EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 63 



of the Budget has been asked to look into the situation. He will advise you further 

 regarding his findings and conclusions. 



Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. 

 Sincerely yours, 



Lawrence F. O'Brien, 

 Special Assistant to the President. 



The Secretary of the Interior, 



Washington, January 24, 1962. 

 Hon. John D. Dingell, 

 House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 



Dear John: I just want to acknowledge your kind note of January 19 in which 

 you transmit a copy of your letter to the President of even date. 



We are most interested in your letter and are doing some background exploring. 

 Best personal regards. 

 Sincerely, 



Stewart L. Udall, 

 Secretary of the Interior. 



January 19, 1962. 

 Hon. John F. Kennedy, 

 The White House, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. President: I enclose copies of GSA releases Nos. 1595 and 1597. 

 The first announces that the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is 

 initiating steps to build a shellfish research laboratory in Mobile, Ala. The 

 second announces that the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is 

 building a shellfish research center in Providence, R.I. Both of the above will 

 deal with sanitation in harvesting and marketing of shellfish. The cost will be 

 about $1^ million. 



I am sure you recall that last year my committee reported and the Congress 

 enacted legislation setting up a shellfish research institution in Connecticut to be 

 administered in large part by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries of the Depart- 

 ment of the Interior. 



The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's research will be con- 

 ducted largely on the dangers of shellfish for human consumption, I assume, under 

 the interstate-quarantine program of that Department. 



It would appear that the two Departments could get together, construct one 

 facility, staff it jointly, and maintain and operate it jointly. This should be done 

 both for economy and because diseases, pollution, reproduction, and natural 

 enemies of the shellfish very frequently are related directly or indirectly to the 

 problems we have with danger to human health from shellfish from polluted 

 waters and from other causes. 



It appears there is a chance to save the taxpayers some money and I hope that 

 bringing this matter to your attention will be of assistance to you. 



With every good wish, 

 Respectfully yours, 



John D. Dingell, 



Member of Congress. 



Mr. McKernan. I think that would be an excellent idea, because 

 if the record appears this way, why this means that there is some 

 misunderstanding, and we certainly did not communicate properly 

 with the chairman, because we held several meetings with the Health, 

 Education, and Welfare people and ascertained that the problems of 

 absolutely pure water which were needed in their research could not 

 be obtained at any of the locations where we were carrying out 

 shellfish research. 



Air. Dingell. Well now, as a matter of fact, let's look at this 

 business of absolutely pure water. Shellfish can live in water which 

 is substantially polluted; am I correct? 



Mr. McKernan. Substantially polluted. 



