640 



fields on a global basis, tectonic analysis of earthquake belts, data use- 

 ful in planning and site selection for large engineering works, and 

 continuous mapping of "subaqueous deposition, channel filling and 

 excavation, effects of floods and other natural changes" in large coastal 

 deltas. 



President Nixon has given support to the Earth resources satellite 

 program. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Septem- 

 ber 18, 1969, he announced that ". . . we are now developmg [such] 

 satellites with the first experimental satellite to be launched sometime 

 early in the decade of the seventies." These would be capable of yield- 

 ing such data as the location of schools of fish in the oceans, the 

 location of mineral deposits on land, and the health of agricultural 

 crops.^^ Subsequently, the U.N. was notified (a) that a detailed descrip- 

 tion of the U.S. program had been presented to the U.N. Secretary- 

 General for dissemination to all U.N. members, (b) that an interna- 

 tional workshop would be convened on Earth -resources-survey systems 

 in the spring of 1971, (c) that various opportunities for education and 

 training in the technologies involved would be made available by the 

 United States to nationals of U.N. members, and (d) that the United 

 States proposed to ". . . invite potential international users to work 

 with us as we explore, from the standpoint of their needs and problems, 

 the best ways of approaching such technically difficult matters as data 

 processmg, interpretation, and dissemination." Although warning that 

 there were many constraints and obstacles to be overcome in this pro- 

 gram, one study concludes that "the 1970's could become a decade of 

 international space cooperation." ^^ 



GROWING IMPORTANCE OF SPACE-DIPLOMACY 



Manifestly, the new technology of space has many implic'ations 

 for diplomacy. It afforded a new and relatively non-controversial 

 area of opportunity for joint US-USSK action. It was inherently 

 global. It offered economic advantages and opportunities to all coun- 

 tries. It demonstrated U.S. leadership in practical application of a 

 dramatic new^ teclinology. As a communications link it brought the 

 entire world closer together. It offered promise of solving such grave 

 global problems as arms inspections, pollution detection, and resource 

 inventory. At the same time, it raised a host of legal and diplomatic 

 questions as to sovereignty of near space, content of global television 

 programs, the equities of developing countries in an activity beyond 

 their limited means, and the rights of nations and individuals to 

 use information secured by satellite. 



The Inte7'action of AgHcuUural Technology loith Diplomacy 



The ideal state for Thomas Jefferson was a community of small, 

 independent land -holders, deriving their income and subsistence from 

 the soil. Something of this philosophy persisted in the United States 



56 '"phe President's Address to the 24th Session of the General Assembly. September 18, 

 1969." Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, (September 22, 1969, Volume 5, 

 Number 38) , page 1281. 



^■^ John Hanessian, Jr. and John M. Logsdon. "Earth Resources Technology Satellite : 

 Securing International Participation." Astronautics and Aeronautics. (August 1970, Vol- 

 ume 8), pages 56, 60. 



