140 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 



difficult for a panel to go into each area and try to resolve all the 

 problems. 



Dr. Maxwell. This is true, Mr. Pelly. I would like to explain 

 in a few words how we try to get around this situation. 



For example, the panel assigns to a particular panel member prob- 

 lems that come up. In particular as we were trying to put together 

 the research report, we would assign each objective to a certain person, 

 and give him the responsibility of running down all the details on this 

 program. This included getting all the people involved in this to- 

 gether. We would assign the person the responsibility who was most 

 familiar with this particular area. And it is in this manner that we 

 hope not to put the burden on the panel members in areas in which 

 they are not familiar, but instead to put it on a particular member of 

 the panel who is well qualified and allow him to choose other capable 

 people to do the job. 



Mr. Pelly. Well, I certainly would agree that you are going about 

 trying to solve the problem in the best way. Otherwise, you could 

 not spread yourself very far. But I just wondered if there was any 

 particular formalization or authority that could be vested in the 

 Committee or a procedure established to obtain greater authority, 

 that actually, you would be more effective in trying to do what you 

 obviously are very diligently trying to accomplish. 



Dr. Maxwell. Well, as Mr. Abel so ably said a few moments ago, 

 that the great success in the ICO has been the ability to get people 

 together and for these people to agree on things. In this sense, direc- 

 tion has not been a necessity in the working of the ICO, so far. I think 

 perhaps some of the success of the ICO is due to the fact that the deci- 

 sions are not really binding or mandatory on people, but that the people 

 are willing to accept the feelings of the majority in these cases, and to 

 abide by them. 



Mr. Pelly. I know in the educational field, there have been volun- 

 tary agreements as to which university would go into forestry and 

 another university nearby would go into, maybe, law, and another one 

 medicine, in order to try to avoid duplication, and I think that has 

 worked quite well, and I certainly am very much concerned that any 

 legislation that we might from this committee report out, that it 

 might work in the opposite direction, and get away from that volun- 

 tary sort of arrangement which you say is very effective. 



On the other hand, I am still concerned with information that one 

 agency will back away from taking a position as against another 

 agency, because they just don't want to tread on somebody else's toes. 



Dr. Maxwell. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Pelly. I think you had had that between Services in the past. 



Dr. Maxwell. Yes, sir, I certainly recognize this as being a very 

 difficult problem. 



Mr. Pelly. Well, I think maybe the President is wise in waiting 

 before recommending some legislation until this thing has had a chance 

 to work, and I don't think we should rush into any reporting out any 

 bill now, and rather, probably, we should wait until something comes 

 up from the executive branch, and by that time, I am sure your 

 experience will be very helpful. 



Dr. Maxwell. Yes; I think one of the good things we can say 

 about the ICO is that it has evolved considerably over the last 2 years. 

 It has changed its emphasis and even has changed its structure and 



