Two years ago, just before the Prague meeting of the International Astronomical Union, Armin Deutsch made the bold suggestion that the space spectroscopists hold a joint symposium with the ground-based observers. At that time the rocket observa tions of stellar spectra seemed too meagre to make such a meeting worthwhile, but we proceeded in the hope that there would be significant new results available by 1969. IAU Commissions 29 and 44, on Stellar Spectra and Observations from Outside the Terrestrial Atmosphere respectively, agreed to sponsor the symposium so that the organization was given to the Joint Working Group of these commissions. Conse quently, the Organizing Committee, which met first in Prague, consisted of A. Deutsch, M. W. Feast, L. Houziaux, V. G. Kurt, N. G. Roman, J. Sahade, A. B. Underhill, and R. Wilson, with myself as Chairman. Later COSP AR was invited to join in spon soring the symposium and T. Chubb was added as their representative. We were specially pleased when C. de Jager invited us to the Netherlands and offered the services of the Utrecht Observatory for the local organization. He suggested we hold the meeting at the new Lunteren Conference Centre located in a wooded area some 35 km east of Utrecht. The modern facilities of the Centre and the hospi tality of its staff contributed much to the enjoyment of our four days there.
