WHORM Subject File OS (Outer Space) — UFO Secrecy Letter & NASA Correspondence, 1983

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SIGISMUND, Rtcn ARD

--

SA.PLLI/LTCOL MAR.8H/Jw/At1110.

11 AUG 1983

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T H E

H O U S E

WH I T E

0 F F I C E

REFERRAL
AUGUST 1, 1983
TO: DEPARTMENT OF DE~ENSE~
ACTION REQUESTED:
DIRECT REPLY, FURNISH INFO COPY
REMARKS: PER MR. DEAVER'S INSTRUCTIONS, A REPLY IS REQUESTED WITHIN
10 DAYS
DESCRIPTION OF INCOMING:
ID:

157693

MEDIA:

LETTER, DATED JULY 21, 1983

TO:

MICHAEL DEAVER

FROM:

MR. RICHARD SIGISMUD
1557 9TH STREET
BOULDER CO 80302

SUBJECT: THE UFO PHENOMENON
PROMPT ACTION IS ESSENTIAL -- IF REQUIRED ACTION HAS NOT BEEN
TAKEN WITHIN 9 WORKING DAYS OF RECEIPT, PLEASE TELEPHONE THE
UNDERSIGNED AT 456-7486.
RETURN CORRESPONDENCE, WORKSHEET AND COPY OF RESPONSE
(OR DRAFT) TO:
AGENCY LIAISON, ROOM 91, THE WHITE HOUSE

SALLY KELLEY
DIRECTOR OF AGENCY LIAISON
PRESIDENTIAL CORRESPONDENCE

w04937 !,4

1557 - 9th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-9170
July 21, 1983

Mr. Michael Deaver
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
RE:

The UFO Phenomenon
Summary:
A social psychologist with broad background in
education, media, and UFO research, writes to advise
that the government policy of UFO secrecy is rapidly
becoming counterproductive and untenable. An erosion
of government credibility is noted with the public and
the media giving evidence of increasing awareness of
the reality of the UFO phenomenon and the existence of
long-term coverup.
A meeting is requested to discuss the present need for
a national educational program to gradually condition
the American people to the nature of the UFO presence
and its possible significance for the country. It is
observed that the proposed educational program would
fulfill what is perceived as a government obligation
to respond to the growing need of the people for
information, thereby reducing the present risk of mass
anxiety and culture shock in the event of any escalation
in the present level of UFO activity.
It is further observed that the proposed program would
deflect rising criticism of the Defense Department and
the National Security Agency for the present and longmaintained state of secrecy. The writer asserts that
the educational initiative suggested is capable of being
designed to function with due consideration for the
military nuance of the UFO problem and without
compromising the military concern for national security.
The writer finally notes the existence of a very large
reservoir of national and international interest in the

r
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Mr. Michael Deaver

Page 2

UFO phenomenon, a body of interest which it is felt
wi 11 insure that any action taken in 1 ine with the
recommended educational program would be very favorably
received by the American people, the national media,
and the international community of nations.
Dear

Mr.

Deaver:

I am a social psychologist, educator and businessman,* also
one of the country's leading investigators of the UFO
phenomenon.
I am writing to inquire if you might have an
interest in the UFO subject and if you might be amenable to
a meeting to discuss the possible sociological and psychological significance which this phenomenon may hold for our
nation and for mankind. I am writing on the assumption that
in your position as a key advisor to the President you are
aware of the reality of UFOs and the existence of high level
military and government interest in the phenomenon. Perhaps
you are also aware of the world-wide extent of the sightings.
If your interest in the UFO subject permits, I would especially
like to discuss with you the role of government secrecy in
this matter, specifically the military desire for continuing
secrecy versus the growing need of the people for information.
As a social scientist who has made a long and careful study
of the UFO problem, I believe that the pol icy of total secrecy
is no longer in the best interests of the people.
It has
failed to make provision for the necessary education and
conditioning of the public in the face of a persistent and
significantly increasing level of UFO activity.
I believe
that the present policy exposes the American people to the
possibility of massive anxiety and severe culture shock should
UFO activity escalate beyond the present level, a level of
activity which is already cause for concern.
With UFO sightings on the increase, I feel we have a responsibility to the American people to reevaluate the policy of
secrecy and
consider at this time a new approach to the
complex UFO problem.
If a meeting is possible to arrange,
Mr. Deaver, I would like to discuss the advisability of
establishing a national educational and conditioning program
to gradually inform the public of the fact of the UFO presence
and what it may portend for our society. Such a program is

*Founder and president of AQUARIUS MINING COMPANY, an active
exploration and development company with silver and gold mines
located in Colorado.

Mr. Michael Deaver

Page 3

needed for it would greatly decrease the likelihood of mass
anxiety and shock.
It would also stem criticism building against the executive
branch of government and the National Security Agency for
maintaining a policy which has completely isolated both
Congress and the people from the facts of the UFO situation.
Many indications are present which strongly suggest that the
isolation of Congress and the American people from information concerning UFOs may no longer be possible to maintain.
A critical indicator is revealed in the attitude of the media
which has changed dramatically during the past twelve months.
From a former position of skepticism regarding the reality
of the UFO phenomenon, the media now increasingly gives
evidence that it suspects that some secret agency, in
conjunction with the executive branch, knows much more about
the UFO subject than has been let on.
A recent Westinghouse Broadcasting Company television
documentary on the UFO subject, shown in San Francisco, Boston,
Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and other cities (for which
the writer was principal consultant) addresses the issue of
secrecy, as will a new Prentice Hall book and a major Time/Life
television documentary on UFOs to be released nationally in
about six months.
We cannot be assured that the reaction of either the media
or Congress will be at all temperate when it becomes finally
apparent that the entire nation has been kept essentially in
a state of total ignorance regarding the reality of the UFO
phenomenon. All indications suggest the contrary; even today
we are beginning to hear the term "Cosmic Watergate" being
used by the media.
With the coming release of the highly
critical new Prentice Hall book, Clear Intent, followed shortly
thereafter by Time/Life's national television documentary on
the subject, we may see a strong reaction by both the public
and the media. This reaction may easily provoke a Congressional
demand for an investigation, greater yet than what happened
in April of 1966. At that time during an earlier strong surge
of UFO interest in the nation reported extensively by the
media, then House Minority Leader Gerald Ford called the House
Armed Services Committee into session with the statement" •••
I think we owe it to the people to establish credibility on
the subject of UFOs."
Although this 1966 call by Congress for a full investigation
of the UFO issue was handled by the Air Force at that time in
such a way as to insure that public disclosure of the reality
of the UFO phenomenon would not occur, we cannot be sure that

