OCEAN SCIENCES AND NATIONAL SECURITY 109 



planned, and fostered by explicit, even if not published, government 

 policy. 



Past experience in these matters, particularly in the case of Soviet 

 achievement in outer space, has revealed a pattern to such moves — 

 namely, specific practical application which will serve the aggressive 

 intentions of the Soviets, either by military or nonmilitary means. 



The question of how the U.S. effort stands in relation to the Soviet 

 is thus of some interest. Perhaps the generally accepted view is best 

 summarized by a recent statement by Dr. Harrison Brown, who chairs 

 the Committee on Oceanography of the National Academy of Sciences: 



Mr. Fulton. Would you comment now on the advance the Russians are 

 making in this same field as compared to our U.S. advance? For example, they 

 have the Russian oceanographic ship, Vityaz. They also have the Lomonosov, 

 the new one. Are we keeping pace in the type of equipment and the type of 

 work they are doing? 



Dr. Brown. I believe that we have to keep in mind when -we talk about 

 Russian activity in this area, that they started intensive efforts in oceanography 

 only quite recently. 



I am told by my friends who have studied the situation that in eflfect what 

 they are doing now on a large scale is training young oceanographers. They 

 suffer from the same kind of problem from which we suffer and that is inadequate 

 trained manpower in the field. 



Their large ships are being used in part as training ships for young people in 

 oceanography. 



Now, on the basis of what I have read and on the basis of what I have learned 

 from talking with Russian oceanographers, as well as with oceanographers from 

 other countries who have studied what the Russians are doing, my best guess 

 would be that the rate of improvement in the Soviet Union in this respect is 

 considerably greater than the rate of improvement in the United States. 



Now, this doesn't mean that thej' are ahead of us at the present time, but the 

 curves are hkely to cross. '^ 



The same appraisal has been made by Gordon G. LHl, formerl}^ 

 head of the Geophysics Branch of the Office of Naval Research: 



The Russians successfully completed, during the International Geophysical 

 Year, the largest program of any nation, and there were 27 countries participating, 

 in oceanography. * * *We are not too alarmed at this unfavorable comparison 

 when we consider that our work in the marine sciences is generally conceded to 

 be of higher quaUty than that of the Russians. The point is that the Russians 

 have decided to compete in oceanograph}' and that they are competing very well. 

 Their scientists are well trained. With a few years of experience at handling huge 

 quantities of data, they will be as good at it as we are and the size of their effort 

 would automatically place them in the lead. The Russians are in oceanogra-phy 

 for obvious military and economic reasons and it appears to be their objective to stay 

 in and to excel.''^ [Emphasis added.] 



" "Frontiers In Oceanic Research," op. cit., p. 17. 

 " "Oceanography In the U.S.", op. cit., p. 188j 



