Jun 5 1972
From The Space Library
President Nixon signed Executive Order 11671, "to establish general standards for formation, use, conduct, management and accessibility to the public" of committees appointed to advise or assist Federal Government. Order directed Federal agencies to open meetings of their advisory boards to public. (PD, 6/12/72, 999-1001)
New York Times editorial criticized Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird for insisting that U.S. press on with large defense budget increases that were requested before conclusion of U.S.-U.S.S.R. arms limitation pacts, including funds for accelerated buildup of strategic arms not covered in treaties. "If this were needed to insure Congressional approval of the Moscow agreements-the overriding need at the moment-the cost might not be too high. But the real aim seems to be to create `bargaining chips' for the next round of negotiations to limit strategic arms. And the first round of . . . SALT talks suggests that the Soviet Union will insist on matching or exceeding the additional American buildup before further agreement can be reached. Both sides already have more than ten times the number of warheads they need to deter or destroy each other. Mutual restraint now could speed up a SALT II agreement and, more important, assure much lower limits on offensive strategic forces than would be possible if both sides now press ahead to add to overkill as bargaining chips for the next negotiating round." (NYT, 6/5/72, 30)
Report by Italian Research Organization SORTS was quoted as saying U.S. and U.S.S.R. were rocketing out of Europe's reach in technical and managerial sense as result of the success of their space technologies. Report, prepared for Commission of the European Community, recommended that high priority be given to strengthening and unifying European aerospace industry. (CSM, 6/5/72)
June 5-16: United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, meeting in Stockholm, was attended by 1200 delegates from 114 nations, including U.S. U.S.S.R. and its Eastern European allies boycotted conference because of exclusion of East Germany. Conference produced 200-point program of international action, with proposed funding of $100 million to be used in next five years to stimulate environmental preservation efforts. Program included establishment of "Earth-watch" global atmospheric monitoring system, to be coordinated by World Meteorological Organization, with 10 baseline stations in remote areas to detect long-term trends and 100 stations to measure air pollution. Conference approved establishment within U.N. of Governing Council for Environmental Programmes (GCEP), as urged by President Nixon Feb. 8, and "Declaration on the Human Environment" that embodied code of 26 principles. Principles asserted man's "fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life," called for prompt agreement on "elimination and complete destruction of nuclear weapons and other means of mass destruction," and urged free flow of scientific and technical information to solve environmental problems of developing nations. World Bank President Robert S. McNamara said during June 9 session: "Ecological considerations have made us all more aware of the interdependencies of our world. We have come to see our planet as a `spaceship earth.' But what we must not forget is that one-quarter of the passengers ... have luxurious first-class accommodations and the remaining three-quarters are traveling in steerage. That does not make for a happy ship-in space or anywhere else." Major conflict of Conference was over resolution to halt nuclear weapon testing. Resolution was approved by majority but opposed by Communist China and France, with 14 nations-including U.S. and United Kingdom-abstaining. Conference recommendations, subject to ratification by U.N. General Assembly in September, were not legally binding. (NYT, 6/5-17/72; Hawkes, Science, 6/23/72, 1308-10)
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