As you know, the oceans hold both a threat and a safeguard 

 to our security. There is a large, and for the most part, untapped 

 source of protein food in the sea that could be used to feed the 

 hungry peoples around the world. Vast mineral treasures may 

 lie in the mysterious mountains of the depths -- close and available. 

 Also, the earth's weather is determined in large part by the cur- 

 rents and movements of the sea. It is in our best interest to hold 

 and maintain a position of world leadership in the development of 

 the oceans for the benefit of all mankind. And, lastly, is the fac- 

 tor which can never be completely denied: Man's quest for know- 

 ledge -- the inexorable pull of the unknown. 



All great periods of history have been ushered in by men who 

 moved into new areas and opened new territories. They were led 

 by this same desire, a thirst for knowledgie. Now, as a bit of 

 background, in 1959 the country's attention was drawn very 

 sharply to the importance of oceanography when the Committee 

 on Oceanography of the National Academy of Sciences published 

 their report, "Oceanography I960 - 1970, " which stated that, 

 relative to other sciences, progress in the marine sciences in 

 the United States was indeed slow. There was agreement that 

 our marine environment was not understood to a degree that 

 was considered adequate to our security, economy, and welfare. 



In its review of the Nation's progress in oceanography, the 

 Federal Coixncil for Science and Technology determined that 

 oceanography was, indeed, an area of science which required em- 

 phasis and support at the highest level. In January of I960, there- 

 fore, the Federal Council established as a permanent Committee 

 within the Council, the Interagency Committee on Oceanography. 

 The primary purpose of this Committee --or, as it is called, 

 the ICO -- is to provide a coordinating mechanism among all 

 Government agencies engaged in oceanographic activities for the 

 development of a meaningful national program. This Committee, 

 as it is now constituted, has representation from the following 

 departments and agencies: Defense, Commerce, Interior, Health, 

 Education and Welfare, State, Treasury, the Atomic Energy Com- 

 mission, and the National Science Foundation. 



You can well imagine the scope of our considerations and sonne 

 of the problems we face in ovir deliberations to integrate the many 

 diverse aspects of oceanography represented in the vital missions 



