OCEANOGRAPHY 213 



SO that he could have the whole eastern Pacific charted bathymetri- 

 cally, and we are going to extend this up the coast up to your area, 

 Mr. Pelly. 



We began going into the tropical area. We got the material all put 

 on charts. We could not get the charts released because it contained 

 some classified material and, furthermore, nobody knew what mate- 

 rial was classified and what was not. 



The lines of classification were not clear to anybody. In fact, we 

 industiy people took this up with Admiral Burke personally, and as 

 a result of this and several other lines of activity, this information 

 was released here about 3 months ago and the charts will start com- 

 ing out in about a month, I am informed. This is only one example 

 where classification of scientific information hampers the advance- 

 ment of science and the industry dependent upon it. 



Mr. Bauer. Under the present policies expressed in OPNAV In- 

 struction 3160. 6A of January 20, 1960 — and may I put this in the 

 record at this time ? 



Mr. IVIiLLER. Without objection, so ordered. 



( The document follows : ) 



DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 



OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS 



WASHINGTON 25, D.C. 



OPNAV INSTRUCTION 3160.6 A 

 From : Chief of Naval Opei-ations. 

 To : Distribution list. 



Subject : Security Classification of Oceanic Soundings. 

 Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 3160.2B of 26 December 1957. 

 (ft) U.S. Navy Regulations, article 0755. 



1. Purpose. To promulgate policy concerning the security classification and 

 release of oceanic soundings. 



2. Cancellation. This instruction cancels OPNAVIST 3160.6 of 28 April 1959. 



3. Background. A proper balance is required beetween the need to deny 

 information to a potential enemy and the etiually imixtrtant need to make avail- 

 able the data required to insure our own scientific and technological advance. 

 This instruction delineates which sounding information shall be classified. 



4. Policy. The necessity of security classification for the collection and dis- 

 semination of oceanic sounding information shall be determined in accordance 

 with the below criteria. 



(ff ) Classification shall be as follows : 



(1) All charts and collection sheets containing sounding information from 

 ships where positioning was by LORAN C. or similarly precise electronic posi- 

 tioning systems, at line spacing less than 10 nautical miles shall be classified 

 as dii-ected by the Chief of Naval Operations (Op-03). All sounding informa- 

 tion positioned by such a system shall be forwarded directly to the Hydro- 

 grapher for plotting on master collection sheets. The Hydrographer will re- 

 lease as unclassified a sanitized collection sheet obtained from such parts of the 

 above data as will not present fine grain information of less than 10-mile spacing 

 between tracks. 



(2) All sounding information collected at the direction of the Chief of Naval 

 Operations by ships during surveys or other operations where the geographical 

 position of ships or installations are classified shall be classified as specified 

 by the Chief of Naval Oi>erations (Oi>-03). Charts and collection sheets based 

 on such information shall be classified accordingly. 



(3) All Hydrographic Ofiice charts reproduced from foreign charts with per- 

 mission of tliat foreign government shall be classified in accordance with the 

 wishes of the government concerned. 



b. All other sounding information, charts, collection sheets, and other means 

 of portraying ocean depths not specifically classified in paragraph 4a. above 

 shall be unclassified. This includes but is not limited to sounding records, echo- 



