302 OCEANOGRAPHY 1961 — PHASE 3 



I especially wish to commend the sponsors of the bill for their wis- 

 dom in including section 8 in the bill. There is no doubt in my mind 

 but that this provision can permit maximum utilization of vessels 

 which will be built for oceanographic research. The retention of title 

 by the United States will permit the assignment of these vessels to be 

 used to their maximum capability. This is an extremely farsighted 

 attitude. 



It is superfluous to say that the Smithsonian Institution is one of the 

 great taxonomic research centers of the world. I can only commend 

 the bill's emphasis upon development of taxonomic research facilities 

 in the Smithsonian and for the emphasis upon recruitment and train- 

 ing of taxonomists. I would under no circumstances recommend that 

 this part of the act be changed. As the committee is aware, however, 

 marine biology is a considerably broader field than just taxonomy. 

 Our effort in marine biology, w^hich is, of course, a substantial part of 

 oceanography, must be strengthened in all fields of biology which have 

 anything to do with the aquatic environment. Attention should be 

 given to the development of facilities, and the identification, training, 

 and research support for all other fields which can contribute to our 

 knowledge of our aquatic resources and their utilization. Such fields 

 as ecology, biophysics, biochemistry, physiology, animal behavioral 

 studies and cytology are but a few. In a very real sense, it seems to 

 me, all of biology is, or should be, affected by increased support of 

 marine biology. 



There is one provision which I would like to see stated in the bilL 

 This would be thought of as contributing to the mobility of biologists. 

 A great deal can be gained by encouraging biologists of one research 

 institution to spend time at others. Any such support of the exchange 

 of people in marine biology with the resultant exchange of ideas and 

 information is a good scientific investment. 



I hope, and I am sure the bill's sponsors agree, that the very worth- 

 while end products of this bill will benefit biology internationally. 

 Political boundaries are nonexistent in science and particularly so in 

 biology. I would strongly advise that all things which come out of 

 this increased effort in aquatic science will be available equally to 

 biologists of the world. It might not be inappropriate to point out 

 here that many biologists feel that an international biological project is 

 desirable and there are preliminary plans now being made to propose 

 such a project. Groups of biologists operating within the framework 

 of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Bio- 

 logical Sciences, and other organizations are discussing advantages 

 that might accrue to the world from such an IBP. There is no senti- 

 ment that I can detect that biology should mimic the highly successful 

 IGY but we feel that there are many efforts that should be undertaken 

 on an international cooperation basis. Many of our most pressing 

 world problems, population control, food production, and living 

 standards, the conquest of cancer and other diseases, the effects of radi- 

 ation, all are biological. Far beyond these programs are many others 

 which can be pursued effectively by concerted simultaneous interna- 

 tional biological researches, simultaneous observations of animal mi- 

 grations, for example ; a coordinated effort to determine the extent of 

 trichinellosis throughout the world ; international expeditions into as 

 yet biologically unexplored parts of the world. 



