96 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 



General Counsel of the Treasury, 



Washington, B.C., August 10, 1965. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, G oininittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House of Representatives, 

 Washington, D.G. 



Dear Mr. Chairman : Reference is made to your request for the 

 comments of this Department on H.R. 9064, to establish a National 

 Commission on Oceanography. 



The bill would establish a National Commission on Oceanography 

 composed of 15 members from Government, from industry, and from 

 universities or laboratories engaged in oceanographic pursuits. The 

 function of the Commission would be to study all aspects of oceanog- 

 raphy in order to recommend an overall plan for a national oceano- 

 graphic program that will meet present and future national needs. 

 In addition, the Commission would be authorized to recommend an 

 organizational plan and a budget for the purpose of accomplishing its 

 recommendations. Finally, the Commission would be required to sub- 

 mit an interim report within a year from the date of enactment of 

 the bill and a final report within 2 years. The Commission would 

 cease to exist 30 days after submission of its final report. 



The review of existing national efforts in the oceanographic field 

 and the development of a plan for their continuation would provide 

 an excellent planning basis for the Federal agencies engaged in oceano- 

 graphic research. However, the Department does not consider it 

 necessary or desirable that a new body be created to form a national 

 oceanographic plan and make recommendations to implement it. 



At the present time, coordination is achieved through the use of the 

 Interagency Committee on Oceanograj^hy formed by the Federal 

 Council for Science and Technology. Tliis Committee continues to 

 mature and exert a strong influence over individual agency plans and 

 is capable of influencing the Federal effort to meet any reasonable 

 national plan. It is the Department's opinion that the determination 

 of the resource levels required to meet established national goals needs 

 to be weighed by each agency head in planning his agency's program. 

 In this manner, expected technological advances which would affect 

 resource planning in the oceanographic field can be considered in deter- 

 mining the best method of meeting national goals. 



The Treasury Department has previously stated its support of H.R. 

 2218 as a constructive measure for assuring coordination of the efforts, 

 of the various Government agencies in this field. The Department 

 adheres to that view and opposes the enactment of H.R. 9064. 



The Department has been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that 

 there is no objection from the standpoint of the administration's pro- 

 gram to the submission of this report to your committee. 

 Sincerely yours, 



Fred B. Smith, 

 Acting General Gounsel. 



[H.R. 5175, S9th Cong.. 1st sess.] 



A BILL Providing for a study of the legal problems of management, use, and control of the 

 natural resources of the oceans and ocean beds 



Be it enacted iy the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States 

 of America in Congress assemMed, That the United States Coast Guard is au- 



