Documents discussed materials that might be found following space activity. They planned to tell the public NASA would store them, but privately also discussed analyzing them.
For nearly two years, U.S. officials discussed how to handle materials related to space activity. They planned to tell the public NASA would store them, but private communications also discussed their analysis.
Materials related to space activity by the United States or other nations. The documents do not state that they were actually found.
Drafts proposed NASA would safeguard foreign materials, and private communications also discussed their analysis.
U.S. government officials exchanged documents in Washington about materials that might be found following space activity. They sought to decide who would receive them, who would examine them, and what would be told to the public.
The discussions concerned materials related to space activity by the United States and other nations. These were not necessarily materials already found; officials aimed to determine in advance what to do if they were discovered. Concurrently, they planned how to explain their handling to the public.
According to one proposal, the Pentagon — the U.S. Department of Defense — would receive materials related to American missions or equipment. It would also examine them and decide what to do with them.
Materials related to another country's activity were slated to go to the Pentagon or NASA, the U.S. space agency, depending on the circumstances. If found outside the United States, the State Department was intended to coordinate with the country of discovery to gain access to them.
Draft public statements proposed presenting NASA as the entity that would safeguard materials related to foreign space activity. This described how the government would handle them if they came into its possession.
However, private communications also discussed a plan to analyze the materials and learn technologically useful information from them. In other words, public statements described safeguarding, while internal government discussions also covered their examination.
Officials exchanged drafts and revised proposals for nearly two years. For instance, when the origin country of a material was unclear, different drafts suggested assigning responsibility to the Pentagon or NASA. Even after these discussions, no agreed-upon policy was established.
It is unknown whether the materials were actually found, or what policy would have been established in such a case. The documents describe discussions and plans, not actual collection or examination.
NASA in the role of custodian, alongside a plan to learn what could be discovered within the materials.