2 
Whereas this technology carries with it the threat of legal confrontations be- 
tween nations of the world over the ownership and jurisdiction of the bed of the 
deep sea and the superadjacent waters, and the resources therein ; and 
Whereas the extension of the rule of law and the development of practicable 
arms control measures with respect to these territories are essential if mankind 
is to enjoy the fruits of his efforts in the deep sea: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 
(1) the United States should remain committed to the principle that the 
living and mineral resources in suspension in the high seas, beyond twelve 
miles from the coast, are free for the use of all nations, subject to interna- 
tional treaty obligations and the conservation provisions of the 1958 Geneva 
conventions adopted by the United Nations-sponsored Conference on the 
Law of the Sea; 
(2) the United States should urge the United Nations to consider the prob- 
lems of conservation and use of marine resources of the seabed and subsoil 
beyond Continental Shelf limits and any licensing or other arrangements 
necessary for the regulation thereof ; 
(3) there is an urgent need for the establishment of an international agree- 
ment under which the floor of the deep sea and the resources of the seabed 
and subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of the Continental Shelf, will be con- 
sidered free for the exploration and exploitation of all nations, and are in- 
capable of coming under the sovereignty of any one nation or group of 
nations ; 
(4) any such international agreement should incorporate practicable arms 
control proposals looking toward mutually advantageous safeguard provi- 
sions, should encompass the results of an examination of the question of the 
implacement of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction on the deep 
sea floor, and should contribute to a reduction of the world arms race by 
enjoining all nations from the stationing of unproven types of nuclear or 
other kinds of mass destruction weapons on the ocean floor where unique 
conditions are likely to cause greater risks of accidents ; 
(5) fixed limits must be set for defining the outer boundaries of the Con- 
tinental Shelf of each nation, and that such limits can best be determined 
by an international conference to be convened by the United Nations in 
1969, five years after the coming into force of the 1958 Geneva Convention 
on the Continental Shelf ; and 
(6) the President should institute a detailed study within the Depart- 
ment of State and other interested departments and agencies of the United 
States and in cooperation with the United Nations with respect to the prob- 
lems of criminal jurisdiction over, and the policing of, activities on and be- 
neath the surface of extraterritorial seas and on the deep sea floor; should 
consider those situations, both immediate and anticipated, which are not 
covered by existing international agreements, and should seek an early 
determination by the United Nations on the matter of developing and pro- 
posing regulations for handling those situations. 
[S. Res. 186, 90th Cong. first sess.]) 
RESOLUTION 
Whereas the development of modern techniques for the exploration of the 
deep sea and the exploitation of its resources carries with it the threat of legal 
confrontations between nations of the world ever the ownership and jurisdiction 
of the bed of the deep sea and the superjacent waters, and the resources therein ; 
and 
Whereas the threat of anarchy now exists in the field of scientific exploration 
and commercial exploitation of the deep sea and its resources: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolwed, That it is the sense of the Senate that the President should make 
such efforts, through the United States delegation to the United Nations, as may 
be necessary to place before the General Assembly for its consideration at the 
earliest possible time the following resolution endorsing basic principles for 
governing the activities of nations in ocean space: 
