix. 



"» Gerson, "Polar Years to IGY," p. 43. 



218 Exact titles of these agreements and the dates when they entered into force for the United States are 

 as follows: The Antarctic Treaty, June 23, 1961; the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmos- 

 phere, in Outer Space, and Under Water, Oct. 10, 1963; and the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activi- 

 ties of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, 

 Oct. 10, 1967. From: U.S. Department of State, Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International 

 Agreements of the United States in Force on Jan. 1, 1973. State Department Document No. 8697 (Washington: 

 U.S. Government Printing Office, no date), pp. 284, 357, 386. 



a ' The complete text of the treaty appears in: The Conference on Antarctica, Department of State Publica- 

 tion 7060, International Organization and Conference Series IS (Washington: U.S. Government Printing 

 Office, September 1960), pp. 61-67. See also: TIAS No. 4780. 



«• Doumani, "Science Policy for the Antarctic," p. 40. 



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