NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 33 



The primary purpose of H.R. 5654 would be the establishment of 

 a national oceanographic council consisting of the heads of 10 Federal 

 departments and agencies with the Vice President of the United States 

 as chairman. The function of the council would be to advise and 

 assist the President in connection with matters involving oceanography 

 and the marine sciences. The council would have a staff headed by 

 a civUian executive secretary appointed by the President, by and with 

 the advice and consent of the Senate. 



H.R. 5654 is aimed at insuring that the United States has a strong 

 oceanographic program. Wefully concur with this objective. As you 

 know, the national program in this area is being coordinated through 

 the Interagency Committee on Oceanography of the Federal CouncU for 

 Science and Technology. We believe that this organizational arrange- 

 ment is proving satisfactory for carrying on the Nation's oceanographic 

 effort, and that such problems as have arisen do not warrant establish- 

 ment of the high level council envisaged by H.R, 5654. 



In view of the above considerations, we recommend against enact- 

 ment of H.R. 5654. 



The Bureau of the Budget has advised us it has no objection to the 

 submission of this report from the standpoint of the administration's 

 program. 



Sincerely yours, 



Leland J. Haworth, Director. 



Executive Office of the President, 



Office of Science and Technology, 



Washington, B.C., May 6, 1965. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for the opportunity to comment 

 on H.R. 5654, a bUl to provide for expanded research in the oceans and 

 the Great Lakes, to establish a National Oceanographic Council, and 

 for other purposes. 



We are in full accord with the objective of the bill, and concur with the 

 proposal that the Great Lakes should be a part of a full oceanographic 

 effort. 



With respect to the functions to be performed by the proposed Council, 

 the President has had available to him since 1959, through the Federal 

 Council for Science and Technology, a means of coordinating and 

 planning Federal activities relating to oceanography. The Interagency 

 Committee on Oceanography, a group established under the Federal 

 Council, is this instrumentality. The ICO is a working group com- 

 posed of senior officials with both technical and policy responsibilities. 

 The members of the group can work directly on matters involving 

 oceanography with the members of the Federal Council for Science and 

 Technology. The Council is composed of the top officials responsible 

 for research and development policy in each of the major departments 

 and agencies. Through the Special Assistant for Science and Tech- 

 nology, who is the Chairman of the Federal Council, important policy 

 questions relating to oceanography are considered by the Executive 

 Office of the President and by the President himself. Scientific ques- 



