102 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 



as rights to these resources exist. Further legal studies could well 

 serve to consolidate the applicable existing Federal and international 

 statutes and may highlight unsuspected legal problems arising from 

 new activities of the national oceanographic program. In view of the 

 mission of the Department of the Interior in the field of resource 

 management, I believe any such studies can and should be sponsored 

 by that Department. 



Sincerely yours, 



Donald F. Hornig, Director. 



Department of State, 

 Washington, May 3, 1965. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House of iRepresentatives. 



Dear Mr. Chairman: Your letter of February 23, 1965, previously 

 acknowledged, requested the views of the Department of State on 

 H.R. 5175, a bill providing for a study of the legal problems of manage- 

 ment, use, and control of the natural resources of the oceans and ocean 

 beds. 



WhUe the Department is unaware of the need for any such legal 

 study from the standpoint of international law or of our relations with 

 foreign countries it sees no objection thereto if such a study is con- 

 sidered necessary from a domestic law standpoint. In such eventu- 

 ality some agency of the Government having responsibilities in the 

 field of our natural resources, such as the Department of the Interior, 

 might be more appropriate for this function than the U.S. Coast 

 Guard. 



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

 administration's program there is no objection to the submission of 

 this report. 



Sincerely yours, 



Douglas MacArthur II, 

 Assistant Secretary Jor Congressional Relations 



(For the Secretary of State). 



The General Counsel of the Treasury, 



Washington, D.C., May 3, 1965. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House oj Representatives, Washington, D.C. 



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

 views of this Department on H.R. 5175, providing for a study of the 

 legal problems of management, use, and control of the natural resources 

 of the oceans and ocean beds. 



The bill would authorize and direct the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct 

 by contract or otherwise, a study of the legal problems arising out of 

 the management, use, and control of the natural resources of the oceans 

 and ocean beds. The bill further authorizes the appropriation of 

 $50,000 for the accompUshment of its aims. 



