326 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 



First, it is clear that what we report on in this blue book, say, 

 which we call the national oceanographic program, in a technical 

 sense is a misnomer ; it is the Federal oceanographic program. 



The national oceanographic program, if one could define such a 

 collection of resources and activity would, of course, have to include 

 industry, the State governments, the private institutions, educational 

 institutions, and so on. 



Clearly, the ICO cannot concern itself with that in an action sense. 

 We do not have purview over it. We do, however, do as much as we 

 can to relate our activity, both as a committee and the activity of the 

 agencies which we support to the outside world — that is to industry, 

 the States, and so forth. 



We have, ourselves and through our staff, supplied information, 

 suggested channels of approach, cooperated in generating reports 

 with industry, in order to develop information, to call attention to 

 the problems, to call attentions to the programs, to encourage outside 

 groups to engage in oceanographic activities. 



This is, though, as I hope I make clear, often done by informal 

 means. There is no legal mechanism. 



Mr. Bauer. In other words, it is a planning group. Doctor. There 

 is no intention on the part of the ICO to take planning cognizance 

 over how do we develop the fisheries or how do we develop the geo- 

 physical research or exploration for oil ? 



Dr. Morse. No, sir. 



Mr. Bauer. And the same thing would apply to the PSAC. It 

 would deal with governmental programs only. 



Dr. Morse. You mean the special panel on oceanography. I would 

 say they are just an information developing group for Dr. Hornig. 

 They certainly cannot tell anybody what to do. 



Mr. Bauer. In other words, there is a vacuum as far as any plan- 

 ning with respect to our national overall utilization of the oceans. 



There is now no one group that is able to come up with a plan as to 

 how we should best develop the assets of the ocean ? 



Dr. Morse. I think it is fair to say there certainly is no one doing it. 



If you mean the whole broad concept including fisheries, maritime 

 resources, the development of resources, and so on ; there are a great 

 many activities devoted to that question, I think there are groups try- 

 ing to look at it, but there certainly is no group — it is clear that any 

 group is free to look at it, but it is also clear that there is no group that 

 controls it, and I am not sure there should be. 



Mr. Bauer. I am talking about as far as planning is concerned, do 

 you not think that would be important to have planning along those 

 lines? 



Dr. Morse. I would say, sir, that it is important that there be joint 

 planning. I think it is fairly clear that there cannot be centralized 

 planning of that total program because industry is heavily involved. 



Many of the industrial programs may or may not be of the concern 

 of the Federal Government, a lot of them are. The State governments 

 have a stake in the development of the oceans. It is also an interna- 

 tional problem in the sense that the development of the oceans, though 

 we clearly are concerned first with our national goals, have to be re- 

 lated to tiie activities of the other nations. 



