Within the umbrella agreement signed by the two powers in 1972, 11 working group programs were launched by the Americans and the Soviets as joint efforts. Steering responsibilities were shared between the White House Office of Science and Technology and the U.S.S.R. State Committee on Science and Technology, through a Joint Commission. So far, so good. But auspicious beginnings announced at summit meetings and keyed to political objectives with science employed as an instrument of convenience are at the mercy of the foul-up factor, in this case the unsteady equilibrium of overall political relations.
Of the 11 working parties, a few hit the ground running and accomplished respectable results. Several others slipped and slid through the muddy terrain with little to show by the time the curtain dropped, and a few late-starters were cut off at the pass when the basic agreement met sudden death in the wake of the ...