Mr. Michael Deaver

Page 4

this will be possible today.
The public and Congress are
much more sophisticated and critical than was the case in 1966.
Last year's Freedom of Information Act suit against the National Security Agency, an action heard in U.S. District Court,
Washington, D.C., in which a citizen group demanded release
of some 131 secret UFO documents prepared by the NSA and held
by that agency in top secret files, revealed to the public
the extent of government interest in the subject and the
degree of secrecy maintained. In the event you are unfamiliar
with this suit, please see the attached Washington Post news
release for additional information on this FOIA action; also
please find an earlier news item attached concerning the 1979
limited release of UFO information which followed another
lengthy FOIA lawsuit.
Perhaps it is important at this point to clearly state that
I recognize the delicate and difficult situation which the
UFO phenomenon has created for the military and the NSA. The
UFO presence from the very beginning created both military
and societal problems of unprecedented nature.
The pol icy
of secrecy appears to have been originally conceived as an
effective short-term response to this unique and truly
perplexing phenomenon, a phenomenon without parallel in the
history of the nation. Secrecy clearly allowed the military
and intelligence community time to evaluate the national
security aspects of the UFO presence and also insured that
the public would not be exposed to information which might
have caused severe national anxiety and possible panic.
However, a generation of time has now elapsed since the early
days of the UFO phenomenon. We no longer live in the early
195O 1 s and the policy of secrecy, in the face of a persistant
level of UFO activity and a growing sophistication on the
part of the public, cannot be expected to remain without
serious challenge and great loss of government credibility.
Beyond these considerations, however important they may be,
as I noted earlier, there remains the inescapable and
overriding fact that the pol icy of secrecy has not permitted
the proper education and conditioning of the American people.
This process is essential to begin if we are to prevent severe
culture shock in the event of any large escalation in UFO
activity. There is at present no visible government office
or agency which is addressing the important societal problems which are raised by the fact of the UFO presence and the
possibility of culture contact with the advanced alien societies to which this presence relates.
I feel it is my responsibility as a social scientist to warn,
at the risk of being redundant, that the presence of several
scientifically highly advanced alien societies observing our

Mr. Michael Deaver

Page 5

nation (and our planet) must not be addressed solely as a
military issue.
However baffling the behavior of UFOs may presently appear
to us, the possibility that the nation may soon be exposed
to culture contact with a highly advanced alien society, or
societies, cannot be lightly dismissed or evaded. When we
reflect upon the full range of what the UFO phenomenon implies,
what culmination we may expect from the ever-increasing level
of UFO activity, this very real possibility must be spoken
to.
Whether the UFO timetable includes provision for such
contact we can only speculate, but to be unprepared is to
risk that the public suffer at the very least great anxiety,
and for some conservative and very fundamentalist segments
of our society, possible panic . We have only to consider
what might happen if UFOs attempt a mass landing or execute
low level overflights of some of our major cities to see at
what great disadvantage the present pol icy leaves the public.
It is an obvious truth that continuing secrecy does not permit
the problems of culture contact to be adequately dealt with.
I believe that failure to speak to this issue is not in the
best interests of the people since culture shock, as we have
historically seen during the Colonial Period and occasionally
in our present era as well, is a societally devastating
phenomenon undercutting all the major institutions of the
lesser developed culture. Unfortunately, we find ourserves
precisely in the position of a lesser developed society visa-vis the UFO phenomenon.
Cultur e contact, however, need not be a totally negative
experience provided that a society is sufficiently conditioned
in advance. If a society is adequately prepared, the phenomenon
of culture shock, although never totally avoidable, is capab l e
of being reduced to manageable proportions. Only then may
benefit (and possibly great benefit) be derived from culture
contact with a very highly advanced society.
As a final note, I firmly believe that any administration
which has the courage to break the code of silence set by
past administrations, at the apparent behest of the military,
wi 11 perform not only a service to the public but wi 11 at the
same instant be the recipient of a great deal of respect and
favorable publicity from both the people and the media. This
is because the UFO phenomenon now commands by far the most
attention, indeed, fascination, of any anomaly of our time
both nationally and internationally, as rightly it should.
Any President who has the courage to address this complex and
formidable issue I am certain will make for himself and his
administration an indelible mark in history. Although I am

Mr. Michael Deaver

Page 6

not proposing that this should be the reason for considering
the recommendations contained in this communication, it will
nonetheless be one of the inevitable favorable consequences
of any such action.
Thank you for your consideration
forward to hearing from you.

in this matter.

I

Sincerely,

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This t oIA, s~i t- was ruled upon by the U.S. Court of Appeals in e~rly 1982. The Appeals °Court
· uph~ld the District Court's findings; it wa s then appealed to tne Supreme Court which decl i ned
to review. The litigation is cur ren t ly being publicized in new books .an_d television documentaries.

Suit Seeks to Lih Secrecy Veil
From Agency's UFO Documents
UFOs Don't. Exi~t,:.

GOve(nmeri't says/ . .

Witho~·, Telling _Why
\.

By WARD SINCLAIR
, Washington Poat

..

WASHINGTON - The U.S, 1overnment says
it keeps no records on unidentified flying
objects, because they don't eldst.
But 131 secret documents about UFOs in the
files of the National Security Agency have
become the subject of an intense legal battle.
Would the documents disclose startling details about the fiying saucers, or UFOs, that
more than. 10 million
Americans. claim to. hav~
,.
seen .
.
. . . .
· Would disclosure compromise NSA's sophisti•
cated eavesdropping techniques?,,~ ·~ · 1 •
la it all buncombe? ·. : . ,. · ·., · .. ., · Or is it all too frightening tcfcontem:plate? .
Apparently only NSA can amweii·those ques- .
tions and NSA isn't talking. NS~ in fact,
refuses to talk and its reticence is being
cbsllenged in the federal courts. · ·
Eleven mouths ago, a;. U.S. · District Court
judge here, Gerhard A. Gesell, held that the
documents were so sensitive that their -public
release might endanger national security . .Gesell did not review the documents. His decision was based on a 21-page top-secret affidavit
given him in chambers by NSA.
·
··
The battle last week reached the U.S. Court
of Appeals, where a small organization known
as Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS),
arguing for release of the NSA documents, told
a three-judge panel that the government cannot .
have it both ways.
· If UFOs do not exist, CAUS attorney Peter A.
Gersten of New York told the court, then Uncle .
(Continued on Page lZ)

