EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 29 



Mr. Lennon? 



Mr. Lennon. Mr. Secretary, such authority as the ICO has and 

 the only authority it has flows from section 4 of the Executive Order 

 10807, is that not true? 



Mr. Wakelin. That is correct, sir. 



Mr. Lennon. And a year ago, or almost a year ago, March the 

 10th, you were advised by the then Chief of the FCST what your 

 mission would be for ICO. You state here that your mission was 

 to develop annually a national oceanography, or oceanographic 

 program. 



Does this statement here that you read today represent the pro- 

 gram that has been developed as a result of that directive that you 

 received on March 10 of 1961? Is this the program? 



Mr. Wakelin. No, this is not the program in any sense of the 

 word, Mr. Lennon. This is a description of the manner in which 

 we operate in the Interagency Committee on Oceanography. 



The program that is part of the President's budget is a separate 

 document. 



Mr. Lennon. Now the thing that has concerned me during the last 

 a little more than 2 years, and you bring it up again in your statement 

 on page 7 : 



We in the ICO have never considered ourselves to be a controlling, operating, 

 or a directing authority. As you know, we have neither the control of funds nor 

 the program authority to do this, and we cannot assume the prerogatives and 

 responsibility of departmental officials in deciding their overall program emphasis. 



You concede that. That is an admission that we have, and that is 

 the weakness of this program. 



Mr. Wakelin. I think that is a very fair, objective, and complete 

 statement of our status. 



Mr. Lennon. And I think that is the weakness of this program. 

 I have thought so all the while. You refer to it again on page 9 in 

 your statement, and I quote: 



Notice here again the emphasis that the fiscal and substantive program develop- 

 ments of our national efforts still reside at the departmental level. 



Again you concede what I believe to be the weakness of this pro- 

 gram. I think it is human nature to assume that every department 

 and agency and bureau which participates in this program of at least 

 short-range objectives, and perhaps even long-range objectives, but 

 as I understand your statement, you are not permitted or authorized, 

 as a part of your mission, to do anything more than to project a 

 program on an annual basis. Is that a fair statement of what you 

 said? 



Mr. Wakelin. I think that the adjective "annual" ought to be 

 expanded. We have the responsibility to develop on a national basis 

 a 10-year program in oceanography, as a forward look. 



Mr. Lennon. Well, you state here that you are authorized by the 

 letter from the Chief of the FCST to develop annually a national 

 oceanographic program . 



Mr. Wakelin. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Lennon. Now were you authorized to develop a long-range 

 program, giving all of these bureaus and agencies short- and long- 

 range objectives? 



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