NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 57 



H.R. 2218 should be enacted, but that the enactment of any of tlie 

 other bills would be premature at this time. This position is based 

 on the premise that the President's Science Advisory Committee's 

 Panel on Oceanography is at the present time making the kind of 

 investigation and study that is contemplated by H.R. 9064. When 

 the Panel completes its study and submits its report Congress can 

 more appropriately decide whether additional legislation dealing either 

 with a further study or with a revised governmental organization to 

 administer the national oceanographic program should be enacted. 



The recommendation that legislative action should be deferred is 

 not intended to cast any doubt on the importance of the subject. 

 President Johnson has recently stated his intention that the United 

 States shall maintain leadership in ocean science and technology and 

 their economic, military, and social applications. 



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

 ihe presentation of this report from the standpoint of the administra- 

 tion's program. 



Sincerely yours, 



Clarence F. Pautzke, 

 Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior. 



U.S. Department of Justice, 

 Office of the Deputy Attorney General, 



Washington, D.C., August S, 1965. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman. C ommlttee 07i Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House of Representatives, 

 Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman : This is in response to your request for the 

 views of the Department of Justice on H.R. 6457, a bill to provide for 

 a comprehensive, long-range, and coordinated national program in 

 oceanography, and for other purposes. 



The bill would establish in the Office of Science and Technology in 

 the Executive Office of the President, the National Oceanographic 

 Council to be composed of one representative each from the Depart- 

 ments of State, Treasury, Defense, Interior, Commerce, Health, Educa- 

 tion, and Welfare, the Office of Science and Technology, the Atomic 

 Energy Commission, the National Science Foundation, and the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. It would be the responsibility of the Council to 

 advise and assist the President with respect to the performance of func- 

 tions in the field of oceanography and the marine sciences. 



The bill provides that the Council shall arrange with the Federal 

 Bureau of Investigation for the conduct of such security or other 

 personnel investigation of the Council's officers, employees, and con- 

 sultants as it deems appropriate. 



Other than with respect to the conduct of security investigations by 

 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to which we have no objection, 

 the subject of the bill concerns primarily the operations of the execu- 

 tive agencies represented on the Council. It is assumed that the 

 committee will consult those agencies with respect to legislation in this 

 field. In these circumstances, the Department of Justice makes no 

 recommendation as to the enactment of this legislation. 



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