,

UfQ:,------<From Page 1)
Sam has nothing to hide. If they do exist, then we
may be in big trouble and we ought to know about
it.
'
.
· But NSA;s lip stays buttoned.
· The suit brought by CAUS under·the Fr~om .,
of Information Act is another in a series of
·challenges to the powers of spy outfits such as
· NSA, the Central Intelligence Agency and the ·
Oefense Intelligence Agency to withhold virtually
anything they want under the guise of national
security.
. . ,
·•
"The government position is that UFOs are not
a threat and that the government does not study
UFOs," Gersten told the appeals panel. ·u the
. · panel does not order disclosure, he said, Gesell at
least should be directed to review · the 131 UFO
documents and decide for himself just how
sensitive they really are.
Arguing for NSA, attorney Cheryl M. Long said
there is no way the documents, no matter what
they show, could be released without exposing
and compromising the intelligence-gathering
. techniques of the agency, which include global
·electronic snooping and code-breaking. .
CAUS' appetite for government documents was
whetted by the 1978 relea~e of Air Fo~ce and CIA
reports on UFO sightings that were deemed to
have no national security implications. Ground
Saucer Watch, a Phoenix-based UFO monitoring
organization, forced the r~lease through freedom- j
of-information suits.
, .
·
·i. Those documents revealed that in October,
0

November and December of 1975, reliable military personnel saw unconventional and unexplained aerial objects hovering around nuclear
weapons storage sites, aircraft alert areas and
missile control complexes at installations across ·
the northern United States.
·
In some instances. as . radar sightings of the
objects were made, Air Force fighter planes were
sent aloft in unsuccessful pursuit, · although the
,records gave no indication that the fighters fired
on the intruders.
''
Gersten said CAUS intends to file ·· another
freedom of information suit against the Air Foree
this month in an effort to force disclosure of more
data on the series of still unexplained 1975 ·
sightings over Strategic Air Command base_s.

. .. ,

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■

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,r

.u~s. Reports Vi!iitS~-: ;l
.

Of · UFOs ·t o BClses
(Cl 19'1' Denver Post-Washington Post
and brightly lighted, fast-moving vehictes .
WASHINGTON- Duririg two .weeks in that · -hovered over nuclear weapons . ;
1975, a .string of the nation's supersensi. storage areas and evaded all pursuit efs · '
tive nuclear _missile launch sites and .forts.
bomber bases were - visited · by unidentified, low-flying and elusive objects, acIN SEVERAL INSTANCES, after base
cording to Defense i)epartment reports. _ security had been penetrated, the Air
Toe~ Sightings, made visually · and on Force sent fighter planes ·and airborne
radar by air and ground· crews and sabo- command planes a1oft in unsuccessful
tage-alert forces, occurred at installations pursuit. The records don't indicate if the ·;
in Montana, Michigan and Maine, and led fighters fired on the intruders.
.
• ,•
to extensive but · unsuccessful Air Force
The documents also give no indicatio.u 1
~ttempts to track and- detain the objects: . that ~he airspace incursions provoked ·
Air Force and .Defense Department much more tb~ local co_mm~d concern. ~
~ut a Nov. 11, 1975, directive !rom the ,
records variously describe the objects as
helicopters, airefifft';·_unknown _ entities ?ffltrce otedftbe bs:creinftary of _the Airff Foree
,, ms uc
pu 11c
ormation sta ers to
.
. ·. ·· . i:;.;..,;..:.. ·
j: avoid linking the scatter~ sightings -_,:
unless specifically asked.
· ~The Defense Department position, cited ·•
in that memo and reiterated 'Thursday·by-c:~1
a departmental spokesman, is that fonnal ·.
investigation of unidentified flying objects: ·.
ended in 1969 and that there were no,,
plans for renewed Air Force investiga- ·

l

. U.S. -Releases _Reports ·
i.On-UFO Visits to Bases .
!

..,_

i

•

•

GiJ '-i*~~M -~PA'G-E >l ; ii;;) - g~~~~u~~~c~~r~~~hy~;O~d~uti ~:re:iati

•
,
·ed to national security.
·.
·.
away from the smaller object, which had
returned to the larger, light, tbe report
,HE CIA'S POSITION,' reiterated
said. Iranians described the larger object, . 'Thursday by a spokesman, is that it has
• witi'l colored, fast-flashing light, as the had no involvement with TTFOs since 1%3
t size of a Boeing 707 jetliner.
when a special study panel concluded
f
The information on the 1975 · and 1976 that they presented no threat to national
. sightings--records from the Air Force security.
..
and tbe North American_ Air Defense
While memos rrom as recently as 1977
Command-was turned over 10· Ground are included in the 879 pages, the CIA ,
Saucer Watch, a Phoenix-based organiza. spokesman said · the agency continues to ·
tion that monitors UFO reports. .
be "a -passive recipient" of UFO data,
The · GSW obtained the information even though none of the material is
through a Freedom of Information analyzed.
request to the Air Force; one of a number
Todd Zechel, a GSW investigator and
[ it has made to government agencies in- director ,of another organization, Citizens _
· volved in UFO investigations.
Against UFO Secrecy, and William
!, A similar request to the CIA, made by Spaulding, a Phoenix engineer and direcr both GSW and The Washington Post, · tor of GSW, said the Defense Depart•
, resulted in the CIA's turning over almost _· -m
_ ~t, the Air Force and the National Se- 900 pages of documents related to its _cur1ty Agency have refused to turn over .
monitoring of UFO reports since the certain other information that would' shed
,, 1950s._ _ _.
·
·
· more light on military encounters with
: The CIA was directed ~y a U.S. District _. unidentified flying objects. -~ -- -~

i·
I

tio;~t another _ Air - Force : i.nte~li~e ]
report indicated extensive. interest in
1976 incident over Iran, when two Iranian:J
Air Force F-4 · Phantom fighter planes ·
were scrambled · to encounter a brightly
lighted object in the skies near Tehran.
The object was tracked by Iranian
ground radar, seen independently ·by the
crew of a commercial airliner and _
pursued by the F-4s, which, according to
the_ report, experienced a breakdown of ,
then- electronic comniunicatior.s devices
when they neared the object.

a-1

THE REPORT, COMF_ILEIJ by American · officials, . said that the electronic
weapons system of one of the planes went
dead when its pilot prepared to fire ·an
AIM-9 missile at a smaller object that ap.
peared to roar out from the larger _vehi-·
cle; ·
The planes' electronic equipment reportedly became _operative after they veered

Continued oq_ page 16.

s~g_s_s_o.;;;...____

ID# ---'---"1

D

0 -

OUTGOING

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H -

INTERNAL

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INCOMING
Date Correspondence I?',J / A e, / 0
received (VY/MM/DD) ~1--,7
_ _ _V~10___L__

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';1(;,6-;,<- ...,I.., L2 ~~
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SUBJECT:~:li:~~~~.L•A

ROUTE TO:

oyice/Agency

ACTION

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Code

~

DISPOSITION
Tracking
Date
VY/MM/DD

Type
of
Response

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ORIGINAT

Referral Note:

E

'31t:Jr1oy _ __

Referral Note:

l:5

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Referral Note:

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Referral Note:

r-----------------------------------------------,----------------,------------------------,
ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:
1

1

1

1

:
:

A - Appropriate Action
I - Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary :
A- Answered
: Type of Response= Initials of Signer :
C- Comment/Recommendation R - Direct Reply w/Copy
:
B - Non-Special Referral :
Code= " A"
:
1
D - Draft Response
S - For Signature
I
C- Completed
I Completion Date= Date of Outgoing 1
:L
F - Furnish Fact Sheet to be
X
- Interim Reply
:
: __________________ _ _____ J:
_______________________________________________
..l.. S - Suspended
________________ .J..

