2R 



B. Subcommittee Actiox 



On September 18, 1967, Representative Dante B. Fascell, chairman 

 of the Subcommittee on International Organizations and Movements, 

 announced that hearings on the resolutions would begin immediately 

 before his subcommittee. Sponsors of the resolutions and the U.S. 

 Department of State were invited to present testimony during the 

 opening session. 



The hearings commenced on September 22 and continued inter- 

 mittently through October 31. Testimony was received from Members 

 of Congress, executive branch officials, and public witnesses. In both 

 open and executive session, the subcommittee addressed itself to the 

 wording of the resolutions before it ; to the procedures used in arriving 

 at, and the substance of, the U.S. Government's position on the pend- 

 ing legislation and the Maltese proposal; to the operational maritime 

 programs of various U.S. Government agencies, including those of the 

 Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce, and the 

 Defense Establishment; to the activities of the National Council on 

 Marine Resources and Engineering Development, and of the Commis- 

 sion on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources ; and to the com- 

 plex legal, political, and economic considerations involved in the 

 legislation before it. 



On November 2, the subcommittee met in an executive session, 

 reviewed its work to date, and agreed to issue an interim report of its 

 findings and recommendations. 



C. Issues at Stake 



The oceans cover nearly two-thirds of the area of the world and 

 represent the last great frontier for natural resources on our planet. 

 They are — and have been for thousands of years — essential to com- 

 munications, secnrity, and the well-being of a very substantial portion 

 of the human population. With modern-day advances in marine tech- 

 nology, both for peaceful and for military purposes, and with the ris- 

 ing pressure on the available natural resources caused by the phenom- 

 enal growth of the world's population, the oceans' importance to the 

 future of mankind has been increasing each year. 



The prospect of using the wealth of the seas for the benefit of all 

 mankind has tremendous appeal. The promise of reducing the area of 

 international conflicts, with their present-day potential for mass de- 

 struction, is equally compelling. 



The basic question before the United States, and all other nations, 

 is how these objectives can be attained in the most effective manner 

 without jeopardizing the legitimate interests and the security of any 

 nation. 



It is when we honestly face this question that the complexity of the 

 issues which need to be resolved begins to reveal itself. 



In our view, these issues must be faced squarely. Based on our hear- 

 ings and investigations to date, the unresolved questions include the 

 followiuff: 



