[Directives and Handbooks]

Responsible Office: IR / International Relations Division

Subject: GUIDELINES FOR ACCESS TO NASA INSTALLATIONS BY NATIONALS OF THE USSR, CHINA, AND DESIGNATED AREAS

1.   PURPOSE 

     This Instruction establishes NASA policy for access by
     nationals of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR),
     the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as
     China), and designated areas to NASA Headquarters and Field
     Installations. 

2.   APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE 

     a.   This Instruction applies to: 

          (1)  NASA Headquarters and Field Installations; and 

          (2)  All visits by nationals of the USSR, China, and   
               certain other designated areas, including 
               nationals who are current NASA contractors, 
               grantees, and their employees or students, for 
               any duration or purpose, except public tours. 
               Excluded are permanent resident aliens as 
               classified by the U.S. Immigration and 
               Naturalization Service and members of the press. 
               Access requests from foreign representatives
               covered by this Instruction who are accredited
               members of the press will be coordinated by the
               Public Affairs Officer for the International
               Relations Division at NASA Headquarters,
               consistent with standard press procedures.

     *b.  For purposes of this Instruction, the term          
          "designated areas" refers to certain countries or      
          areas, as designated by the U.S. Government for    
          foreign policy or national security reasons.  The
          Director, International Relations Division, NASA
          Headquarters, with the concurrence of the Chief, NASA
          Security Office, NASA Headquarters, will maintain a
          current list of these areas and will periodically 
          inform Officials-in-Charge of Headquarters Offices and
          Directors of Field Installations of this list and of
          any changes thereto.  Attachment A is the initial list
          of designated areas as of the date of this Instruction.

          Specific questions regarding the most current status
          should be directed to the International Relations
          Division.

3.   REFERENCES 

     a.   NHB 1620.3, "NASA Physical Security Handbook," 
          Chapter 13. 

     b.   NMI 1371.3, "Coordination of Foreign Visitor 
          Activities." 

     c.   National Security Directive Document 197, "Reporting
          Hostile Contacts and Security Awareness." 

4.   POLICY 

     Visits by nationals of the USSR, China, and designated    
     areas will be considered on the basis of national interest, 
     security, and reciprocity (as pertaining to the country of  
     origin of the national seeking access).  Such access must   
     be justifiable in terms of supportable expectations of    
     concrete benefit to NASA and the U.S. technology transfer  
     considerations, both direct and incidental, will be given   
     careful scrutiny.  

5.   PROCEDURES 

     *a.  All requests for visit approval must be submitted to   
          the International Relations Division, Code IR, NASA    
          Headquarters, and approval obtained prior to extending
          any invitation to, or affirmatively responding to visit
          proposals by, nationals of the USSR, China, or other
          designated areas.  The request for access approval must
          provide a description of the proposed access including
          name and position of the visitor, date(s) of visit,
          visitor's area of technical expertise, subject matter
          to be discussed, agenda, if any, and facilities to be
          visited.  A justification statement for the proposed
          visit must also be included, citing the expected value
          to NASA of the visit and any reciprocity
          considerations.  Copies of all relevant correspondence
          should be included with the request. 

      b.  Proposals/requests for access involving technical or   
          substantive interchange should be received by the 
          International Relations Division 15 working days  
          prior to the date of the requested access.  While 
          emergency short notice visit requests will be 
          considered, they may be denied due to an inability to  
          fully coordinate the request in time.   

     c.   When non-VIP nationals of the USSR, China, and
          designated areas are in the minority as members of
          larger groups (e.g., student associations) making
          nonsubstantive visits other than public tours, advance
          clearance of their participation is not required. 

     d.   NASA will only support visa requests for visits to the
          U.S. with respect to the period of time required for
          the NASA portion of a visit.

     e.   A brief substantive report must be submitted to the    
          International Relations Division, and to the cognizant
          Headquarters Program Office, as appropriate, by the
          U.S. host within 15 working days following any access
          covered by this Instruction other than nonsubstantive
          access covered in subparagraph c.  This requirement is
          in addition to the requirements of NASA's Security
          Enhancement Program.

6.   INTERACADEMY EXCHANGE PROGRAMS 

     NASA personnel desiring to host nationals of the USSR,
     China, and designated areas under an exchange program
     sponsored by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences will
     submit their proposals in accordance with paragraph 5 of
     this Instruction to the International Relations Division for
     policy review and approval prior to any submission to the
     U.S. National Academy of Sciences. 

7.   TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CONSIDERATIONS 

     a.   Technical discussions with, and documents provided     
          to, nationals from the USSR, China, and designated 
          areas must be limited to information or documents
          publicly and widely available, e.g., published in the
          open literature or cleared for such dissemination,
          except as may be provided for in an agency or
          government-level cooperative agreement or authorized by
          appropriate U.S. Government export or other policy 
          approval, or unless the request is submitted and
          approved under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in
          accordance with NMI 1382.2, "Availability of Agency
          Records to Members of the Public."

     b.   Technical discussions should be structured to ensure
          balance.  Each side must present information of
          comparable quality and quantity consistent with the
          principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit.  Hosts
          are actively encouraged to seek substantive
          contributions from the visiting nationals.

8.   RESPONSIBILITIES

     The Director, International Relations Division, NASA
     Headquarters, is responsible for determining, in
     consultation with the appropriate Headquarters Offices, the
     appropriateness of access by nationals of the USSR, China,
     and certain other designated areas to NASA Headquarters and
     Field Installations.

9.   CANCELLATION 

     NMI 1371.4A dated April 8, 1991.

                                        /s/Richard H. Truly
                                        Administrator 

ATTACHMENT: 
A.   List of Designated Areas Subject to Special Foreign Policy
     Considerations. 

DISTRIBUTION: 
SDL 1 

*Changed by this revision.



                                                     ATTACHMENT A
December 16, 1991                                    NMI 1371.4B 


              LIST OF DESIGNATED AREAS, SUBJECT TO 
             SPECIAL FOREIGN POLICY CONSIDERATIONS 

U.S. relations with the following countries require that contacts
between NASA and these countries and their nationals be regulated
according to special foreign policy considerations:

      Afghanistan 
      Albania
     *Angola
      Bulgaria 
     *China, Peoples' Republic of
      Czechoslovakia 
      Cuba 
     *Ethiopia
      Hungary 
      Iran 
      Iraq 
      Kampuchea (Cambodia) 
      Korea, People's Democratic Republic of (North Korea) 
      Laos 
      Libya 
      Mongolia 
      Nicaragua 
      Poland 
      Romania 
      Syria 
     *Taiwan
     *U.S.S.R.
      Vietnam 
      Yugoslavia 

Though for the purposes of this document, Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania are treated as part of the USSR, it should be noted
that the U.S. Government has not recognized their incorporation
into the Soviet Union. 

*Changed by this revision.