186 MARINE SCIENCE 
SIKkORSKY AIRCRAFT, 
DIVISION OF UNITED AIRCRAFT CORP., 
Stratford, Conn., April 10, 1961. 
Senator WARREN G. MAGNUSON, 
Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, 
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 
Dear Senator Magnuson: Thank you for providing the opportunity for read- 
ing and commenting on S. 901, the Marine Sciences and Research Act of 1961. 
Passage of this bill will go far toward supplying the requisite stimulus to the 
oceanographic research so vital to our national future. It is particularly inter- 
esting to note how much can be accomplished within the framework of the 
established agencies whose interests have previously been only marginally con- 
cerned with such research. 
Those of us who are attempting to develop effective undersea equipment 
have been drastically hampered by lack of knowledge of the environment. 
Merely to discover what data exists is a time-consuming task, in the absence 
of a data center. And, frequently, an exhaustive search has disclosed finally 
that the data are inadequate to permit prediction of equipment performance. 
This lack of basic information is seriously detrimental to our national defense, 
and is delaying the realization of accomplishments which would be techno- 
logically feasible if environmental factors were more precisely known. For an 
industry whose primary competence lies in other areas to attempt independent 
investigations of undersea conditions would be inefficient and unnecessarily 
eostly. It is probable that the climate of broad interests and activity which will 
be engendered by S. 901 will encourage cooperative endeavors leading to the 
performance of “applied” research simultaneously with the basic investigations 
authorized therein. 
From many points of view, passage of S. 901 will benefit the Nation and, by 
the implementation of a training program and stimulating interest on many 
fronts, we can expect a cumulative accomplishment which will place the United 
States in the forefront of a most interesting and important field of knowledge. 
Very truly yours, 
VIRGINIA WITHINGTON, 
Supervisor, ASW-USW Res. 
CHULALONGKORN LABORATORY, 
Ang Sila, Cholburi, Thailand, March 24, 1961. 
Hon. WARREN G. MAGNUSON, 
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 
DEAR SENATOR Magnuson: Your request for a statement on the new sections 
in S. 901 together with the reply of my coworker, Dr. Philip Helfrich, have 
been forwarded to me here in Thailand. I certainly support Dr. Helfrich’s 
statement, and I endorse and urge the support of your bill, and I will so write 
the Hawaiian delegation. 
I would like, however, to supplement Dr. Helfrich’s statement on two points: 
First, about the medicinal importance of marine toxins. While our studies and 
most studies made by others so far have been on the side of “pure” science, 
and not applied pharmacology and medicine, there are indications that some of 
these toxins may have considerable medical importance. Wor example, the 
studies of Dr. Ross F. Nigrelli and associates indicate that the toxin from sea 
cucumbers may inhibit cancerous growths, and that the toxin we are studying 
from tropical fishes may markedly depress the blood pressure. 
Second, that some of these studies on toxic marine animals are of international 
importance. I recently received a letter from Dr. L. C. Dvambez, fisheries 
officer with the South Pacifie Commission, which stated, in part, “The South 
Pacific Commission is very interested in the whole question of fish poisoning and 
is anxious to assist in furthering research into this subject. * * *” So, by 
the inclusion ‘of the new sections in the bill, the Government of the United States 
will be furthering international relations and helping fulfill its commitments 
to the South Pacific Commission. 
Yours sincerely, 
ALBERT H. BANNER, 
Professor of Zoology, Director, Hawaii Marine Laboratory, University 
of Hawaii; on leave. 