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5/83

.-

1\5/\
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Washington , D.C.

20546

November 30, 1983

LFC

Dr. Hanford Stafford
Executive Director
National Consortium for Black
Professional Development
1359 s. 3rd Street
Louisville, KY 40208
Dear Dr. Staffordz
lhis ie 1n response to your letter ~o Presideqt Reagan concerning
reprints of the interview with Lt. Colonel Guion Bluford.
I have tried to reach you £01: several months concerning your
proposcl. As you rightfully guessed, NASA doea not have funds to
rep.int and circulate these interviews. we have printed some
100,000 copies of a litho of Guy Bluford and have en.ade it available to young people across the nation.
can do.

I think tha t my be all we

It has bean several years since we have talked.

If t here is •

better number than (502) 451-8199, please forward it to sne.
be reached at (202) 755-0816.
Sincerely,

Curtis M. Graves
Deputy Director

for Academic Services
Public Affairs Division

I can

T H E

WH I T E

H O U S E

0 F F I C E

REFERRAL
AUGUST 15, 1983
TO: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
ACTION REQUESTED:
DIRECT REPLY, FURNISH INFO COPY
DESCRIPTION OF INCOMING:
ID:

158550

MEDIA:

LETTER, DATED JULY 29, 1983

TO:

PRESIDENT REAGAN

FROM:

DR. HANFORD D. STAFFORD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR BLACK
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1359 SOUTH 3RD STREET
LOUISVILLE KY 40208

SUBJECT: CIRCULATING INFORMATION ON COLONEL BLUFORD
TO COMMEMORATE SPACE SLOT
PROMPT ACTION IS ESSENTIAL -- IF REQUIRED ACTION HAS NOT BEEN
TAKEN WITHIN 9 WORKING DAYS OF RECEIPT, PLEASE TELEPHONE THE
UNDERSIGNED AT 456-7486.
RETURN CORRESPONDENCE, WORKSHEET AND COPY OF RESPONSE
(OR DRAFT) TO:
AGENCY LIAISON, ROOM 91, THE WHITE HOUSE

SALLY KELLEY
DIRECTOR OF AGENCY LIAISON
PRESIDENTIAL CORRESPONDENCE

...-- - -- -- - -- - - -- - -- - - - - ~ - - - -- - - - - - - - --- -

---

NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR BLACK PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1359 SOUTH JRD STREET
LOUISVILLE, KE11ITUCKY 40208
(502) 637-1481

7/29/83
The Honorable Ronald Reaean
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Mr. President:

~

As as you are aware, Colonel Guion Bluford is scheduled
to ge----up i.n sp.ace sometimes in late August.
There are several
school children across America, both black and white, who would
like to have CORies of this interview. We here think it would
be appropriate to - have - addit1.onal copies print~d up, especially
since the Administration's interest in science is at an all time
high at this point; but more importantly, such a reprint and
circulation could elevate the Administration's image among
the school people.
In any event, we just recently printed
5,000 copies of this issue for NASA 1 but I don't think they
hav e the funds to print and circula~e the number I have in
mind.
I would like to print up and circulate 100,000 to be
handed out and circulated among school children (of all colors
and creeds) in selected cities and states and to circulate
among public and secondary school libraries.
The costs are
as follows:

100,000 reprints @ 75¢
Postage and handling
@ 6¢

$ 75,000

6,000
$ 81,000

Total

Of course, if you feel more copies will be appropriate,
please add the desired nu□ber and multiply by the rates listed~
Any purchase order submitted should be arranged to have here
within seven (7) days. We promise fourteen (14) day s delivery.
If you desire to talk to me further about this, please call
at (502) 451-8199 (bus.) or (502) 228-4012 (res.) Please
note that a similar is being sent also to Secretary Weinberger
for his involvement.
However, only one contract from either
of you will suffice.
I look forward to hearing from you.

1

v~ thJ.w
~~rd
Executive

Ph.D.

By the way, if we print it, some of the pictures will have to
be "cleanea" up a bit.

f/t..;P?ff

The following inteNiew is reprinted from the Fall 1980 issue of the SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING NEWSLETTER, Vol 4, No. 1. The NEWSLETTER is published by the National
Consortium for Black Professional Development, Inc., 2307 Taylorsville Road, Louisville, Kentucky
40205. All rights reseNed; this inteNiew may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior
written permission from the publisher.
THE NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR BLACK PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT . .
A Louisville-based non-profit educational services organization composed of industrial corporations and institutions of higher education committed to the development and implementation of a
national program to substantially increase the pool of Black professionals in several areas of critical
employment demand, including the applied and natural sciences, business administration,
communications technology, engineering, and law.
Supported by contributions from varied sources, but more substantially by annual fees from its
constituent members, the NCBPD thrust comprises a comprehensive career development program
beginning with career awareness and exploration at the late elementary level; intensive career
counseling and information regarding career preparation at the secondary level; undergraduate and
graduate professional training at the college and university level; and identification, recruitment, and
counseling coupled with placement, retention, and promotion at the employment level.
The NCBPD program, which became operational on a national basis in September 1974, is
structured into three basic components which address short-range, intermediate-range, and longrange objectives respectively. The publication of the SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING NEWSLETTER is one of the NCBPD's activities to achieve these objectives.
The NEWSLETTER is directed toward science-gifted Black students in Grades 4-12 . The
publication, which is viewed as an open-line kind of continuing contact with its readers, features
pictorial profiles of active Black scientists and engineers, practical kinds of career development
information relating to science and engineering fields, tips for strengthening academic and testtaking skills, and well-researched and-illustrated articles designed to stimulate interest in scientific
and technical matters. Subscriptions and advertising rates available upon request.

Introducing . • •

Dr. Guion S. Bluford, Jr.
NASA MISSION SPECIALIST

Ever wondered what it takes to
become an astronaut? Find out in this
interview with Dr. Guion S. Bluford,
Jr., who is scheduled to be a mission
specialist aboard the third flight of the
Orbiter Challenger, STS-8, which is
scheduled to be launched during the
late summer of 1983.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Bluford acquired a doctorate degree in aerospace engineering before he became a NASA astronaut To learn more about Dr. Bluford
and the Shuttle program, read on!

