European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Poge tin stars and stems russian proposal a by Howard Benedict Vienna a with it dramatic proposal the soviet Union has hurled a Strong Challenge at the . Dominated International telecommunications satellite consortium Intelsat an has touched off a political Battle that could last for month sin the United nations. The russians did not reveal their motives when they pro posed the new global communications satellite network before the . Conference on peaceful uses of outer space Here last wednesday. But since then they have hammered the subject at the representatives of 74 nations assembled in Vienna. It has been the main topic of conversation Here and some delegates and . Officials Are irritated because the soviets injected a note of politics into meeting whose main purpose is to determine How benefits from space exploration can help Mankind. However t h e russian seem to have gained at least some support from France even though France is an Intelsat centers on three possible motives the soviets fully intend to establish a network to compete with Intelsat. Most observers feel this would be Foolhardy because of Intelsat s Strong Structure which includes 62 countries with More than 95per cent of the world s com Merical traffic. They want to Force a change in Intelsat regulations particularly the voting policy to reduce american influence. They want to eliminate Intelsat and establish under the International telecommunications Union it three or four regional communications enters each dominated by a single nation. If so Russia presumably could control a Large area of Africa easter Europe and Asia and thus extend its influence Over Many uncommitted nations. No matter what the motive the problem appears headed for a fight in the United nation general Assembly and at an International communication meeting scheduled next March in Washington to consider Intelsat changes. The key to the soviet proposal which was endorsed by seven red satellite nations apparently is the statement that it will be an International communications system through artificial satellites based on democratic principle with total Equality for All its this one country one vote idea could be alluring bait for Many nations. Intelsat members vote according to the amount of their investment with the unite states through the communications satellite corp. Com sat having a 51 per cent in Terest. Some members particularly France have expressed dissatisfaction with this arrangement and Many have suggested changes. One is that the voting be according to usage which would drop the United states to about 45 per cent. Joseph v. Charyk Comsat president and a member of the . Delegation at the Vienna conference said he had no idea what the russian motive is in the four a stars since Intelsat began he said repeated imitations have Bee made to the soviet Union to join this International presumably the russians hive refused because of the . Role. Charyk noted that four fears ago the United states was the Only nation with the technological ability to launch and Man age an International satellite communications system. He said that countries which acquired the technological know Hefel America the Safen Lites the Booster rocket and launching facilities All at said Fiat if inner sputnik became 1 competitor win which joined bom organizations would have to stand the expense of costly duplication of facilities to switch from one system to another. Another official noted that the first Intelsat satellite. Early Bardi still b m Cal of tacit m.9k Miles above in at lactic. Russia has launched Nineia communications sat ated the official also said the Intelsat Ca Efrosia which hansom per cent of the maa Kaloa traffic. Tip states has nearly m per , russian ers at the outer space Curence continually mention system in such terms7s i eloping countries can greater Benefit fro they have fair and to a communications sat hat is not a French speaker comma. Cd part Rene Apollo Crew Nasa has assigned these astronauts As the prime Crew for the first manned Apollo Mission. They Are left to right new czech by Joseph w. Grigg London up Czecho Slovakia s newly won Freedom already May be in danger responsible Western officials say. They voiced fears growing among some informed Western diplomats that the Liberal re forms reluctantly accepted by Moscow and its hard line communist allies less than two weeks ago at Bratislava already Are being eroded under renewed Kremlin pressure. Some Western officials even predict Czechoslovakia s re forming communist Leader Alexander Dubcek May gradually be forced Back into a hard line position himself. They re Call that Poland s communist chief Wladyslaw Gomulka who was hailed As a reformer when he returned to Power after the abortive uprising in 1956, now is one of the most rigid advocates of Tough communist poli cies. Straws in the wind to which these Western sources Point in clude efforts by the Dubcek government apparently to resume control of the czechoslovak press and radio without actually re imposing censorship. This apparently is being done according to information reach ing Western officials through government moves to Man age news at the source Andy pressure on editors not to publish news and editorial Corn provoke Doan f. Elsalem. Schirra jr., Gingham lunar command module Pilot Walter commander and Walter can module Pilot. A photo officials noted that two Deputy editors of the official Czecho slovak communist party Organ rude Provo have been sus Pended from their jobs. At the same time it has Bee noted the Dubcek regime has quietly banished to an obscure Corner of Prague the meeting place where czechs were Gath ering to let off steam against the government. Western experts also note that a Bare two weeks after Dubcek and the Kremlin Lead ers agreed to Call off their propaganda War the soviet press has opened up again with new attacks against the czechoslovak press. Western experts said instill is too Early to say whether these renewed polemics Are simply a one time flare up or Herald general resumption of Public sniping. But the fact the Kremlin has started on this tack again so soon after the propaganda Trace is considered ominous. In danger height of the crisis ended officially. The conclusion drawn by Man Western officials from All these moves is that Dubcek had tos be substantial pledges not to step Over the line at both Theu Erna Nad Tisou and Brati Slava meetings. Many Western officials be eve the Kremlin will keep thereat on at least until the czech slovak communist by con. F?T"06 in sch spa. 9, in a Hope of preventing All supp of former stalinist an a often monster and suggested changes Mem tog a larger voice for Membern their internal communications affairs. France has been at Odds with Intelsat because the consortium frowns on an individual nation launching a regional satellite that would extend beyond the country s Borders. Franc and West Germany jointly a working on a communication satellite called project sym phony which they Label expert mental. Officials see it As a potential operational system o link Europe Africa and parts America. The symphony satellite is Tobe launched by an Eldo rocket a joint project of Sev eral european nations. But tech Nical Money and political problems have delayed the launching until the Early in Fiat the earliest. France had hoped the flit de states would launch the symphony satellite but the United states rejected it because k is potentially a regional Salei Lite. Intelsat has no objection to a nation launching a satellite for Domestic use within its Bor Ders. The United states is considering such a system and also May launch a satellite for Canada. France has indicated it would like to see three or four regional space communications areas one dominated by France an West Germany one by Russia and one by the United states and the fourth possibly by Japan. Some French officials " like to do away with and place the pro Ial networks which would be cooperative under control of the Itu. Thed a Fries production circulation a of at Best Western experts con Sider it a warning from mob cd to Dubcek that develop ments in Czechoslovakia Are he ing watched closely by the Kremlin. Other indications of continue pressure Are seen in the fact the Warsaw pact countries european edition a Dir Lnch col. James w. Campbell a a. Edillor it. Col. F. 8. Michael jr., Mert Proctor Elmer d. Frank Henry 8. Epstein., thu a Winap a u an authorised publication of the department of d Eom. 1 Foix ova Mai. The Tara and 8 of the . Govern this _ ,.ifnl, by in ul8 no not the. Official Ltd of to of of no. The App Ranet " atrip., Apo 091/5. International Maic the Bur. Andrei Darm i a Many. Ten an him tar Loti . Army Hou no Rob to military 8121 or 8409. C Civ 5761/,
