' -· THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON September 6 1974 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 4d tJ hal _ I MEETING WITH SOVIET COSMONAUTS Saturday September 7 1974 £ _g 2 45p m 10 minutes f PU 1 _L PA q-t - The Oval Office dia AcV 31177 J a From Henry A Kissinger vl i4tc£ v it ttZ-- ff PURPOSE d1a A_ aL _ £ Your purpose in greeting the cosmonauts is to call attention to the importance you attach to the 1975 joint manned space mission for the contributions it is making to US- USSR space cooperation the strengthening of US- USSR cooperation generally and the efforts of all countries working together on projects that broaden human knowledge The meeting additionally will provide another signal to the Soviets of the continuity in US foreign policy II BACKGROUND PARTICIPANTS PRESS ARRANGEMENTS A Background The Soviet prime crew for the July 1975 Apollo-Soyuz test flight will be in Washington September 7-9 1974 en route to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas for joint flight crew training The US and Soviet crews last year had familiarization sessions at Star City in the Soviet Union and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston They are mid-way in their first intensive training session The prime Soviet crew is made up of Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Leonov the first cosmonaut to walk in space and Valeriy JI Kubasov a civilian who was the flight engineer on the Soyuz 6 flight The crews will be accompanied by Major General Vladimir Shatalov Commander of Cosmonaut training at Star City in the USSR LIMITED OFFICIAL USE RECP c' ' SEP 111974 CENTttAL HLES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 2 B The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project set in the May 1972 US- USSR Agreement on Space Cooperation signed at the Summit meeting in Moscow is an experimental flight scheduled for July 1975 to test compatible rendezvous and docking systems which are being developed for future US and USSR manned spacecraft The mission plan calls for Apollo rendezvous and docking with the Soyuz and two days of joint activities including experiments in space science and applications The benefits of the mission include contributions to a rescue capability for future manned space flights and broadened opportunities for US and USSR space cooperation in the years ahead Participants Ambassador Dobrynin NASA Deputy Administrator George M Low Major General Vladimir A Shatalov Commander of Cosmonaut Training the Soviet crew Colonel Aleksey A Leonov Valeriy N Kubasov the US crew Brigadier General Thomas P Stafford Vance D Brand Donald K Slayton and Henry A Kissinger C Press Arrangements Press photo session Meeting to be announced III TALKING POINTS 1 Your joint flight next year fulfilling an objective set in the 1972 Agreement on Space Cooperation will mark an important step forward in US-Soviet relations Additionally the flight has significance for all who believe that different countries can contribute to a better world by working together on projects that broaden human knowledge and extend man's capacity to cope with his environment 2 A principal purpose of your flight is to increase the safety of manned flights in space We are thus looking forward to the day when US and Soviet manned spacecraft can rendezvous dock and transfer crew members 3 The joint flight will also help pave the way to joint space activities in the future which will help both our countries gain more insights into the utility of space than they could from separate programs LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 3 4 The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project is an important element in a wide range of cooperation in international space activities by the United States over the past 15 years 5 As you proceed to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for the next stage of your training I congratulate you for your past achievements in space and I commend you for the intensive efforts you are devoting to the joint mission -- including your success in the new prerequisite for space travel mastery of a foreign language LIMITED OFFICIAL USE