354 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 



Mr. Lennon. Well, now, let us assume that established in the De- 

 partment of Commerce, the environmental sciences under Dr. Hollo- 

 mon, and they have now let a contract, relatively small, for a survey 

 of the Continental Shelf. 



Will not that data be available to industry ? 



Dr. Clark. Yes, sir, available and useful. 



Mr. Lennon. And that is related to engineering, that is what we 

 are speaking about now ? 



Dr. Clark. Right. 



Mr. Lennon. Will not subsequent data secured by ESSA — will not 

 that be available to industry ? 



Dr. Clark. Right. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Lennon. How would you propose, then, that engineering data 

 obtained by an agency of the Federal Government be handled other 

 than the way it is now being handled ? 



Dr. Clark. The NODC, in particular, the National Oceanographic 

 Data Center, is extremely effective. 



Mr. Lennon. Is what? 



Dr. Clark. Is extremely effective, 



Mr. Lennon. You say it is ? 



Dr. Clark. Right. But what has been lacking, and I exaggerate 

 just a little to make my point 



Mr. Lennon. Yes, please. 



Dr. Clark (continuing). Is a clear mistake, a charter, that data 

 which are needed for engineering purposes as distinct from scientific 

 amassment of knowledge, is a proper concern of these Government 

 agencies. 



Mr. Lennon. Well, do you not think when there was established in 

 the office of the Department of Commerce, the Department of Science 

 and Technology, that that was an objective step in the direction that 

 we seeek, sir ? 



Dr. Clark. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Lennon. I think it has been delayed — I am sorry, it has just 

 been started, but nevertheless it is there. 



Now, in the Department of the Interior they have a little different 

 mission. I am talking about outside of the Marine Fisheries, Com- 

 mercial, and Sport Fisheries. They are interested in also the Contin- 

 ental Shelf and the resources of the sea bottoms. 



Is not the information that they secure available — engineering 

 and otherwise^ — to the public at large unless it is related to matters 

 concerning national defense ? 



Dr. Clark. Yes, sir, completely. 



Mr. Lennon. I would like to see, and I know counsel would like to 

 see, a draft of what you think we ought to do to get the objective you 

 say we have not obtained. You think we cannot do it, you think Ave 

 have to st udy it a coupl e more years. 



We have been at this thing now since 1959 and we have been wait- 

 ing for folks like you to come up and bring this draft legislation that 

 you think, representing industry, would dbtain what we all seek to 

 obtain : a broader spectrum of knowledge of scientific and engineering 

 data. 



Mr. Mosher ? 



