Page:The Air Force Role In Developing International Outer Space Law (Terrill, 1999).djvu/44

 conduct studies of the subject matter. However, the ICAO took no formal action. In January 1958 the ACC Legal Division met with David to consider past and future ICAO discussions regarding outer space. David enumerated the reasons why he expected the ICAO to reverse direction and eventually take up the issue. During the meeting, the Air Force was the most vociferous opponent of any shift in the US position. Howard again forcefully represented the Air Force point of view that efforts to develop outer space law should not be adopted before any actual operations that such laws would be intended to govern had begun. Hereiterated that the main issues regarding outer space involved “national defense and military type questions.” Howard asserted that the ICAO was an inappropriate vehicle for discussing the issue since the Soviets were not members of the ICAO. He argued that it would be dangerous for the free world to adopt restrictionson its own space activities without the Eastern bloc’s participation. Since