determine what space policies and activities are desirable on other grounds before asking whether they violate old legal rules or require new ones.
Political and psychological measures should be prepared for the contingency of continued Soviet successes in space.
Efforts should be made to offset Russia’s claims that it stands only for peace while the US wants war.
The disclosure of news about space activities by the US can be planned to restore confidence abroad in US statements and to further US policy objectives.
To achieve the most favorable political and psychological effects from US activities in space and effectively to frustrate Soviet objectives requires planning and coordination at the highest levels of government.[1]
The RAND report further noted that the initial questions posed concerned “space law,” “sovereignty,” and associated questions of international law. RAND’s conclusions were similar to what the Air Force had been articulating at the ACC, namely, that “the legal approach to developing national policies on space matters is not the only, or even the principal, relevant approach.” RAND observed that the most important conclusion was that “considerations of international law as such ought not now to occupy a major place in the determination of US policies affecting activities by nations in outer space.” The study suggested that the United States determine what space activities or policies were desired on other grounds before asking if the activities or policies violated old legal rules or required new ones.[2] Finally, the Project RAND report asserted that at the time Sputnik was launched, activities in outer space were not covered by existing international law.[3]
Subsequent to the RAND report, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Mansfield D. Sprague[4] circulated an outline entitled “Some Elements Requiring Consideration in Formulating a National Policy on Outer Space.” Its basic thrust was consistent with the RAND study, stating that “there is a real danger that we may harm ourselves by too early commitments, before the full implications of space
