TRANSCRIPT: PRESIDENT: "I RECEIVED THIS MORNING CHAIRMAN KHRUSHCHEV'S REPLY TO MY LETTER OF MARCH 7. ON OUTER SPACE CO-OPERATION. I'M GRATIFIED THAT THIS REPLY INDICATES THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF AREAS OF COMMON INTEREST. THE NEXT STEP, CLEARLY, IS FOR THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE ON THE U.N. OUTER SPACE COMMITTEE, AMBASSADOR FRANCIS PLIMPTON, TO MEET IN NEW YORK WITH THE SOVIET REPRESENTATIVE TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR AN EARLY DISCUSSION OF THE SPECIFIC IDEAS OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE EARLY UNITED STATES. I HAVE DESIGNATED DR. HUGH DRYDEN, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION, TO TAKE THE LEAD FOR THE UNITED STATES AT THIS TIME IN SUBSEQUENT TECHNICAL TALKS WITH SOVIET REPRESENTATIVES. THE UNITED STATES IS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO MAKING ALL POSSIBLE EFFORTS TO CARRY FORWARD THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF SPACE IN A SPIRIT OF CO-OPERATION AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL MANKIND. I AM HOPEFUL THAT THERE WILL BE IN THIS ARE PROSPECTS FOR PRACTICAL CO-OPERATION."



QUESTION: " MR. PRESIDENT, IN GENEVA, IN THE TALKS THAT ARE GOING ON NOW, THE RUSSIANS HAVE EXPRESSED THE FEELING THAT ANY ON-SITE INSPECTION IN CONNECTION WITH AN ATOMIC TEST BAN TREATY WOULD BE AN INVITATION TO ESPIONAGE. - WOULD EVEN BE INSULTING. THE BRITISH, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE SPOKEN IN THE LAST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF SETTLING FOR AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM OF VERIFICATION. I WONDER WHAT YOU CONSIDER AN ACCEPTABLE MINIMUM OF VERIFICATION? IN OTHER WORDS, WOULD THE UNITED STATES ACCEPT ANY SOFT OF INSPECTION SYSTEM THAT DID NOT EMBRACE THE RIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL INSPECTION TEAMS ON SOVIET SOIL AS WELL AS U.S. SOIL? "



PRESIDENT: " WELL, I THINK IT'S MUCH BETTER TO PERMIT THE SECRETARY OF STATE, (DEAN RUSK), ARTHUR DEAN, (DEPUTY LEADER OF THE UNITED STATES DELEGATION IN GENEVA) WHO ARE - MR FOSTER (WILLIAM C FOSTER, DIRECTOR OF THE ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT AGENCY), WHO ARE CARRYING THE LEAD FOR THE UNITED STATES TO CONDUCT THE NEGOTIATIONS. WE'VE - IT'S POSSIBLE TO PICK UP A NUMBER OF DISTURBANCES FROM OBSERVATION POSTS OUTSIDE THE SOVIET UNION, BUT OF COURSE, THE GREAT DIFFICULTY IS THAT YOU CANNOT DISTINGUISH BY SEISMIC MEANS ALONE AT THIS RANGE BETWEEN AN EARTHQUAKE AND A POSSIBLE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION. AND IT IS FOR THAT REASON THAT WE HAVE FELT THAT THERE MUST BE ON-SITE INSPECTION; AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION, IF A SUSPICIOUS EVENT SHOULD OCCUR. THERE DOES SEEM TO BE A VERY BASIS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION AND THE UNITED STATES, BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE PREPARED - EVEN IF THE DEVICES WERE LOCATED OFF THE TERRITORY OF THE SOVIET UNION, - THEY WOULD NOT BE PREPARED TO PERMIT AN INSPECTION TEAM TO COME ON TO MAKE THE PRECISE DETERMINATION AS TO THE LOCATION AND KIND OF DISTURBANCE WHICH HAD TAKEN PLACE. SO THERE IS A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION AND OURSELVES."




Initials PC/N/WH/ES



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Background: PRESIDENT KENNEDY OPENED HIS 28TH PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT AUDITORIUM, WASHINGTON, A REPLY FROM MR KHRUSHCHEV, THE SOVIET PRIME MINISTER, TO HIS LETTER SUGGESTING THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA SHOULD CO-OPERATE IN THEIR SPACE EXPLORATION PROPOSALS: