OCEANOGRAPHY 137 



Do you have a statement, Dr. Waterman ? 

 Dr. Waterman. Yes. 



Mr. DixGFXL. Would you like to read the whole statement ? 

 Dr. Waterman. I believe it expresses our position best if that is 

 agreeable to you and the committee. 



Mr. DiNGELL. You may proceed as you wish. 



STATEMENT OF DR. ALAN T. WATERMAN, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL 

 SCIENCE FOUNDATION, ACCOMPANIED BY DR. RANDAL M. ROB- 

 ERTSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, 

 AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES, AND DR. BOWEN C. DEES, ASSIST- 

 ANT DIRECTOR FOR SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL AND EDUCATION 



Dr. Waterman. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, 

 the hearings Avhich you are presently conducting are concerned with 

 an exti'emely important area of scientific research, the significance of 

 which is being increasingly recognized. The report of the Committee 

 on Oceanography of the National Academy of Sciences, referred to 

 in the declaration of policy contained in H.R. 9361, provides a frame- 

 work for research activities in this field, and proposed future activities 

 of the National Science Foundation with respect to the support of 

 oceanographic research and the provision of facilities for such re- 

 search, coincide closely with the Academy committee's report. 



There are presently before your subcommittee for consideration five 

 bills, three of which are identical. We have forwarded to you our com- 

 ments on various of the bills being considered and it, therefore, does 

 not seem desirable now to review in detail our views on them. I would, 

 however^ like to summarize briefly the Foundation's general views 

 with respect to oceanographic research and education, as set forth 

 in our comments on H.R. 9361, and I believe it would be appropriate, 

 with vour permission, Mr. Chairman, if our comments on H.R. 9361 

 could be entered into the record in full. We have available a number 

 of copies of our letter of comment and w^ill be happy to provide as 

 many as you need. 

 (The letter follows:) 



National Science Foundation, 



Office of the Director, 

 Washington, D.C., March 18, 1960. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representa- 

 tives, Washington, D.C. 



My Dear Mr. Bonner : This is in response to your request for the comments 

 of the National Science Foundation with respect to H.R. 9361 relating to oceanog- 

 raphy and the marine sciences. 



We consider the objectives of H.R. 9361 to be extremely worthwhile. The 

 recommendations of the- Committee on Oceanography of the National Academy of 

 Sciences-National Research Council, referred to in the bill's declaration of 

 policy, have been given careful consideration by the various Government agen- 

 cies concerned, and, in general, the objectives of the committee's report are 

 considered worthy of endorsement. Proposed future activities of the National 

 Science Foundation with respect to support of oceanographic research and the 

 provision of facilities for such research coincide closely in many respects to the 

 committee's report. 



We are pleased to see the interest of the Congress in these matters which, of 

 course, are important to the progress of oceanographic research. It would ap- 

 pear, however, that much of the authority contained in this bill is already pro- 

 vided for in the basic legislation of the various Federal agencies concerned. With 

 respect to the National Science Foundation, the bill would not provide any addl- 



