[Presidential Review Memoranda (PRMs)]

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506

March 28, 1977

Presidential Review Memorandum/NSC 23

TO:

The Vice President
The Secretary of State
The Secretary of Defense
ALSO:
The Secretary of Interior
The Secretary of Agriculture
The Secretary of Commerce
The Director, Office of Management and Budget
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
The Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Director of Central Intelligence
The Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy

SUBJECT: A Coherent U.S. Space Policy (C)

I am concerned that the United States does not have a coherent national space policy guiding our civil, military and national intelligence space programs. I, therefore, direct that the Policy Review Committee thoroughly review existing policy and prior efforts, and formulate a statement of overall national goals in space, the principles which should guide U.S. government and private use of space and related activities, and a clearer definition of the roles and responsibilities of the federal government agencies involved. The PRC will be chaired by the Secretary of Defense. Other membership shall include the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs; the Secretary of State; the Director of Central Intelligence; the Administrator of NASA; and the Director of ACDA. The Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior, the Director of OMB and the Director of OSTP shall be called upon to advise the PRC and participate in working groups as appropriate. The Secretary of Defense will promptly distribute a study plan for accomplishing this task.

This review should:

--Develop a coherent, inclusive Statement of National Policy and establish the necessary framework for its implementation.

--Determine the relative importance to the U.S. of the use of space for the different yet interrelated goals of our civil, military, and national intelligence programs.

--Establish up-to-date ground rules for the balance and control of the interaction among the civil, military and national intelligence sectors to insure achievement of the interrelated national security, economic, political, and arms limitation goals of the U.S. and to avoid undue risk to any single element, and determine the appropriate management system for reviewing and revising those ground rules as needed.

--Make specific, mutually supportive recommendations in each of the areas of: modifications to existing policies, agreements, and practices; appropriate extent of overlapping technology, performance, application, and product dissemination by the three sectors; degree of application of civil and intelligence assets to military needs; maintenance of the principle of free use of space and a favorable international legal environment; appropriate degree of system survivability, defensive, and offensive capabilities in space, and arms limitation initiatives; guidelines for security and public disclosure; goals for international cooperative agreements; and guidance for military, civil and national intelligence use of the space shuttle.

--Recommend on disposition of recommendations and directives associated with the active portions of NSAM 338, NSDM 187 (and proposed revision), the interim response to NSDM 333, NSDM 345, the Policy on Remote Earth Imagery recommended by the NSC Undersecretaries Committee, and the former DCI's requests concerning modification of the classification and security controls for the products of intelligence satellites.

The recommended National Space Policy, implementation plan, and disposition of the designated NSAMs, NSDMs, recommendations and requests will be submitted for my review and approval by 1 July 1977.

Additionally, positions will be recommended by 15 April 1977 on the following specific issues requiring prompt resolution:

--Restrictions, if appropriate, on release of SEASAT altimeter data.
--U.S. position on Direct Broadcast Satellites for international deliberations.
--Interim guidance, as necessary, to the Departments and Agencies concerning the NSAMs, NSDMs, recommendations, and requests designated above.
[signed: Jimmy Carter]

Source: National Security Council
Original Classification: TOP SECRET
Declassified: 6/15/2000 by R. Soubers, National Security Council
HTML by: Steven Aftergood