138 OCEAN SCIENCES AND NATIONAL SECURITY 



Considering the lack of industrial participation in research (not 

 engineering activities in the sea), either in terms of performance or 

 sponsorship, the House Committee inquired of one of its witnesses at 

 recent hearings as to the miplications : 



1. Q. What are the specific difficulties of engineering operations under the 

 sea as compared with those on the surface of the sea and how do these problems 

 compare with those of, for example, establishing a manned station in space? 



A. Operations under the sea are governed primarily by the great pressures 

 and by the vulnerability of humans and devices to those pressures. Supplying 

 air to people under water would be relatively simple except that the human 

 body is vulnerable to the "bends," to oxygen poisoning, and to narcosis when 

 breathing air under pressure. Therefore, all human operations more than a 

 few feet below the surface must be protected structurally so as to approximate 

 sea level conditions for the operators. 



These problems are similar to those of operating in outer space, where pro- 

 tected breathing is likewise the most important problem. In outer space, the 

 operator is also endangered by wide temperature changes, high energy radiation, 

 and small meteors — hazards which are not found in the sea. 



2. Q. The program recommended by the Committee on Oceanography visualizes 

 financial support primarily from Government sources. Do you believe that 

 oceanographic research can attract private venture capital? 



A. Oceanographic research will attract private venture capital in those 

 areas where a near future profit can be predicted ; for example, in offshore oil 

 surveying and drilling. 



Other areas, like conversion of salt water to fresh water, will require subsidy 

 for a few years until the processes or projects gradually can be made economical, 

 at which time further improvements may well be sponsored by industry. 



In still other areas, like the effects of the oceans on weather, a commercial 

 profit is difficult to foresee, and the entire programs will require Government 

 support. 



3. Q. What kind of incentives could be established, perhaps through congres- 

 sional legislation, that would encourage investment of private capital? 



A. Investment of private capital could be encouraged in several ways. 



(a) A sufficiently stable legal and tax environment for reliable planning 

 by industry, 



{ h ) Special weather forecasting, rescue, and other protective measures where 

 needed. 



(c) Favorable tax concessions or subsidies to encourage marginal industrial 

 ventures. This requires, of course, provision for incentives to outgrow the need 

 for such support^- [Emphasis added.] 



" "Frontiers in Oceanic Research," op. cit. (testimony by Dr. James E. Lipp before the Committee on 

 Science and Astronautics), pp. 76-76. 