Photo courtesy NASA

a. Dr. Bluford, would you please begin by telling us

A. The Space Shuttle consists of a crew-and-cargo-

about the purpose of the Space Shuttle program?

carryi ng craft which looks very much like an airplane
about the size of a DC9 aircraft. Attached to it is a
large external tank which carries about a million and
a half gallons of fuel. Attached to the tank are two
solid-rocket boosters. That's the launch configuration of the Shuttle. Once it gets into orbit, the Shuttle will look like the DC9 aircraft; it will also look that
way when it comes in for landing.

A. Well, the purpose of the Space Shuttle program is
to get things into space and to take things out of
space. It's supposed to replace the expendable
boosters and the rockets that we now use to put
things into space. The advantage of using the Space
Shuttle instead of rockets is that the Shuttle is a lot
cheaper.

a. Would you briefly describe the design of the

a. And the only part that is lost is the tank?

Space Shuttle?

A. That's the only "throw-away" part. The solid1

munications satellites , defense satellites , and earth
resources satellites. We ' ll also be carrying a
laboratory in the back of the payload bay called the
Space Lab.
Q. Is that the European Space Lab?

A. It 's being built by the European Space Agency,
but it's going to be a space lab that will be used both
by the Europeans and by ourselves.
Q. I see. As a mission specialist, could you describe

for us some of the things you anticipate being called
to do?
A. Well, I'll be required to work with the various
payloads, which means that I'll be required to deploy
the payload into space by opening the payload bay
doors, checking out the payload, grappling the
payload with a remote manipulator arm and actually
positioning the payload into orbit.

Photo Courtesy NASA

An artist's conception of the Space Shuttle about to deploy a
Landsat satellite.

Photo Courtesy NASA

An artist's conception of satellite deployment as viewed from the
cargo bay.

rocKet boosters are jettisoned after lift-off and
they're parachuted into the ocean, where they are
picked up and used again. So the external tank is the
only non-reusable portion of the Shuttle system.
Q. I see. Would you describe the crew that is intended to use this vehicle?

A. Well, there are three types of crew members. First
of all, there's an astronaut-pilot. There will be two of
these; !h3ir job will be to fly the Snuttle into orbit,
maneuver the craft on orbit, and return the craft to
land. There'll be a mission specialist; this person
will be responsible for monitoring orbiter systems
and managing payload operations. Mission
specialists will be doing the work with the payload
on orbit. If we have a payload that requires a
specialty which the mission specialist is not able to
do, then we will have a payload specialist, who will
be a non-astronaut whose only job will be to work
with that particular payload.

Photo Courtesy NASA

The Space Shuttle Orbiter 101 Enterprise.

Another job that I will have will be to retrieve
satellites. If we have a satellite up there that needs
to be brought back, then I will work with the remote
manipulator arm to grapple the satellite and return it
to the payload bay for the return to Earth. I'll also
help with the experiments in the Space Lab. These
experiments range a wide gamut from materials pror:essing to astronomy to earth resources.

Q. What are some of the payloads that the Space
Shuttle might carry?

Q. Materials processing -

A. We plan to carry a wide variety of payloads,
primarily satellites and orbiting laboratories. The
types of satellites we'll be carrying will include com-

is that developing alloys

and growing crystals?

A. Materials processing could be developing alloys. I
2

Pho to Courtesy NASA

Dr. Bluford with fellow astronaut candidates and U. S. Air Force trainees about to undergo water survival training exercises in Florida.

have done some work in Space Lab Three, which is a
materials processing laboratory that we will be orbiting. In that particular laboratory, we'll be doing
crystal growing, and we'll be developing some
materials in space that we can't develop as well on
the ground.
Q. Why is that?

~

A. In space, without the influence of gravity, there
are crystals that we can grow a lot purer than on the
ground. The growth of crystals is deformed by the
constant "pull" of gravity.
Q. I see. Have you completed your astronaut training
program?
A. Yes, so to speak. I have completed the candidacy
portion of the program, and I'm considered an
astronaut. I am still learning about being an
astronaut as well as learning how the Shuttle works.
Q. How many astronauts are there in this country?
A. Right now we have 62, and we recently brought in
19 new astronaut candidates.
a. How many of these are Black?
A. Three of the astronauts are Black, and one of the
astronaut candidates is Black.
Q. Are there any females?

A. Yes, there are six female astronauts, and two of
the astronaut candidates are female, for a total of
eight altogether.
Q. Do female astronaut candidates undergo the
same training as males? Are they being prepared for
the same responsibilities?

Photo Gourlesy NASA

A prototype of the Shuttle manipulator arm is tested at NASA's
LBJ Space Center near Houston, Texas.

Q. Do you foresee a time when an ordinary civilian or

A. Yes, we're being trained in the same way. All of
the female astronauts are mission specialists;
they'll be doing the same types of jobs that I' ll be doing.

non-scientifically trained person will be placed into
orbit?

A. Well, I see a t ime when an ordinary civilian will be
3

bit. Another thing that we could possibly do is to
send another vehicle up to rescue people in the first
vehicle, but I think that in the case that you've
described, we would terminate the mission and
bring the injured or sick individual back to Earth .

placed into orbit, but he will have to have a job which
needs to be done in orbit. We are calling those people payload specialists - people whose expertise
will be needed for payloads in orbit. Right now,
though, I don't see a need for non-technical personnel in the near future. The jobs that I see in space, at
least in the early phases of the Shuttle program, are
primarily geared for pilots and technically-trained
people.

Q. I see. You yourself have a Ph.D. degree. Do most

of the astronauts have an advanced degree of that
nature?
A. Pilot astronauts are primarily test pilots, but most
of the mission specialist astronauts have advanced
degrees.

Q. How long do you think it will be before you are

scheduled for a specific mission? Do you have any
way of gauging that?

a. If the degrees were comparable, how would you

A. No, I don't. But I anticipate that it will be several

say the salary of an astronaut compares with a
scientist or an engineer working in another field?

years, since currently we are concerned with demonstrating the operation of the system. In ()ther words,
we have to test out the Shuttle to make sure it works
properly before we go into an operational phase. The
testing phase will last at least two years, so it will be
at least that long before I will have a feel as to what
types of missions I might have.

A. I would say they 're on par. The military people,
like myself, are getting the same pay as our military
counterparts. I would say that the civilians are getting comparable pay based on the amount of experience they have.

a. Your doctoral degree is in aerospace engineering.
Would you define that field for our readers?

Q. Will you continue to study as an astronaut with

the Space Shuttle program for the next two years?

A. It's the engineering field which specializes in aircraft aviation and space technology.

A. Yes, for at least that long. I am not only learning
about the system, I am also helping the people at the
Center in preparation for the first launch.

a. What sort of things did you work on in getting

Q. How do you spend your time now?

your degree?

A. Right now, I am verifying some of the hardware
and software on the Shuttle. I am checking out the
computer program to insure that it will do what it's
supposed to do when we actually fly the Shuttle. I
spend a great deal of time working in a Shuttle simulator, actually flying ascen t s and doing on-orbit
work.

