32 



be exposed to a risk far greater than any of us would normally or 

 reasonably consider. 



Likewise, if it is conceivable that other countries would be able 

 to exploit this mineral asset off our shores, I think we are going to 

 break the back of our own oceanographic program. It is you ladies 

 and gentlemen sitting right here who will vote on the appropriations 

 for such a program. If there is doubt that this investment will yield 

 an indisputable tangible benefit to this country, I question that the 

 appropriations will flow as freely as we would like to adequately 

 develop a good, firm, strong, oceanographic program. If we invest the 

 money we need assurance that it is our program and that we can 

 dispense our foreign assistance in whatever manner we would like 

 to do, but I do feel the choice should be ours. 



In the hearings which we have been conducting in the Oceano- 

 graphic Subcommittee we have heard, for instance, from the Atomic 

 Energy Commission. Today we hear from the National Science 

 Foundation, the Smithsonian, many other agencies. The Atomic 

 Energy Commission added some light which I had not considered 

 regarding the movement of radioactive materials in the ocean itself. 

 The fact that they have found, you might say, a concentration of 

 cesium isotopes which doesn't go into uniform solution, but concen- 

 trates itself at certain depths and temperatures. There are some 

 aspects of scientific disciplines here that I think again call for a great, 

 long, hard look before we talk in any serious terms about passing on 

 the sovereignty or the free use of the ocean for these things. 



We are all enamored with the possibilities of the potential of the 

 sea and I feel the only way we are going to adequately ex))loit it 

 without being a total Government program is to make it possible for 

 the profit motive to come into the picture to M'here people are willing 

 to go out and drill or mine or fish or build structures on the bottom 

 using private capital. Once we bind this thing up in some sort of an 

 international agreement, I question that we will find very nnich 

 private capital venturmg into the de])ths of the ocean. 



Scientific exploration, I think, could be hampered, although I feel 

 sure that the United Nations would not intentionally hamper it, but 

 just the many unanswered questions that woidd come — or at least 

 until they come — would qidte possibly seriously hamper some investi- 

 gations of this nature. 



Regarding the resolution, I am a coauthor. You might be interested 

 to know that the Oceanography Subcommittee again was so concerned 

 about this matter that we took under our own initiative to introduce 

 an additional resolution whicii in turn was referred to the Oceanog- 

 raphy Subcommittee so that we coidd hold some hearings on this 

 very same issue, but this, again, is mentioned only as a means of 

 indicating the seriousness with which this is looked upon. 



I think we must give tliis a great deal of study. Certainly the far- 

 reaching, the untouchable bottoms of the ocean are going to become 

 touchable and usable one day soon and certainly there should be 

 some guidelines, some general approach that the world in general will 

 acquire some of these assets or at least the benefits from them. I 

 tliink the structure, tlie organization must be done in a manner that 

 will allow the adequate exploitation and the proper development of 

 this bottom and to talk in tei-nis of sovereignty and so\'ereign rights, 



