153 
MOENAY M1. JOCHEON, WASH,, CHAIRMAN 
7, MONT. le 
Mika ADOURUTEE, &. OAR, JAMES A. MC CLUE, IDAHO A 
conmmcan oavremuros Wife Dlates Denate 
‘VLORO NGLLGOM, WIL. 
(AGA) bd, AE TEERMAUM, O10 COMMITTEE ON 
SER TV. VERNER, STAPF CRESTOR INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510 
3 June 1974 
The Honorable Frederick B. Dent 
Secretary of Commerce 
U. S. Department of Commerce 
Washington, D.C. 20230 
Dear Mr. Secretary: 
On several occasions, the Congress has had the 
benefit of testimony from Administration witnesses, 
including those representing your department, as to 
this nation's commitment to the development of deep 
- ocean minerals. 
_Among others, Professor John Norton Moore of the 
Department of State, has advised us as to Administration 
policy on the issues which will be before the Law of 
the Sea Conference in Caracas, and of Administration 
efforts to provide for provisional application of cer- 
tain aspects of the anticipated Convention. He has ~ 
further assured us that, in the absence of a "timely" 
resolution by the Conference of the issues before it, 
the Administration is prepared to support domestic 
legislation to provide alternative solutions. 
The Administration concept of a timely resolution 
of issues apparently is that described by Ambassador 
John R. Stevenson, Special Representative of the Presi- 
dent for the Law of the Sea Conference, in his letter 
to the "Wall Street Journal", published 7 January 1974, 
and which Senator Metcalf read into the "Congressional 
Record" of 21 January, copy attached. 
