EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 121 



the reassignment of the jobs as oceanographers to those people who 

 were formerly fisheries biologists, or surveyors, or something of that 

 nature? 



Mr. Abel. Not to my knowledge, sir. 

 Mr. Bauer. That is all I have, Mr. Chairman. 

 Mr. Dingell. Mr. Pelly? 



Mr. Pelly. Well, just for my information, Mr. Abel, are you a 

 full-time secretary? Are all your efforts directed in connection with 

 your work for the Interagency Committee? 

 Mr. Abel. Yes. 



Mr. Pelly. Or do you have another hat or two? 

 Air. Abel. I suppose we all do, really, Mr. Pelly. My nominal 

 position is, as I was introduced — an assistant research coordinator in 

 the Office of Naval Research. I devote about full time to the affairs 

 of the Interagency Committee on Oceanography. It is true that 

 there is a portion of the ICO identified work that is naturally bound 

 up with ONR activities, and in that sense, I do associate with the 

 Office of Naval Research, and carry our functions of that office. 



Mr. Pelly. Dr. Wakelin assigned you to this particular respon- 

 sibility, I take it? 



Mr. Abel. Yes, sir; I report to Dr. Wakelin. 



Mr. Pelly. And as such, though, your actual position is in the 

 Navy's own budget, though, not under any other? 

 Mr. Abel. Yes, that is correct. 

 Mr. Pelly. That is all. 



Mr. Dingell. If Dr. Wakelin had not assigned you to practically 

 full time, there would be no full time staff with regard to the ICO; 

 am I correct, Mr. Abel? 



Mr. Abel. Commander Anastasion, who is Mr. Wakelin 's assistant, 

 devotes a great part of his schedule to the ICO affairs, and in addition, 

 I have an assistant full time for ICO, and a secretary, also full time 

 for ICO. 



Mr. Dingell. I see. But if ONR were not furnishing the staff, as 

 you indicated — by the way, it is a very excellent staff. 

 Mr. Abel. Thank you, sir. 



Mr. Dingell. ICO would have no full-time staff; am I correct? 

 Mr. Abel. That is literally true, sir. I wonder if I might point out 

 something? The great part of the ICO staff activity comes from 

 without the nominal ICO staff. It is performed by a great deal of 

 very excellent panel work on the part of the members in other agencies, 

 whose jobs are so closely identified with ICO work that they really 

 contribute, and sizably. 



Mr. Dingell. Right. Now I am concerned with a couple of items 

 which appeared in your statement on page 3. 



You indicated "the purpose of its forum-type meetings"— referring 

 to the Coordinating Committee on Oceanography— "is essentially 

 that of communications." 



Is that the only purpose of the Coordinating Committee's meetings? 



Mr. Abel. No, sir; I should have clarified that, admittedly. To 



me personally, the Coordinating Committee on Oceanography has a 



responsibility for— and carries it out in excellent fashion — exactly one 



product, and that is education. 



As we go to these CCO meetings, we are addressed by members, 

 consecutively, of one agency after another, who describe in some 