My Ph.D. work was in computational
aerodynamics, which means that I worked with computers. I developed computer programs to calculate
the forces and moments* on various aircraft parts. I
worked with preparing computer codes which
calculate how an airplane flies and how it responds
while it 's flying.

Q. Could you tell us a little about what a Shuttle sim-

a. And you have a minor in laser physics. What sort

A.

of work did you do in that field?

ulator is?
A. A Shuttle simulator is a cockpit of the Shuttle on
the ground, in which all the switches and knobs
function as if the Shuttle were flying in space.

A. The work that I did was primarily classroom work.
There was no laboratory work of any kind. The Ph.D.
program that I went through required that I minor in
another field; the field that I chose was laser
physics.

Q. And you test the computers that will be helping

the pilots in the Shuttle?

a. You also have flown 144 combat missions. It is in-

A. Yes. The Shuttle is a highly computerized vehicle

teresting that you opted to be a mission specialist
rather than a pilot.

and we can't really fly the Shuttle without the computers. We need to make sure that the computers
are performing the way they're supposed to perform
and to try to catch any mistakes in the computer programs before we actually begin flying in the vehicle
for real.

A. Well, I am better qualified to be a mission
specialist than I am to be an astronaut pilot. The
pilots who were selected were test pilots, and I am
not a test pilot.

Q. What would happen in the event of a severe

a. Could you briefly explain the difference between

medical emergency in space , such as appendicitis
or something of that nature?

flying a jet fighter and flying the Shuttle?

A. They're pretty much the same, except that the jet
airplane has jet engines on it, whereas the Shuttle
does not. The Shuttle wi ll be a glider attached to two
rocket engines. On lift-off, the characteristics of the
Shuttle and an airplane are similar in reference to
control. But during approach and landing, the Shut-

A. We ll , in that case , we would probably terminate
the mission and bring the Shuttle back in. Since the
Shuttle is an aircraft type of vehicle, we 'll probably
be able to bring it in within a 12-hour or 24-hour time
period after an emergency has been declared on or4

'

I

. '

de will be coming in without an engine, so you won't
have the "go around" capability that you have with
regular airplanes.
Q. So it lands just like a glider?

A. Yes.
Q. Can the Shuttle, when it's landing as a glider, land
on water?

A. We have bu i It a 15,000 foot runway at Cape Kennedy and the Shuttle will land on that runway. So,
no, it's not geared to land on water.

l

a. I see. What do you find most exhilarating about
training as an astronaut?
A. I like the whole program. It's a very interesting

Photo courtes ► NASA

program because it gives me the opportunity to

Dr. Bluford taking part in water survival training at Homestead Air
Force Base in Florida.

delve into several areas of strong personal interest.
On the engineering side, I'm learning how the space
program works - the principles, development, and
testing behind the spacecraft. Also, I'm given the opportunity to maintain my flying proficiency by flying
trainer aircraft here at the LBJ Space Center. So I
like both the ground portion of the program and the
flying portion of the program.

a. Have you ever found any aspects of the program
frightening to go through?

A. No, not really, I'm a seasoned pilot. My
background has prepared me well for this type of
program.
Q. I understand you also have a FAA commercial

pilot license. What does that qualify you to pilot?

A. I can fly private airplanes, and I can also fly
private airplanes for hire.
Q. Do you have any major goals beyond the Space
Shuttle as far as your own future is concerned?

A. Right now, no. My primary interest now is to do
my best to help make sure that the Space Shuttle
program is successful, and I hope to have an opportunity to actually fly in the Shuttle.
Q. Would you hazard any forecasts of what you think

space travel might be like in the year 2000?

A. I think that by the year 2000 we will be fairly experienced in using the Shuttle. I anticipate that the
Shuttle will last 10 to 15 years and may go as far as
the year 2000. But I think that our work in space will
be primarily in Earth orbit, trying to improve life here
on Earth up to the year 2000 and even beyond.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the possibility of

the use of the Shuttle to build a permanent space
station?
A. That's a very strong possibility. There is some
thought being given to that and I anticipate that
maybe after the year 2000 we will end up building
large space structures which could culminate in an
actual space station.

Ph oto Courtes y NASA

Dr. Bluford in fabric rescue sphere in which astronauts could be
evacuated from a stricken spacecraft.

5

Dr. Bluford with fellow astronauts Dr. Ron McNair and Major Frederick Gregory.

a. Will these orbit the Earth like giant satellites?

Pho to court esy N ASA

think of yourself as being a scientist or as being an
astronaut?

A. Yes. They'!! start off as small structures in space,

A. I look at a mission specialist as a multi-talented

and we'll continue to build onto them until we have a
space station.

person. He has to be a scientist; he has to be

Q. How many Shuttle crafts are being constructed

now?

A. Well, right now we have one that is built, that's
down at Cape Kennedy, and we have a second that's
in the process of being built by Rockwell lnterna•
tional near Los Angeles, California. We have
budgeted four vehicles with a possibility of five.
Q. What would you say are the chief skills that an

astronaut should have?

A. Well, I think an astronaut should have a technical
background in one of the sciences or engineering
fields, so that he can grasp some of the principles
behind space flight as well as how the hardware and
software systems work. I think that's the primary
educational background that he should have.

Photo courtesy N ASA

Dr. Bluford being measured for helmet visor at LBJ Space Center.

Q. How would you characterize the personality traits

capable of doing the experiments that the scientists
on the ground need to have done. He also needs to
be a flight crew member; he need~ to be capable of
serving as a backup to the pilot. He needs to know
how the Shuttle system works and to be able to respond to emergencies. And then , the mission

an astronaut should have?

A. I think that he should be able to work with other
people well, and he should be able to perform under
stress.

a. Being a mission specialist, Dr. Bluford, do you
6

-

'\

·,

.

\
Photo courtesy NASA

Dr. Bluford with his wife Linda and their sons Guion Stewart and James Trevor.

specialist needs to be able to work with the cargoes
that we will be carrying into space, such as
satellites, and be able to operate the various
systems that support a satellite. So he needs to be
not only a scientist, but also a crew member - as
well as an engineer.

Q. What sort of stress testing did you undergo in the
candidacy program? Anything like being cooped up
in small areas for long periods of time?

Q. Dr. Bluford, I want to ask you something I'm sure

a. What would you say were the most important

A. None that I can think of. They gave us a battery of
psychological tests, but I can't remember any stress
testing.

many people have wondered about; I know I have.
How hard is it to become an astronaut? How is the
field weeded down to 19 candidates?

criteria all the way down the line of selection?

