NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 63 



unnecessarily restrictive since it appears to confine international 

 cooperation in oceanography to formal treaties ratified by the United 

 States after advice and consent of the Senate. U.S. agencies and 

 institutions are now cooperating with other countries in many valuable 

 oceanographic studies and are contemplating additional programs. 

 All these programs fall within the normal activities of the responsible 

 agencies and are carefully reviewed for foreign policy implications 

 before approval. Ample authority now exists for most international 

 ventures in oceanography. Should this prove inadequate, further 

 authority would be sought through treaty or legislation. Since the 

 present procedure has worked very satisfactorily, no change is believed 

 necessary. More formal agreements can be made, of course, for any 

 any aspect of the international programs requiring such action. It 

 is suggested, therefore, that section 4(a) be deleted. 



The Bureau of the Budget advises that, from the standpoint pf the 

 administration program, there is no objection to the presentation of 

 this report for the consideration of the committee. 

 Sincerely yours, 



Douglas MacArthur II, 

 Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations 



(For the Secretary of State). 



General Counsel of the Treasury, 



Washington^ D.G.^ July SO. 1966. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman^ Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries^ House of 

 Representatives., Washington., D.C. 



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

 of tliis Department on H.R. 6457, to provide for a comprehensive, 

 long range, and coordinated national progrem in oceanography, and 

 for other purposes. 



The bill would establish a National Oceanographic Council in the 

 Office of Science and Technology in the Executi^'e Office of the Presi- 

 dent. The Council would be composed of representatives of certain 

 executive departments and agencies and the Chairman of the Council 

 would be designated from among its members by the President. The 

 chief responsibility of the Council would be to coordinate the work in 

 oceanography being carried out by the various departments and agen- 

 cies of the Federal Government. 



Like H.K. 5654, a similar bill introduced previously in this Con- 

 gress, the bill is clearly intended to advance the national program in 

 oceanography. As we mdicated in our comments on H.Ii. 5654, the 

 Department is in full sympathy with that objective; however, it ques- 

 tions whether the proposed bill offers the most effective method of 

 achieving the desired purpose. At the present time, coordination is 

 achieved by the Interagency Committee on Oceanography formed by 

 the Federal Council for Science and Technology. The Department 

 believes this basic approach should be continued and is opposed to the 

 creation of another office or agency with independent authority and 

 responsibility in the field. The latter would result in duplication of 

 effort and organization in oceanography as well as derogate from the 

 authority and responsibility of existing agencies in this field. 



