OCEANOGRAPHY 101 



Academy's report was quite late in beinof available to us. We still 

 were allowed to provide over $2 million of increase in oceanography. 

 A good share of this increase, it is true, is going into the construction 

 of a major vessel in the Xew England area. Tliis vessel will be of 

 major use in studying the biology and fisheries resources of the Xew 

 England area. 



Mr. OLI^'ER. What are we going to name it, the AJhatross III. or 

 the: Alhatross IV ? 



Mr. McKerxax. No. I cannot give you any name riglit now. "We 

 will be glad to take any nomination you have, except it will not be 

 Alhatross IV . 



Mr. Miller. Off the record. 



(Discussion off the record.) 



Mr. McKerxax. Of course, the Department of the Intenor is not 

 only interested in the living resources. As you heard yesterday, the 

 Department is also interested in the geologj' of the seas. We are in- 

 terested in the minei*al resources, and we believe that the increasing 

 population in the United States is demanding, and is entitled to, a 

 greater use of the seas resources for recreational puqjoses. We be- 

 lieve the reemphasis of the needs for additional studies on physical 

 and biological oceanogi-aphy is a very worthwhile thing, and this 

 committee and the National Academy of Sciences is to be congratu- 

 lated for their efforts in this particular regard. 



My own views are that the Government in research in general has 

 not kept up with the changing conditions and we are seriously behind 

 the times. This in a sense is a repetition because the National Acad- 

 emy group of eminent scientists came up with this same decision and 

 have said it far better than I. But I have felt for some time that our 

 efforts, not only within our Government but within Government as a 

 whole, were not well balanced with respect to research. I have felt 

 further, Mr. Chairman, our efforts with respect to directed and basic 

 research were even more out of line. In our own Bureau we have tried 

 very hard, and we are continuing to tiy, and are meeting witli consid- 

 erable success because of the prominence this subject has had from 

 discussions m this committee and elsewhere, and we are succeeding in 

 reemphasizing the need for basic research wliich will provide this 

 basic information needed for the ultimate utilization of the resources. 



Mr. Miller. We all agree that something must be done. How is 

 it to be done I This reminds me of an experience tliat I had when 

 I was first elected to the California Assembly. I was quite green. A 

 man called me up and said tliat he was a thinker, a student. He knew 

 all the answers. The trouble was the distribution of the wealth in 

 the country. We should do something about that. Well, I said, 

 ''What do you suggest?" He said, "I am a dreamer, I am a thinker. 

 We leave tliese solutions to tlie politicians.'" 



So when we put in some bills we are tiying to be a little provocative, 

 and we are trying to carry out tlie recommendations of the thinkers. 



Mr. McIverx'ax'. Furthermore, I am personally aware that often- 

 times implementation of programs in Government have come about 

 through the passage of bills of this particular kind. In this instance, 

 the National Academy's report has been reviewed by the Federal 

 Council for Science and Technology, a policymaking group estab- 

 lished in the latter part of 1958. ^ This Federal Council, in my 