A. I'm not sure. I think there were a lot of criteria that
were important. One, you had to be highly motivated
to get into the program. That was one of the things
they were looking for when they selected peopte.
Two, you had to get through the physical which was
fairly rigorous. And then, you had to have the
technical background and experience in order to be
successful as an astronaut.
a. Switching focus to when you were growing up,
what were your favorite subjects in school?

A. I went through several selection processes before
I made it. Being in the military, I applied through the
Air Force. There were a lot of Air Force officers, I
think 1.000 officers, that applied. Only 133 of us were
selected. Our names were then combined with those
of all the civilians that applied to the program. About
8,000 civilians applied. Out of that group, a finalist
group was selected, which was about 200 people.
We actually came down to Houston -and were interviewed, given physicals and psychological tests,
that sort of thing. From that finalist group, 35 people
were selected as candidates.

A. When I was growing up, my favorite subject was
math. Math and science were my forte, and I enjoyed
both of them very much.
7

.. .
Q. Would you characterize yourself as a good student from junior hiQh on up?

Q. Let's turn now to your family life and your leisure
activities. Do you have your own family now?

A. I would characterize myself as a good, or average-

A. Yes, I am married. I've got two sons; cne is 14 and

to-good student in junior high and high school.

the other is 16.

Q. What were your favorite leisure activities as an 11
year old?

Q. What are their interests?

A. My older son, Guion Stewart, is interested in com-

A. I was fairly active- in quite a few activities in
school.: the chess team, the pingpong team, and the
science club. I was very interested in aviation in
general. I did a lot of reading on aviation and on aircraft model building.

puters and playing the saxophone. My younger son,
James Trevor, is interested in sports and in hi-fi
equipment. My wife Linda has an MBA degree; she is
an accountant. Her favorite home activities are
reading and raising plants.

Q. Did your family motivate you toward a career in

Q. How do you like to spend your free time?

aviation or science?
A. My father was a mechanical engineer so I was inclined toward the engineering field, maybe because
I knew what an engineer did. Also, the reason I was
inclined toward space engineering was that I felt a
strong interest in aviation and aircraft, and I coupled
that with my interest in science and math and came
up with aerospace engineering.

A. I do a lot of outside reading. I'm a big fan of Arthur
Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, but I mostly read
non-fiction, such as Kissinger's recent book. I also
like to play racquetball, handball, and tennis.
Q. Would you have any advice to young aspiring

scientists either in the areas of aerospace engineering or as an astronaut?

A. Let me talk about the engineering field in particular. I think the career opportunities for Blacks
are wide open in engineering. My experience has
been that Blacks represent a very small minority in
the engineering field, less than 1%. There's a strong
demand for talented Blacks and the field is wide
open.
There are a lot of opportunities out there for growth
and opportunities for advancement. I would pass on
the word to do your best and to keep striving to
achieve your highest goals. Set high goals for
yourself and stay with them until you achieve them.

Photo c o urtesy NA /;;A

8

..

America is Still No. 1 In Space
At NASA, We're Working Hard
To Keep It That Way!
o
ave y our S.S. in eng ineering or science and U.S. Citizenship, NASA probably
a pl ace for you on the winning team.
ou are st ill studying for your degree, NASA has an active COOP Program to
ou i n earning your way while you learn.
has COOP and job opportunities for engineers, scientists, and technicians at
e allo wi ng locations:
- Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035
- Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA 93523
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
- Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
- Kenn edy Space Center, FL 32899
- Lan gley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665
- Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44135
- Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
- National Space Technology Laboratory, MS 39529
- Wallops Flight Center, Wallops Island, VA 23337
If you are interested, please send a copy of your Federal SF -171 or resume to:

Dr. Harriett G. Jenkins, Director
Equal Opportunity Programs
NASA Headquarters, Code U
Washington, DC 20546

-~--·ru/\5/\
An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F

National Aeronautics and
Space Administration

~rul\5/\
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Washington , D.C.

20546

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orksheet attached to the original incoming letter. Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB). Always return

completed correspondence record to Centra

iles. Refer questions about the Correspondence Tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590

- '9u$JI r(_s_s ~ C.,\~ ~~ \

5/83

I

•

August 23, 1983

Dear Tony:

Thank you for your kind letter of August 8.
It was equally my pleasure to meet with you and
David Grimes and to learn of your efforts on
behalf of the commericialization of the
Delta Launch Vehicle System.
I hope you will keep me apprised of
further developments pertaining to this
project. You have my best wishes for every
continued success.

Sincerely,

JAMES X. COYNE
Special Asa.i stant to the President
for Private Sector Initiatives

Mr. Antonio L. Savoca
President

ranspace carriers, Inc.

7833 Walker Drive
Post Office .Box 366
Greenbelt, Maryland

cc:

20770

Outgoing Correspondence file
~p~intmenss file
~ntral Files w/ incoming

JKC:hh

/

Transpace Carriers Inc

Transpace
Carnerslnc

7833 Walker Drive
P.O. Box 366
Greenbelt MD 20770
301-621-9229

Honorable James K. Coyne
Special Assistant to the President
For Private Sector Initiative
The White House
Room 134
Washington, D.C.
20500
Dear Jim:
Dave Grimes and I really appreciated having the opportunity to discuss
our company, Transpace Carriers, Inc. with you and the role we hope to
play in the pending commercialization of the Delta Launch Vehicle
System.
The formal process of the transition cycle is about to start and the
next three or four months will be very exciting and significant for
us.
We appreciate the opportunity created by this administration to form
a new industry in the United States, utilizing the space technology
developed under government funded programs.
We believe we have formulated an acquisition plan which will best meet the governments'
requirements and which will ,firmly establish the first commercial
space industry in the United States.
Until we move into our new Greenbelt headquarters, we are located
in temporary rental space in the GSA building on 7th and D streets.
The telephone number there is 646-1289 should you have a need to
contact us.
Once again, thank you for the time you spent with us and we hope
we can visit with you again should the need arise.

Antonio L. Savoca
President

N/\5/\
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Washington , D.C.

20546

Reply to Attn of

LFF-10

July 25, 1983

os

Ms. Becky Norton Dunlop
Special Assistant to the President and
Deputy Director of Presidential. Personnel
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Becky:
I hope this lett~ r, which ou~
ASA's policy on guest arrangements for Space Shuttle
launches will help to answer some of the concerns in yo ur-July 15 memo to Mr. Beggs.
NASA has long made it a practice to :issue special guest passes, upon request, to elected
officials at the local, state and national levels. These passes are also issued to
constituents of Members of Congress at their request and to NASA customers and
contractors, as well as to citizens interested in the space program. Under our open
policy, mare than 3,500 people are :issued these routine guest passes far each launch of
the Space Shuttle.

In addition to the routine :issuance of these guest passes, the NASA Administrator
traditionally invites a select group of dignitaries to important NASA events. It was this
group which you and other White House guests joined for the last Shuttle flight.

