OCEAN SCIENCES AND NATIONAL SECURITY 173 



hostile vehicles that could glide or crawl undetected near enough to our 

 shores as to place much of the Nation's industrial strength within 

 range of submarine-launched missiles. Moving quietly and leaving 

 the scantiest of trace, the problem of detecting, classifying, and track- 

 ing such vehicles poses one of the most serious challenges to our anti- 

 submarine defenses. 



5. In view of the threat manifested by the Soviet submarine fleet, 

 it is essential as an element in antisubmarine warfare to develop 

 knowledge leading to means for complete surveillance of the oceans, 

 thus to minimize the possibility of a surprise attack from under the 

 sea. 



6. By virtue of the lack of knowledge of the sea, concerted and 

 systematic research may be expected to produce an unusual number 

 of breakthroughs. Not to pursue research in the oceans at a sufficient 

 pace may deny the United States those opportunities for discovery 

 and even more seriously may offer other nations the advantage of 

 surprise in that exploitation. 



7. The Soviet Union has accelerated its effort in oceanographic re- 

 search, in what may be a deliberate attempt to overtake and surpass 

 oceanography in the United States. Scientific achievements in this 

 field would provide ample potential for propaganda, which, following 

 its actions in outer space, the U.S.S.R. may be expected to pursue. 



8. Both in and out of Government, it is the general view that the 

 present level of scientific effort and inventory of ships and shore 

 facilities are evidence that this field has been badly neglected. This 

 deficiency first identified 30 years ago has prompted three independent 

 studies in 1927, 1949, and 1957, each identifying significance of the 

 oceans, and urging development of a national program with continuity 

 of financial support that would permit a steady progress toward 

 scientific goals. The latest of these, developed by the National Acad- 

 emy of Science's Committee on Oceanography, presented an exceed- 

 ingly thorough and clear status of the present posture in oceanog- 

 raphy, and proposed a 10-year program hj which national interests 

 could best be served. 



9. This committee concurs with the general intent of the National 

 Academy of Science and Navy proposals for a bigger program in the 

 ocean sciences, and is open to persuasion that the level of effort in 

 oceanography must be increased by a factor of foiu" over the next 10 

 years, measured in terms of numbers of participants, and level of 

 funding. Even then, the annual expenditures for research in the 

 oceans would approach only a small fraction of appropriations in 

 fiscal 1961 for research in other important fields. 



10. Such expansion can be achieved without the problems and waste 

 that attend a crash program, if long-range systematic and coordinated 

 planning is developed on a national basis and properly implemented. 

 In this regard, it is clear that the Federal Government already is the 

 major sponsor of oceanic research and that the role of the Federal 

 Government in such sponsorship will increase in the future. 



11. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the Federal Government to be 

 sure that its program has unity, a sense of purpose, coordination, and 

 vigor to be sure that tlie goals are met effectively and with due regard 

 to thrift. 



12. The statutory basis for Federal programs in oceanography has 

 existed for some time and especiall}^ since inauguration of the' Office 



