This Department of State Airgram from November 19th, 1962, proposes America’s position on space for the UN’s 17th General Assembly. Much of the document grapples with the principle that space must be used for peaceful purposes – and how the U.S. and the Soviet Union differ on their definition of “peaceful’, especially regarding the use of satellite imagery. The author outlines the limits to the U.S. 's capacity for diplomatic compromises as the Soviet Union demanded legislation that would hinder the U.S. space program. Despite pessimism regarding the Soviet position, the document also strikes a hopeful tone on the use of the UN as a forum for space policy, as it allowed for unique multilateral collaboration during the Cold War.

In this letter to the Secretary of State, most likely Roger Tubby (Former Representative of the United States to the European Office of the United Nations) describes the protocol for recovering both astronauts and space equipment originating from a foreign nation. This document is noteworthy because it represents the opportunity for unprecedented neutrality and collaboration in space that if foreign to Earth. The document declares that foreign astronauts be treated as one’s own during a rescue operation, most lost equipment will be returned to the country of origin (except for various intelligence-gathering devices), and states shall search for astronauts who have made an emergency descent on the high seas.