understand won't be long from now, that— if there is no objection, 

 the report will be inserted in the record at this point. 



Is there objection? The Chair hears none. It is so ordered. 1 



Chairman Zablocki. At the very outset I wish to commend you, 

 Mr. Malone, for your statement and assurances that there will be 

 full consultation with interested Members of Congress during the 

 course of the policy review. I would like to ask a few questions 

 about the scope of the review. 



As I understand, it is quite comprehensive. Is it to be so compre- 

 hensive as to cover all components of the draft convention, or is it 

 to focus on the proposed international regime for seabed mining? 

 Before you answer, I would like to comment how important I 

 believe a balanced review is. Such a review should reflect not only 

 the interest of ocean mining companies, but the full range of 

 interests — military and defense, scientific, environmental, and 

 other resource issues. 



Now we would appreciate it if you would kindly advise us as to 

 the scope of the review. 



Mr. Malone. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 



I would want to assure the committee that the review will be a 

 complete and thorough one and will, indeed, cover all aspects of 

 the draft convention. It will be by no means limited to part XI 

 questions. 



It is the desire of the administration, Mr. Chairman, that this 

 very thorough and complete analysis be conducted, and indeed, 

 that it be directed to determining what is in the net national 

 interest of the United States, including all of the factors — our 

 national security, our need for access to the various minerals 

 which are available through deep sea mining and are of strategic 

 interest to us, our interest in marine research, our interest in 

 pollution control, and the entire range of other affected U.S. inter- 

 ests. 



So it will be a complete and thorough review. We will be looking 

 at all of these questions, and we will be doing so against the 

 touchstone of the national interest. 



And I would just finally want to emphasize and make it very 

 clear that it is by no means the perception of this administration 

 that this review is driven by the concerns of private deep sea 

 mining interests. Obviously, there are many groups in the public 

 sector that have an interest, but indeed, the Congress has an 

 interest, the American people have an interest, and of course we 

 have an interest in this administration in seeing, as I have said, 

 that we judge this against what we believe to be our overall nation- 

 al interest and concerns. 



Chairman Zablocki. Who are the key participants in the inter- 

 agency review — what agencies and what persons? 



Mr. Malone. We have judged it desirable to conduct the inter- 

 agency review at a relatively high level, so that we can focus the 

 attention of senior officers in this administration on the problems, 

 but not to conduct it at such a senior level that the responsibilities 

 be delegated. Therefore, we have determined to conduct it at the 

 Deputy Assistant Secretary level, requiring that representatives 

 from all of the concerned departments and agencies — the State 



^he report of the U.S. delegation to the 10th session appears in appendix 1, p. 53. 



