22 PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM IN OCEANOGRAPHY 



upon completion or other termination of the purpose for which the 

 vessel has been supplied and authorize the Secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution to expand the taxonomic facilities of the Institution 

 with particular emphasis on the taxonomy of marine organisms. 



H.R. 4276 is aimed at insuring that the United States has a strong 

 oceanographic program. We are in complete accord with this objec- 

 tive. In this connection, as you laiow, the President, on March 29, 

 1961, transmitted to the Congress his recommendations with respect 

 to the appropnation of funds for fiscal year 1962 to carry on the 

 Federal effort in oceanography. The total amomit requested for all 

 Federal agencies is approximately $97.5 million. Of this amount, 

 nearly $20 million is for the programs ot the National Science Founda- 

 tion. We believe that if the amounts requested by the President for 

 the Founclatio'i for fiscal year 1962 for support of oceanographic 

 research activities are provided hj the Congress, they will enable the 

 Federal Government to continue to strengthen its oceanographic 

 research activities in a soimd manner. 



In addition, one of the primary objectives of H.R. 4276 is to assure 

 that there is a continuing national policy and program for carrying 

 out the Nation's oceanographic effort. Coordination of the activities 

 of the Federal agencies in this area is presently the responsibility of 

 the Federal Council for Science and Technology, whose Chairman is 

 the Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. 

 It is, of coiu-se, important, in the carrying out of the national program, 

 that full information be available with respect to the status of the 

 national effort, both public and private, and the needs in particular 

 areas of this endeavor. The National Science Foundation, in carry- 

 ing on its support of basic research in oceanograph}^ and related fields, 

 keeps in close touch with oceanographic research activities throughout 

 the world. In this connection, we are planning to issue, at appropriate 

 intervals, reports on the status of oceanographic research together 

 with assessments, as appropriate, of national needs in this area. 



We are deeply mindful of the importance of oceanographic research 

 to the national welfare and are prepared to cooperate in any way 

 possible to assure that the oceanogi'aphic effort of the United States 

 is second to none. 



With respect to the proposed Data Center, such a center has been 

 established within the Hydrographic Office of the Department of the 

 Navy, funded jointly by the various Federal agencies concerned with 

 oceanographic research activities. We believe that this arrangement 

 is proving to be quite effective. 



We feel that the matter of establishing a National Instrumentation 

 Test and Calibration Center should be given serious consideration. 

 However, we are not certain that a separate organizational arrange- 

 ment should be established for this purpose but believe that such a 

 center might usefully be established within one of the existing Federal 

 agencies. 



With respect to the matter of vessels supplied by the United States, 

 it has been our general view that where such vessels are provided to 

 educational or other nonprofit institutions for research purposes, the 

 considerations of allowing the grantee to retain title outweigh the 

 advantages to be gained should title to the vessel be retained by the 

 United States. On the other hand, we agree that, as a general rule, 

 such vessel should be utilized only for the research purposes for which 

 they have been provided and that, when they are no longer being used 



