PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM IN OCEANOGRAPHY 37 



Great Lakes, and other inland waters, to enhance the general welfare, 

 and for other purposes. 



We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the committee print. 

 As stated in our report of June 8, 1961, to your committee on this bUl, 

 we have a vital interest in the field of oceanography and we are sym- 

 pathetic to the objective of this proposal. We do not, however, 

 recommend enactment of this bill for the reasons stated in our previous 

 report. 



Your committee has requested our views also on S. 901, a bill to 

 advance the marine sciences, to establish a comprehensive 10-year 

 program of oceanographic research and surveys, to promote commerce 

 and navigation, to secure the national defense, to expand ocean, 

 coastal, and Great Lakes resources, to authorize the construction of 

 research and survey ships and laboratory facilities, to expedite oceano- 

 graphic instrumentation, to assure systematic studies of effects of 

 radioactive materials in marine environments, to enhance the public 

 health and general welfare, and for other purposes. We submitted 

 a report to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, 

 U.S. Senate, on April 24, 1961, on this bill. A copy of our report is 

 enclosed. You will note that while we concurred in the general object 

 of that bill we recommended that no action be taken on it for certain 

 reasons, as set forth in the report. 



We find no reason to alter our recommendation on this measure. In 

 the event that your committee considers the measure favorably, 

 however, we would wish to propose a number of amendments relating 

 to the oceanographic activities of this Department. 



The Bureau of the Budget has advised that there is no objection to 

 the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the adminis- 

 tration's program. 



Sincerely yours, 



Fkank p. Briggs, 

 Assistant Seci^etary oj the Interior. 



Department of the Interior, 



Office of the Secretary, 

 Washington, B.C., April 24, 1961. 

 Hon. Warren G. Magnuson, 



Chairman, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, 

 U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Senator Magnuson: Your committed has requested a re- 

 port on S. 901, a bill to advance the marine sciences, to establish a 

 comprehensive 10-year program of oceanographic research and sur- 

 veys, to promote commerce and navigation, to secure the national 

 defense, to expand ocean coastal, and Great Lakes resources, to 

 authorize the construction of research and survey ships and labora- 

 tory facilities, to expedite oceanographic instrumentation, to assure 

 systematic studies of effects of radioactive materials in marine en- 

 vironments, to enhance the public health and general welfare, and for 

 other purposes. 



We concur in the general object on this bill; however, notwithstand- 

 ing our considerable interest in oceanographic research, we recom- 

 mend that no action be taken on this bill for two principal reasons 

 hereafter stated. 



