NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 153 



United States is presently pursuing ocean exploration, for it is this 

 situation which H.R. 7798 would change. 



Ninety percent of our Nation's oceanographic progi-ams is contained 

 within four agencies. They are the Navy, National Science Founda- 

 tion, the Department of the Interior, ancl the Department of Com- 

 merce. 



The National Science Foundation is supposed to provide the core 

 of basic science activity to the oceanographic activities of all agencies 

 and to the general field of oceanography itself. 



The mission-oriented agencies, those 21 agencies now engaged in 

 various forms of oceanographic studies, are supposed to draw on basic 

 knowledge provided by the National Science Foundation for further- 

 ance of the agencies' missions. 



The Interagency Committee on Oceanography is supposed to co- 

 ordinate the basic research provided by the National Science Founda- 

 tion and the Navy against the needs of the mission oriented agencies. 



What actually happens is that since the ICO is only an advisory 

 and coordinating body and not, by their own admission, an action 

 body— it cannot provide either the direction of the basic research nor 

 prevent the possible duplication of effort among the mission oriented 

 agencies. 



In testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, it was 

 brought out that the Office of Science and Teclinology, which is the 

 organization through which the ICO reports, has no professional staff 

 member devoted to oceanography at this time. 



The testimony further stated that the OST utilizes only 10 percent 

 of a temporary man's work as its interest in oceanography. 



The national commitment to oceanographic research and engineering 

 certainly warrants more than one-tenth of one man at this level. 



Any organization which is solely able to "coordinate" and not pro- 

 vide direction through budget support will face precisely the same 

 proiblem as the ICO m trying to tie together the existing diversity of 

 missions and the dispersion of oceanography among a number of op- 

 erating agencies. 



What then will these bills accomplish to insure the United States 

 of meeting its commitment to full exploration of the oceans and water- 

 ways ? 



There are basically four main purposes to this legislation. The first 

 is to expand human knowledge of phenomena in and related to the 

 oceans. The second is to further develop and improve the capabilities, 

 performance, and efficiency of vehicles equipment, and instruments 

 for use in exploration, research, surveys, the recovery of resources and 

 the transmission of energy in the marine en\'ironment. 



The third is to more effectively coordinate the activities of the 

 various agencies concerned with the marine sciences ; and the fourth 

 is to insure full cooperation by the United States with other nations 

 and groups of nations in oceanographic and marine research, and 

 surveys when such cooperation is in the national interest. 



The bill calls for the establishment of a National Oceanographic 

 Council consisting of Cabinet members of departments presently in- 

 volved in various studies of oceanography. Also on the Comicil will 

 be the Directors and Chairmen of the Smithsonian Institution, Atomic 

 Energy Commission, Office of Science and Technology and the Na- 



53-367—65 11 



