40 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 



Mr. Bonner. In that Department, of course, one committee of 

 Congress could have jurisdiction on certain functions, and this com- 

 mittee would have jurisdiction on oceanography. 



Mr. Wakelin. I am not talking about a Department of Science. 

 I am talking about similar legislation as a prospect that includes all 

 these other fields of science ■ 



Mr. Bonner. What secretary, Cabinet status, is this Dr. Wiesner? 



Mr. Wakelin. He is a Special Assistant to the President for Science 

 and Technology. 



Mr. Bonner. Well, I don't want to upset the President's business, 

 because I am very favorably inclined to the gentleman, but I think 

 something should be done in this field, bringing this to a head. We 

 will be running on here for another year or two, holding hearings. 



Mr. Wakelin. I think as far as coordination of the national pro- 

 gram is concerned, that in the coordination role, we are doing a job. 

 If you wish, then, to take out from each of the agencies their author- 

 ity over funds for oceanography and to set up a separate department 

 or agency, this is quite another matter. 



Mr. Bonner. You mean that setting up an oceanographic agency 

 would conflict and interfere with the other scientific developments 

 that are going on? 



Mr. Wakelin. In part, and also, of course, each of the agencies 

 has by statute responsibilities in this field that one would have to 

 consider in setting up such a new agency. 



The Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries, the Atomic Energy Commission, the National Science 

 Foundation, the Department of Defense: each of us has to do a 

 certain amount of work in oceanography basic to our mission, and 

 if you are going to excise that from the responsibility of Mr. Mc- 

 Namara in Defense, and Mr. Udall in the Interior, then I think you are 

 talking about quite a reorganization of the executive department. 

 In an area in which many of our interests overlap, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Bonner. That is all. 



Mr. Lennon. Mr. Secretary, how did the Department of Defense 

 react when in 1958 the Congress enacted the statute providing for 

 NASA? And why was the necessity for it? 



Mr. Wakelin. I think this is the pursuit, Mr. Lennon, of space 

 exploration and space research for peaceful purposes; and of course 

 the Department of Defense still continues its military applications in 

 a research, development, test, evaluation, and operational status in 

 space, necessary for the common defense. 



Mr. Lennon. Wei], don't we have a comparable situation with 

 respect to exploration of the field of oceanography for peaceful pur- 

 poses in addition to the facets as enjoyed by the missions of the 

 various defense agencies in oceanography? 



Mr. Wakelin. Not entirely. Because I don't believe that in the 

 space effort there were many roles and missions that had been con- 

 ducted in the various agencies for a long period of time, such as In- 

 terior, Commerce, AEC, and the National Science Foundation as well 

 as Defense, all of whom have had for a long period of time programs 

 in the field of oceanography. 



Mr. Lennon. But those fields they are interested in in the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce and the Department of the Interior are certainly 

 related to peaceful purposes in oceanography. 



