20 MARINE SCIENCE 



I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman. 



The Chairman. Senator Engle. 



Senator Engle. I compliment the Doctor on his excellent statement. 



The Chairman. Senator McGee. 



Senator McGee. Could I make one observation. Since we want 

 to put this on a national basis, we should hear from this side of the 

 room and I presume I have the proxy to speak for my colleagues 

 on this side. 



I would like to raise the question, Doctor, about the urgency in 

 terms of time. This being research, I assume that what you would 

 hope to break through on in many areas is unpredictable in terms of 

 time and thus ought to be gotten underway sooner rather than later 

 because of that uncertain time factor. 



Mr. Spilhaus. There are two classes of problems, Senator. 



There are the problems of basic research which, as you say, because 

 of their basic nature, are unpredictable. This is very, very urgent 

 because basic research gives us the foundation on which to build 

 development of things that we need. 



There is also, an urgency tO' make ocean surveys, to understand 

 things about the sea in regard tO' sound propagation as a contribut- 

 ing factor to our surveillance and safety under the ocean. These 

 problems we can see. 



This is construction that also needs to be done with urgency. 

 We feel a sense of urgency because we know how long it takes to 

 build research vessels and survey vessels. Until you can get the 

 vessel building program going you can hardly begin the attack on 

 the major survey of the ocean. 



Senator McGee. In other words, if we would suddenly become 

 aware — let's say next week or the week after — of the urgency of 

 learning more than we now know, an act of Congress, an emergency 

 session of the Congress or an executi^^e order couldn't produce it 

 any faster on the spur of the moment. We have to have this ac- 

 cumulation of knowledge continually in process. 



Mr. Spilhatjs. Yes. 



Senator McGee. This is one of the great problems, of course, we 

 always have with the folks back home. They get excited when some- 

 thing blows up in our face and they are willing to go for it then, but 

 how can you convince them that you cannot legislate on 7 days' 

 notice for the kind of information that requires sometimes decades to 

 arrive at ? This is a really tough problem and I think partly behind 

 what the Senator from South Carolina was alluding to as part of the 

 spending is involved in that. I think nothing would better illustrate 

 the productive research and productive growth than this whole area 

 you have spelled out for us here this morning. 



I think I have probably had a little private pressure put on over 

 the weekend. Two members of my family want skindiving outfits 

 and I think we should know more about where they are going. 



That is all I have, Mr. Chairman. 



The Chairman. I have here from the Department of Commerce 

 late information on Soviet bloc reports of scientific activities in which 

 we find, for instance, that they are putting out a 358-page illustrated 

 book on the Bering Sea. We don't know anything about the Bering 

 Sea, comparatively. 



