174 



Mr. Fascell. For all practical purposes, in order for us to take the 

 position or understand what our position is gfoing: to be in the inter- 

 national field, wouldn't the United States independently and unilater- 

 ally have to conduct or duplicate the research or perhaps undertake 

 even more extensive research than that which would be conducted by 

 the United Nations under its resolution ? And wouldn't that be true of 

 all countries that have a very important stake in maritime interna- 

 tional policy ? 



Dr. Cain. I think each nation — I am certain the United States 

 would — in its own research effort emphasize the territories over which 

 it has jurisdiction, and secondarily the interests beyond its jurisdiction 

 where it has the freedom to develop and acquire and manage resources. 



Mr. Fascell. The thought that flashes through my mind is that the 

 research being conducted under the U.IST. resolution could be of limited 

 value because no country would rely on that research to provide it with 

 information required to establish its own national priorities. In other 

 words, the individual countries still have a need for research directed 

 to their particular needs, plans, and aspirations. Therefore, the re- 

 search undertaken by the U.N". would be primarily of value to the 

 staff of the Secretary General, and they are not likely to participate 

 in anything that is being done othervnse. 



I am at a loss, frankly, to interpret correctly what the purpose of 

 that study is. 



Dr. Cain, I think I would like to make one more comment. 



Mr. Fascell. You may say I am wrong in my interpretation if you 

 like. 



Dr. Cain. I think the specialized agencies of the United Nations that 

 have carried on research or in one way or another are sponsoring re- 

 search have primarily directed their attention to problems of nations 

 which have a low technical capacity of their own to carry on research. 

 It has been a form of assistance so that if UNESCO has helped Brazil 

 in its dragnet fishing technologically it is because thej^ needed the help 

 rather than they were not showing they were capable of doing it them- 

 selves. 



Secondly, these international agencies are able to direct a collective 

 attention to the acquiring of information which will help answer inter- 

 national problems of resources management. 



These are the two sorts of things that international agencies do. 

 Neither one of which produces for any nation I think, any cause to 

 lessen their own efforts of carrying on research in their own interest. 

 It is simply a different ball park, as I see it. 



Mr. Fascell. Wliat is the Department of Commerce doing in this 

 field? 



Dr. Cain. The Department of Commerce formed an organization in 

 1066, 1 believe in 1966, which has become known as the Environmental 

 Sciences Services Administration — ESSA. What they did was to put 

 together under an assistant secretary in Commerce operations which 

 they already had in Commerce, that is to say, this was an internal 

 reorganization, including the Coast and Geodetic and the Weather 

 Bureau; those are the main formulations, and this was in the direction 

 of improving their abilities both scientifically and organizationally to 

 study especially the physical conditions of the seas, and here again 