Because of the historical significance of the last Shuttle flight and Sally Ride's role in it,
we made a decision (which was described to your office) to invite predominately
women. The basic reason behind this decision was that the presence of leading American
wo en in the business, professional and academic com muniti.es at the launch could pave
the way for NASA to build a new constituency for our program. NASA had never made
any special outreach efforts to build support among women.
For lists of potential. guests, we enlisted the help of Dee Jepson's White House office; the
women's Bureau of the Department of Labor; NASA program offices; the Pentagon; the
Small Business Administration; the Committee of 200, a group of women heading
businesses grossing $10 million or more annually and Catalyst, a resource organization
for businesses wishing to name distinguished women to their boards. The bulk of those on
our list of 3,500 received special guest invitations which gave them an opportunity to
come to Florida at their own expense, receive a briefing, take a tour of the launch
facilities at the Kennedy Space center and attend a NASA-hosted reception. By joint
White House/N AS A agree m ent, all government em pl.oyees eventually invited to the
launch as the NASA Administrator's guests were chosen and invited by the White House.

25th Anniversary
1958-1983

2

For the next Space shuttle flight (STS-8), which will mark the ascent of the first black
American into space (Guion Bluford), we are planning a si.milar effort. Lists of
prospective guests representing a broad cross section of the national. Black com m unity
have been solicited from the White House, the NASA Equal Opportunity Program Office
and major minority organizations such as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Our proposed list also includes reco m mended non- minority officials, members of the
international. comm unity and prominent persons recommended by the Republican
National Com mittee.
As you know, Dan W. Morris, formerly of the White House staff, recently joined NASA as
Deputy Director of Public Affairs for Public Services. He is working closely with the
White House in developing a prospective STS-8 guest list and making appropriate guest
activity arrangements. We are extremely pleased to have Dan with us and are certain
that his experience and expertise will be of tremendous benefit to the Program.
Sincerely,

9cJ-7kut,»f;;;:

Patrick A. Te ~
ton
Associate Administrator for
External Relations
("")

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.

THE WHITE HOUSE

~

WASHINGTON

July 15, 1983

MEMORANDUM FOR JAMES BEGGS
FROM:

BECKY NORTON DUNLOP~

SUBJECT :

NASA VIP Guests at STS-7 Launch

As a result of a number of reports ~e received and
events witnessed at the recent Shuttle launch, we feel
it incumbent to request some information regarding NASA
clearance process and decisions regarding invited
guests .
It would be helpful if you could provide the
following:

° Complete invitation list clearly marked with
acceptances and regrets, with name, address, and name
of organization.
0

Notations on the list of the specific office within
NASA which submitted the names for invitation.
0

Notation of highest official within NASA who cleared
each na me for invitation .
I f ~PJJ ~oul d ! lease provide this information by COB
C Ju1
22
1 9 8 :J i t w o u 1 d b e mo s t h e 1 p f u 1 in r e s pond in g
to our inquiries .
Please use the attached format in
responding.

3

Thank you for your cooperation .

--

-- - -

•

,I ,
. I

I nvitee

(Name and Address)

Organization

NASA Office

Highest Clearance
Official

Accept

Regret

'18lepbone
202-543-2239

Washington Memorial Building
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US
200 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC. 20002

•THE VOICE OF TWO AND ONE HALF MILLION MEN AND WOMEN OF THE Ynl AND ITS .ADZILIAJ!T"

r1Y~

•

FORRELIASI:
IMMEDIATELY
(18 JULY 1983)
JANE FONDA:

AN ADMINISTRATION VIP?

WASHINGTON, D. C. -- Mr. James R. Currieo, Na tional Commander-in-Chief of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, today called upon James M. Beggs,
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), "to
explain fully ·a nd promptly" just what NASA thought it was doing when Jane Fonda
and her husband were given red carpet VIP treatment at the recent launching of
the space shuttle "Challenger."
Currieo continued by expressing his "distaste and contempt" for this callous
NASA publicity ploy .
The VFW l eader concluded by associating himself "totally and proudly" with a
r ecent Congressional Record insertion by Arizona's Congressman Bob Stump, which
follows.

(MORE)

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NASA 1 S VIP LIST
HON , BOB STUMP
OF ARIZONA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1983

Mr o Stump .

Mr o Speaker, the planned landing site of the Space Shuttle was

not the only aspect of this recent and historic mission to be overcast by dark clouds.

I would like to enter in the RECORD and bring to the attention of my colleagues
and the American people the following ar icle from the Arizona Republic regarding
VIP 's a t the shuttle l aunch.
THE OTHER JANE FONDA
Millions of fawning Americans have lionized actress Jane Fonda by buying her
diet and exercise book, thereby adding to her considerable wealth and making her
a best-selling author o
There is another Jane Fonda, however, one that she might want to forget, but
one whom others canno forget.
Fonda was the darling of extreme left wing groups who took her ant i-American
venom deep into the enemy camp in North Vie nam during the war, and willingly
consorted with communists to aid and abe their propaganda, even as American
prisoners of war were rotting and being tortured in nearby camps.
Arizona Rep . John McCain is one whom will never forget ,
McCain, a third generation naval hero, was a prisoner of the North Vietnamese
(his Navy je having been shot down while on a mission) when Fonda arrived in
Hanoi for a visit with her communist hosts .
McCain refused to meet with Fonda when she was in Hanoi with the communist
hosts, and thereby con ribute to the communi st propaganda triumph.
For refusing to share the spotlight with Fonda, McCain 1 s captors broke both
of his arms.
McCain has now written the Nat i onal Aeronautics and Space Adminis tra tion, protesti g NASA 's decision to "showcase" Fonda and her husband , radical Tom Hayden, as
Very Important Persons at last Sa turday' s launching of the space shuttle CHALLENGER.

2

McCain d0es not argue the right of Fonda and Hayden to attend the space
launching.
But he correctly questions the judgment of NASA in honoring Fonda and Hayden,
given her record as a willing and unapologetic propagandist for a wartime enemy.',
McCain will always carry a deformed arm as a result of Fonda's visit to North
Vietnam.
As for Fonda, she merely has become more famous and immensely wealthier.

~I

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON

I

July 30, 1983

,., /
NOTE FOR JANICE BARBIERI _, //
FROM:

KAREN

HARV

·'

FYI --

See Fuller's notat ion~- he
called Louise Hardee and told
her that the White House had not
and would no~ interfere.
Guess you/ can send this to "Files"
now.
/

, ~·~

Thank 9'/ for calling it to our
atte ion.

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON

JULY 27, 1983

TO:

CRAIG FULLER~

FROM:

JANICE BARBiu.,., ~

SPEAKERS BUREAU

We received the attached mailgram
today.
It would seem inappropriate
for us to handle -- can you help?

Attachment:
Mailgram from Louise Hardee

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