Proposed Make-Up of the National Oceanic and Atmosplieric Agency 



the case for independent status is compelling. 

 An indej)endent agency can bring a freshness 

 of outlook and freedom of action difficult to 

 achieve within an existing department. Its 

 greater public visibility would draw stronger 

 public interest and support. The head of an 

 independent agency would be better able to 

 organize the agency's activities to achieve the 

 inultii)le pfirposes of a national ocean pro- 

 gram than would an officer of a larger orga- 

 nization in which other interests are repre- 

 sented iuid perhaps dominant. He also would 

 be favorably jiositioned to assist the Presi- 

 dent in the coordination of those teclvnical 

 and operatiomil activities of other Federal 

 agencies which relate directly to the marine 

 mission. Furthemiore. no existing depart- 

 ment now has sufficiently broad responsibili- 

 ties to embrace the full scope of fimctions 

 proposed for XOAA or to accommodate all 

 of the organizations which the Commission 



believes should be brought into the new 

 agency. 



The Commission recommends that the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency be established as an independent 

 agency reporting directly to the President. 



A basic consideration in any current re- 

 organization is to regard the formation of a 

 new agency as a step in a building process. 

 The action must Ije adequate to the job that 

 needs to be done in the oceans and the at- 

 mosphere. However, it need not be regarded 

 as the ultimate answer but rather as a step 

 in an orderly progression of actions to 

 achieve more effective organization of the 

 Executive Branch. At such time as the de- 

 partmental structure of the Federal Govern- 

 ment may be changed, it may then be de- 



