NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 179 



I was interested to read what the definition of the mission was, 

 because I think it could very well be utilized today in an exploration 

 of some of the phases of oceanography. , ^ i 



This group was told to note the sources and the courses of the rivers, 

 the locations of the lakes, to observe the routes of all of the traders, to 

 chart the strategic military points, and to list all visible resources of 

 the country. 



Besides doing their medical work, this group brought back a full re- 

 port which included a description of 273 animals and 260 plants. 



They probably made less impact on the flora and fauna in science 

 because they didn't have all of the fancy ways of keeping their speci- 

 mens, and so all they had was the descriptions in the books, for the 

 most part. 



The overall cost of this expedition, which started out with $2,500, 

 was $27,000. So that, when you start one of these things, you can see 

 that our pattern today hasn't changed from what it was back in those 

 days. We get in with an estimate of one cost, and we come out with 

 what, in this instance, was a little more than 10 times what they had 

 initially put forth. But, certainly, what it meant to the country is so 

 much more that that was probably the finest investment this country 

 ever made. 



One other point about the Lewis and Clark Expedition which is of 

 some interest. Of the starting group, most of them were young men. 

 Clark was 33 years old and he was older than 40 of the other men who 

 were in the group. Oceanography is a new science, and there are a lot 

 of young men in it, but they can make the same kind of a contribution. 



Now, there is one other point about an exploration project, and I 

 think, Mr. Chairman, one of these bills suggests an approach on an 

 exploration or expedition type of an endeavor. 



I don't think we are ever going to get all of these agencies or maybe 

 even some of the committees impressed until we get an entire thrust on 

 a project basis with new funding that suggests that there is something 

 in it for anybody who wants to make a contribution and become part 

 of that effort. I think this is where we will get the real test of what 

 kind of coordination you can get. If you put in the new money, there 

 isn't a defense of the old budget, and it may be one way to test what 

 kind of coordination we need, and how much interaction there really 

 should and could be for the overall efforts which will not dilute the in- 

 dividualized interests that are already very deeply entrenched, and 

 which are not going to change overnight, and maybe we shouldn't 

 change. Maybe there should be some individualized efforts on partic- 

 ular problems, but certainly some overall mix, so that our advance in 

 this important field will make sense. 



Now there is one other bill that is introduced — Mr. Chairman, I 

 think it is your bill — that suggests that we ought to put in some money 

 to begin more actively to study the law of the sea. And I introduced 

 an almost identical bill in the last Congress, and I can't emphasize to 

 this committee too strongly how important I think this matter is. I 

 really am very concerned when I see the approaches, for instance, in 

 international law, that allow countries to extend outward the borders 

 of their jurisdictional waters, particularly in the straits and the nar- 

 rows of this world. 



