OCEANOGRAPHY 1961— PHASE 3 



TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1961 



House of Representatives, 

 Subcommittee on Oceanography of the 

 Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 



Washington^ D.C. 



The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to adjournment, Hon. 

 George P. Miller (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 



Present: Representatives Miller, Dingell, Vanik, Pelly, and Ells- 

 worth. 



Present also: John M. Drewry, chief counsel; Paul S. Bauer, con- 

 sultant ; and William B. Winfield, chief clerk. 



Mr. Miller. The committee w^ill be in order. 



The hearings held in the 87th Congress presented to the committee 

 a small part of the capability of one of our most valuable national 

 oceanographic assets, namely, the geophysical industry. 



One could imagine from some of the presentations we have heard 

 that oceanography is confined to Government operations and nonprofit 

 institutions. Much to my surprise, and I should have known, I found 

 that the continental shelves of a large part of the world have been 

 surveyed in detail, with positive geodetic control to a depth of eight to 

 ten thousand feet below the bottom of the sea. These surveys have in- 

 cluded magnetic and gravity signatures, bathymetry and structure 

 of the underlying sediments and at times the basement rock. 



These surveys have been conducted by the geophysical industry with 

 a profit motivation. The industry has as it employers the petroleum, 

 gas, and sulfur industries of the world. 



If we are going to accomplish a national objective of ocean surveys 

 and the development of proper instrumentation for a synoptic look 

 at our aquatic environment, we cannot fail to use the industry in our 

 over-all program. In the geophysical industry, the competition is 

 keen, and the results found belong to their employer as a proprietary 

 right. 



With this knowledge, I have requested the Oceanographic Sub- 

 committee of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists to give us a 

 presentation on what they have done and what they can do. 



This society has over 5,700 members. Of these, 3,121 reside in the 

 United States, 358 in Canada, 125 in Latin America, and 279 in the 

 Eastern Hemisphere. A truly global organization. 



I am happy to welcome the geophysical industry to testify as to 

 their capabilities. Following the testimony of the geophysical indus- 

 try we shall hear from a representative of the Pacific American Steam- 

 ship Association as to what their contribution can be to the national 

 program. 



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