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WASHINGTON 20JJ0 

March 7> 1969 

MEl\10Rl1NDUl'l FOR THE RECORD 

The Preside:nt has formed a special Task Group to review 

the nation Is sp<';c:e obj ec i.:ives ,mc1 recor,:.mend future progra:ns. 

The.Task Group includes the Vice President as Chairman> the 

Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of NASA, and the 

Presidcntts Science Adviser. As appropriate, participation 

will be invited from the Secretary of State, the Director, 

BoB, the Director, CIA, Chairman of AEC, and other interested 

parties. 

The first meeting of the Task Group was held this morning at the Executive Office Building with full attendance of 

the regular members. I was there as Mr. Laird's representative. Dr. DuBridge presented his views on the procedures to 

be followed and submitted for our revie'i·7 the attached docmrrent 

entitled "Space Task Group. 11 Dr. DuEridge, as you can sec 

frorn the document, i.s thinking of the long- term obj ec tivc:s in 

space, and wants to place· considerable _pnphasis on the ration2lo 

for the program. 

The other two doclrnents that are attached were presented 

by Dr. Paine. One is entitled 11Recommended Presidential 

Action11 , and the other· is entitled 11Suggested Plan £or Task 

Group Consideration of KASA Manned Space Flight Matters Requiring Early Decision." It was· agreed that there is a need 

for irm:necliate review of the NASA follm•7··on program. President 

Johnson elected not to include funds for any major new programs 

beyond the lunar landing on the basis that the ne1;,7 Administration 

should select its own goals. Consequently, if any ne\v major 

programs are to be included in the FY 70 budget, the decision 

must be reached within the next few weeks since, as you can 

~ee from the proposed schedule for the Task Group, the House 

Committee is marking up the NASA Authorization Bill before the 

Easter recess. 

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It should be clear that all three of the atcached docu-

~ents are draft copies and that the only decisions ~eacheci 

~~is morning were: (1) The State Depar~ment and Atom~c 

~::;1ergy Commission would be included as observers on both tr.2. 

~ask Group itself and at the senior staff level; (2) That 

~here is considerable urgency to review matters affecting 

: i1e NASA buetge t. These could possibly be inc :_uded as a 

supple1:1ent at a later date, but if not inc1-uci2cl now •,,.16uld 

~~-,ost likely have to await the· FY 71 budget, arid (3) The 

~irst meeting of the senior staff would take place on Tues y, 

.. :1rci1 11, to discuss procedures that they will follm•: and ~:). 

:: ommcnce reviewing the alternate plans that have been dra\v~:. 

'..,μ by NASA. 

Following the meeting with the President's Task Group> 

mec with Mr. Packard and Dr. Foster and briefly reviewed 

~l1e conduct of the meeting and discussed with them the manner 

~n which DOD would participate. It wad agreed that Mr. I. 

?;evin ?alley, Assistant Director for Space Technology, DDR&E, 

'ivould work directly with me and would be our senior s t:af f 

clelegate. He and I together will organize whatever special 

studies are required by DOD in order to assist·the Task.Group 

in the conduct of their review. 

Robert G. Seamans, Jr. 

Attachments 

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cc: Mr. I. Nevin Palley 

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WASHINGTON 

MEMORANDUM .FOR 

· The Acting Adrr1inistrator. 

Space Administration 

The.Science Adviser 

February 13, 19 69 

Nation2-l Aeronautics and 

It is necessary for n1e to have in the near future definitive recornrnenc1ation 

on the direction which the U. S. space progrc~m should take in the post-• 

Apolio pei-iod. I, therefore, ask the Secretary of Defense, the Acting 

Administrator of NA.SA, and the Science Adviser each to develop proposed plans and to rr1cet together as a task group, with the Vice 

President in the chair, to prepare for rne "'"c. coordinated prograrn and 

budget proposal. In developing yom.· proposed plans, you may wish to 

,seek ach,-ice from the s~icntific, e11ginecring, and 1.ndustrial connnunities, 

fron1 The Congress and the public .. You will wish also to consult the 

Department of State (on international irr1plications and cooperation) and 

other interested agencies, as appropriate, such as the,Depa.rtrnents 0£ 

Interior, Con1rnei-ce, and Agriculture; the Atorn.ic Energy Com1nission., 

ancl the National Science Foundation. I am asking the Science Adviser 

also to serve as staff officer for this task group and as coordinator of 

the staff studies. 

