180 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



I think that is what Mr. Oliver is getting at. I have seen them 

 work and you have seen them work, but we liave also seen the place 

 where we get down to "this is not exactly our duty, this is the limit 

 of our responsibility in a certain field and we are having a hard 

 enough time to get money to get along with what we have to have 

 and we have not any to devote to a program of that nature because 

 dollars are so hard to get." 



Yet, to my mind, from what I have seen so far, this is going to re- 

 solve itself into how we are going to get the proper financing to carry 

 on the program. That is going to be the big question. 



Perhaps you could give that some thought on behalf of the Bureau 

 and let us have a memorandum on it, please. 



Captain Metsger. I certainly will, sir. 



( The information referred to follows : ) 



Oceanography 



The Office of Naval Research believes that a formal oi-ganization established 

 by legislation is unlikely to carry forward more effectively than the present 

 informal committee the Government's expanding oceanographic research program. 



A formal organization has its merits for promoting a scientific program where 

 interest is scattered equally among several Government agencies, vi'ith no single 

 agency having enough predominant interest to take the lead in directing and 

 pushing the program. In the field of oceanography, however, the reverse is the 

 case. 



The Navy is both the largest customer for oceanographic work and, through 

 the Office of Naval Research, provides the great bulk of all support for oceanog- 

 raphy. Therefore, we have a deep interest in furthering a fuller oceanographic 

 research program. For example, oceanography is the scientific foundation for 

 innovations in antisubmarine warfare, which is a major concern of the Navy. 

 In the Navy's oceanographic program we are able to transmit information from 

 the scientists directly to the users, which are the Navy's technical bureaus. This 

 is because through ONR we have the scientists and the users close together 

 both administratively and physically. 



The present informal committee sponsored by the Navy and formed to coordi- 

 nate nationwide oceanographic activities has obtained superb cooperation from 

 other Government departments and other activities outside of Government, 

 especially through the agency of the National Academy of Sciences. This Com- 

 mittee on Oceanography is working well, and a more formal arrangement would 

 serve no purpose at the present time. In fact, much of its effectiveness stems 

 from its voluntary nature since those who participate do so from an enthusiastic 

 interest rather than because it is an assigned duty. 



The scientists on the committee are not only desirous of solving basic scientific 

 mysteries, but they are also impelled by the urgent practical needs of the agencies 

 they represent. This makes for an active, dynamic committee, infusing in it a 

 spirit of initiative and a sense of purpose that cannot be legislated. 



Captain Metsger. Perhaps I could make an essentially one-sentence 

 reply to give you the impression I have received in the work we do 

 to obtain funding for this kind of work. 



Antisubmarine warfare in all its aspects, and especially the scien- 

 tific foundation, which is oceanography, receives the very sei'ious con- 

 sideration of the Navy from the Secretary and Admiral Burke on 

 down. We at the Office of Naval Kesearch determine what we feel is 

 needed, sincerely needed, and we place this in the initial program; but 

 this must go into competition with all the many other things which 

 the Navy needs to provide national security at sea and, of course, we 

 never get all we think we really need of anything. We do not get all 

 we think we need in oceanography, but it takes its proper proportion 

 in comparison with all the other i ems in our vast widespread list of 

 responsibilities. 



