57 



representino; this country at this session of the Assembly, so we could 

 not have a better pipeline if they communicate with us, as I assume 

 they will, on matters which they think will be of current interest to us. 



Mr. Popper, I noticed in this morning's New York Times that 

 Ambassador Goldberg has made a statement at the U.N. with respect 

 to this Malta proposal. 



If you have a formal text of his comments it might be appropriate 

 if that were incorporated into this morning's record. 



Mr. Fascell. "Without objection it will be inserted in this record. 



(The statement follows;) 



Statement by Ambassador Arthur J. Goldberg, U.S. Representative, in 

 General Committee on the Inscription of the Item Dealing With the 

 Peaceful Exploitation of the Ocean Beds — September 21, 1967' 



Mj^ delegation has listened with great attention to the explanation of the dis- 

 tinguished representative of Malta, Ambassador Pardo, in support of the request 

 of his delegation for inscription on the agenda of this session of the General 

 Assembly of an item concerning the peaceful exploitation of the ocean beds. 



Now, it must be obvious to us that this is an item of very great importance and 

 we conceive it to be a most timely one and we are pleased to support its inscription 

 on the agenda. 



Having in mind the existence of past and future items on our agenda dealing 

 with the "Resources of the Sea", and an item which we have already decided to 

 recommend for inscription tliis year "Development of Natural Resources" which 

 is related to this topic, I would, with your permission, Mr. President, address some 

 general remarks so as to set forth the view of my delegation as to the context in 

 which this item is set, and the reasons why we support its inscription. 



Though man has travelled and fished on the sea for many centuries, this portion 

 of the earth — five-sevenths of the surface of the globe — remains in many respects 

 as strange and unknown to us as that other vast and little exposed realm of outer 

 space. Both outer space and the sea, however, through science and technology, 

 promise much to human benefit and both require for the fulfillment of the promise 

 that we the nations of the world, through this organization, address ourselves to 

 our tasks in cooperation and not in conflict. 



Man's mastery of the oceans, and of all that lies beneath them, despite the use 

 of them for so long, is still in an early stage of development. But we know already 

 from scientific discoveries that the oceans contain immense stores of protein to 

 add to lu'gently needed human food supplies. We believe that one day the floors 

 of the deep sea can be mined for immense quantities of metals, hydrocarbon fuels, 

 and other substances useful to mankind. We know also, thougli in far too little 

 detail, how deeply the oceans affect the land — the building and erosion of our 

 coastlines and the making of weather. 



A rapid increase in our mastery of all these fields — and in the number of qualified 

 scientists and engineers involved in tliem — becomes more and more urgent as 

 human population expands at an astonishing rate and the demands of the human 

 family for food, energy, and raw materials correspondingly increase. 



In recent years many governments and scholarly organizations have made 

 important efforts, both separately and through international organizations, to 

 spur research on oceanography and related fields. My own government has intensi- 

 fied its work in this field, especially since the enactment of the Marine Resources 

 Act of 1966. But compared to what lies ahead, all these efforts to date have been 

 rather insignificant. Our work must be redoubled, and it must, as Ambassador 

 Pardo has correctly pointed out, be put on a more effective international footing, 

 if the needs of future generations are to be met in time. 



We therefore strongly endorse the expanding interest of the General Assembly 

 in this field. This organization is in a position to assume leadership in enlisting 

 the peaceful cooperation of all nations in developing the world's oceans and ocean 

 floor. 



At the appropriate time, when we come to the substance of the matter, my 

 delegation will have certain specific proposals to advance. What we face today, 

 as Ambassador Pardo commented, is the procedural question as to how the 

 Assembly is to come to grips with this complex subject. 