I would like to receive the coordinated proposal by September 1, 1969. 

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_Purpos~: 

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SPACE TAS}( GROUP (STG) 

To provide the President, by September 1, l<)G9, a coordinated 

progra1n and budget proposal for the scope and direction of the 

sp,:i.cc p:i:ogxv.1n dul'ing the Post-,Apollo pel'iod. 

'J'he Space 'J.'2.sk Group consists of the following: 

Vice President, Cha:i.nn~rn. 

Sccrct:,ry of Defense 

Acln,inistrator, National Acron2,utics and Space Administration 

Science A<lvis e:c to the President 

As appropriate, participa,tion will be invited fro111. theJ;~c):_(;tary C. \ ~• ~ f" C., \ •~' I ,,, \.. 

of Sta.te, the Director, BoB, the Director, CIA, 'ai'tci othc:i: 

interested partie::,. · · · ·i\ 

. Staff_ Suyport: 

Appropriate staff support \Vill be provided by 1nernbcr agencies. 

No single unified stci.ff is anticipated. A staff clircctor 1 s 

cmnrnittec, chaired by OST, will 1Y1cet. on a regular basis to 

consult, to coordinate staff studies, and to n1.onitor progress 

toward Task Group objectives. NASA and DoD would each 

app_oint a senior staff director ,vho will serve as a point of 

contact and represent NASA ancl DoD on the si.-:c,ff director's 

corn.rnittcc. The staff directors should be informed of all STG 

rda ted efforts within their organizations, and have direct access to 

the~~ principal5on STG matters. 

§_pccial Studies: 

To provide the basis for selection of alternative programs by 

the STG, 'studies will be conducted by the m.embcr agencies in 

those areas determined by the STG to be important to an informed 

judemcnt. In those areas which arc progra1n 01·ientcd, the 

study objectives ·will be to deiirn:::::h3;1·dw;::,.ro charactcristic.s, 

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cs tin1a ied de vc.1.op1ucnt. :, cncuuH.:, cv t.1n1c1.i.;cu ctcvclo prncnt ancl 

operational costs, the character of the ope:rations or 

cxperin1ents to be conducted and all other inforrriation relevant 

to dctcrn1~ning the tcclmologicaJ, scientific, economic~ or 

political value of lhe prograrn anc1 its requircrncnts for funds,', 

facilities, 1n;:i.npower and otbcr resources for the next ten 

yecn·s. The stuclic's will be concluded by the responsible 

agencies or, whdrc clecrncd appropriate by the STG, by an 

intcragency working group. 

Outside _Support: 

The President has suggested th.:1.t the STG "seek advice fron, 

scientific, engineering and industrial communities, from the 

Congress and the publi.c. 11 There arc several mechanisn:is by 

which this 1nay be accomplished. The STG may consider one 

or mo1·e of the following: 

Presidentr s Science Advisory Con11nittce The 

President's Science Adviso1·y Cormnittee, particularly the 

n1en1bers of its Panel on Space Science and Technology, will 

be avaiJablc to cor.oment on the special studies and issues 

papers developed in the course of the study and to conduct 

such special inquil-ics 2.s 1nay be necessary ancl appropriate. 

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Other Advisory 'Committees -·· The National Academy of 

Science through its Space Science Board n,ay be ~sked to perform 

specific studies; within the p1·incipa1 agencies individual advis01:y 

groups may be utilized, such as the Defense Science Board, 

STAC, the Ltmar and Planetc1.ry Wlis sions Board, Astronomy 

Missions Board and the Research Advisory Comrnittee for NASA. 

Individual Associations -- The Aerospace Industries 

Association can be encouraged to address specific topics which 

would be of value to the Task Force. 

Public Participation -;- Professional societies, such 2.s the 

AlAA and the AAS, could be requE;sted to organize and convene 

special sy.mposia in which the 1;>road topic of the space program 

for the ne.xt clecare or specific areas within this top~c,,,9ould,be 

discussed with broad public participation, ·,, , · ,, · · •· ·· ' '· 

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The Cong_~c'.s~ -- The STG princiI)als could arrangc_a series 

of luncheon n1ccti.ngs, with key Congressional leaders in \vhich , 

the subject of the STG cf.forts wouJd be discussed and views 

exchanged on the principal issues. It 1nay also be desirable to 

arrange Skl.ff contact between i.l;c STG sUdf director Is committee 

and appropriate rncrn.bcrs of the Congressional committee 

staffs. 

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