36 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 



Mr. Bonner. Well then, in your opinion, shouldn't there be some- 

 body that does have the authority to coordinate and direct uniform 

 system of this study? 



Mr. Wakelin. I would like to answer that, Mr. Chairman, in 

 another way, if I may. 



First of all, I think that the Interagency Committee on Oceanogra- 

 phy is most effective in the coordination and planning of a national 

 effort. I think that if one is talking about directing the work, this 

 is a responsibility which we have never had, and I would doubt that 

 it would be good for us to have, as an operating agency at this time. 

 The reason I say so is the following: If one looks at basic research in 

 the national picture, if one looks at national resources, at the whole 

 program of meteorology, in all of these areas which are scientific at 

 base, and which also bear on roles and missions of the various agencies, 

 if we excise oceanography as a special function and set up a special 

 agency for this, then I think we ought to consider what we should do 

 for the other programs of the national interest. Nuclear physics is 

 another one. Basic medical research is another national program 

 which is coordinated in much the same way, Mr. Chairman. 



I think there is a larger problem that we ought to address ourselves 

 to in the scientific community, if we are going to start with ocea- 

 nography. 



Mr. Bonner. Well, did I understand or do I misunderstand you 

 that there are projects here and projects there carried out by different 

 agencies that are overlapping? 



Mr. Wakelin. I don't believe the degree of duplication and over- 

 lapping is a very vital problem to us. But each of the agencies which 

 contributes to the national program, and which is a part of the 

 national program, actually operates its research, its survey work, its 

 facilities, in its own department. 



Mr. Bonner. And one might be doing that, whereas if they were 

 coordinated, they would get better results for the particular interest 

 each individual department may have? 



Mr. Wakelin. They are now coordinated, but they are not oper- 

 ated by the Committee. 



Mr. Bonner. They are not what? 



Mr. Wakelin. They are not operated by the Committee. The 

 operation of each part of the oceanographic program lies within the 

 responsibility of an agency or a department. 



Mr. Bonner. Well, these hearings — one reason I wanted to come 

 up here and get a little information myself — have been going on 3 

 years. Has there been any progress made? 



Mr. Wakelin. We feel that we have made a great deal of progress 

 in the Interagency Committee on Oceanography, not only through 

 your help and the help of this subcommittee, but the help of the 

 scientific community in oceanography, in bringing out at a national 

 level the interest and importance of oceanography. 



Our whole national effort has increased budgetwise by a factor of 

 five in the last 6 years, from the order of $23 millions in 1959 to about 

 $123 millions proposed for 1963. 



We feel also that insofar as our responsibilities are concerned, we 

 have made a very good first attempt in bringing the oceanographic 

 work of the separate departments into a coordinated national program, 

 Mr. Chairman. 



