INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION, 1959-79 389 



Conference was the announcement by Soviet Premier Alexei N. 

 Kosygin that Soviet bloc nations would establish a new Comsat 

 network, "Intersputnik," to compete with the American supported 

 Intelsat which already had 62 member nations and was successfully 

 handling 95 percent of the total international telecommunications 

 traffic. 



At Belgrade on August 28, Miller addressed a conference of State 

 Department attaches assigned to American embassies in Europe, at the 

 invitation of Herman Pollack, head of the State Department's Bureau 

 of International Scientific and Technological Affairs. At the time, 

 American annual expenditures for research and development had 

 reached a peak of $17 billion a year and were starting their long 

 decline (in real dollars). Miller referred to the golden years in these 

 terms: 



In our time all of us have witnessed the creation and growth of a new and 

 exciting period of history — the dynamic era of science and technology. Practically 

 every scientific discipline has experienced an explosive growth that is entirely 

 unprecedented. 



Miller told the assembled attaches: 



The Committee on Science and Astronautics has been consistent in their view 

 that international cooperation in scientific research should receive more emphasis. 

 * * * As a word of caution, I feel that we should not anticipate any appreciable 

 expansion of Federal support to individual foreign scientists unless this should become 

 an important factor in the establishment of foreign policy and foreign relations. 



In his address at Belgrade, Miller posed three conclusions: 



First, science and technology have become an integral part of foreign policy. 



Secondly, the Congress, as evidenced in the NSF Act of 1968, has endorsed the 

 thesis that where research services are unavailable in the United States or can be 

 better or more economically done abroad, foreign services should be used and 

 supported regardless of location. 



And lastly, our experience over the past 10 years has shown that science is one 

 area in which it is possible for all countries, regardless of their political philosophy, 

 to communicate. A review of our most important treaties during this time will reveal 

 that they have largely been those associated with scientific or technological matters. 



SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION WITH CANADA 



During the 1960's the committee and its staff enjoyed numerous 

 contacts with scientific visitors from other countries, as well as build- 

 ing up good relationships with scientists during the many trips made 

 to conferences, international meetings, and scientific installations 

 located in foreign nations. It was quite natural that the embassies in 

 Washington should be a focal point for the committee in its relation- 

 ships with those men and women in other countries who were in- 



