OCEANOGRAPHY 1961 — PHASE 3 171 



inglj, the provisions of the bill regarding this center are not neces- 

 sary. I am quoting from your comments. 



Now, Mr. Chairman, with your permission, I should like to intro- 

 duce at this time the Interagency Agreement for the Establishment 

 and Operation of a iSTational Oceanographic Data Center. 



Mr. Miller. Without objection. 



(The information referred to follows :) 



Interagency Agreement for the Establishment and Operation of a National 

 Oceanographic Data Center 



This agreement made and entei-ed into at Washington, District of Columbia, 

 on this the 23d day of December 1960, by and between the Department of De- 

 fense represented by the Department of the Navy; the Department of Com- 

 merce; the Department of the Interior; the National Science Foundation; and 

 the Atomic Energy Commission. 



Witnesseth: That, 



Whereas there is a recognized and demonstrated need for the establishment 

 within our Government of a National Oceanographic Data Center organized 

 for the purpose of acquiring, compiling, processing and preserving oceanographic 

 data for ready retrieval, this need for oceanographic data, available at cost, 

 being common to the agencies of Government and to public and private interests, 

 both foreign and domestic ; 



Whereas all parties to this agreement as enumerated above agree by and 

 among themselves that only through their joint cooperation and coordination 

 of means under their joint direction can this oceanographic data center be or- 

 ganized to serve efCectively and economically the above purpose ; and 



Whereas immediate activation of such a center is in the public interest as 

 represented by the responsibilities of the parties to this agreement ; 



Now, therefore, it is mutually agreed, as follows : 



1. (a) All 'parties to this agreement as enumerated above, agree to sponsor 

 jointly a National Oceanographic Data Center to be located administratively 

 within the U. S. Navy Hydrographic Office, Washington 25, District of Colum- 

 bia, to be operated for the purposes set forth in this agreement. 



(6) The Navy shall retain full custody and control of all plant account 

 property utilized by the National Oceanographic Data Center. 



(c) For the purposes of this agreement, oceanographic data shall be defined 

 as chemical, physical, biological, geological, and related information pertaining 

 to the seas. 



2. In order to afford all parties to this agreement as enumerated above, or 

 their authorized representatives, an effective means of formulating, expressing 

 and transmitting joint policy and technical direction to the said data center, 

 there is created a National Oceanographic Data Center Advisory Board. The 

 said Board shall consist initially on one (1) member from each of the following 

 governmental agencies : 



(a) Navy Hydrographic Office. 

 (ft) Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



(c) Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. 



(d) National Science Foundation. 



(e) Atomic Energy Commission. 

 (/) Weather Bureau. 



Ig) Office of Naval Research. 

 In addition, the National Academy of Sciences will be invited to name two (2) 

 nonvoting members. Other representatives may, upon recommendation of the 

 said Board and approval of the participating agencies as enumerated in this 

 paragraph, be appointed to the said Board. The terms of membership and 

 election of the chairman and vice chairman shall be established by the said 

 Board. The Board shall meet semiannually and at such other times as desig- 

 nated by the chairman. All matters coming before the said Board will be 

 decided by majority vote. 



3. The center's operations shall be the responsibility of the Department of the 

 Navy to be funded by reimbxirsements from the participating agencies ; such 

 reimbursement shall be for the pro rata share of the estimated cost of acquiring, 

 compiling and preserving oceanographic data by the center, which pro rata share 



