m 



10 years (see Chapter 6) . It is important that 

 tlie planning of these two programs be closely 

 coordinated and the geologic .program con- 

 centrate first in: 



• Offshore areas having highest potential for 

 minerals 



• Areas of scientific significance (deter- 

 mined initially by knowledge of the ge- 

 ology on land) to enhance our understand- 

 ing of the geologic history of the 

 continental shelves and slopes 



• Coastal areas where the population is ex- 

 panding rapidly and where planning and 

 management groups will need sound basic 

 information on which to make judgments 

 on the best use of marine areas. 



Roles of the Department of the Interior 

 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency in Marine Minerals Development 



The Department of the Interior is respon- 

 sible for fostering the development and utili- 

 zation of the Nation's minerals, including 

 those of the outer continental shelf. The De- 

 partment analyzes mineral needs and rates of 

 use, identifies resources, evaluates their po- 

 tential for exploitation, and assists States 

 and industries in exploiting mineral re- 

 sources. 



The hard minerals underlying the high 

 seas are virtually untapped. The Depart- 

 ment's Geological Survey and the Bureau of 

 Mines spend only $7 million annually on 

 problems of discovering and recovering ma- 

 rine minerals. 



The responsibility for funding and con- 

 ducting the recommended geological surveys 

 of the bed of the high seas and its subsoil 

 should be assigned to National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Agency. However, the new 

 agency should work closely with the Geologi- 

 cal Survey in carrying out this function. 



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 



Agency also should develop the basic tech- 

 nology to assess the feasibility of seabed min- 

 ing and should secure the assistance of the 

 Bureau of Mines in this task. The Depart- 

 ment of the Interior should continue to assess 

 the national interest in ocean minerals and 

 decide whether the results of mineral investi- 

 gations and technological developments war- 

 rant specific action to provide further en- 

 couragement to industry to mine the seabed. 



An International Legal-Political Frame- 

 work for Exploring and Exploiting the 

 Mineral Resources Underlying the High 

 Seas 



Exploration and exploitation of the min- 

 eral resources of the deep seas offer signifi- 

 cant opportunities to benefit all nations and 

 to promote international peace and order. 

 For in these vast areas of untold riches, few, 

 if any, national economic interests have been 

 vested. Nor, as yet, have the nations of the 

 world any fixed political positions or atti- 

 tudes on the legal-political arrangements that 

 should be made for such exploration and 

 exploitation. 



To realize these opportunities. President 

 Johnson has warned : 



Under no circumstances must toe ever Mow 

 the prospect of nek harvest and mineral 

 wealth to create a new form of colonial com- 

 petition among the maritime nations. We 

 must he careful to avoid a race to grab and to 

 hold the lands xmder the high seas. We must 

 ensure that the deep seas and the ocean hot- 

 toms are, and remain, the legacy of all human 

 beings. 



Any international framework for the con- 

 duct of minerals exploration and exploitation 

 must be judged by the extent to which it 

 achieves the following additional objectives: 



• It must encourage scientific and technolog- 



