162 
2 
industrial needs and that: the demand for certain hard 
minerals will increasingly exceed available domestic 
sources of supply; ee 
(2) that, in the case of some minerals, the Nation 
is totally dependent upon foreign sources of supply and 
that the acquisition of mineral resources from foreign 
sources is a substantial factor in the national balance-of- 
payments position; 7 
(3) that the national security interests of the United 
States require the availability of mineral resources which 
are Wulepene en of the export polous aH foreign nations; 
(4) that there is an alternate source of supply of 
certain minerals which are significant in relation to 
national needs contained in the manganese nodules which 
~ exist in great abundance on the ocean floor; 
(5) that, to the agind that such nodules a are ieered 
outside the territorial ear and beyond the Continental 
Shelf of any nation, the nodules are available for utiliza- 
- ue by any nation with the ability to develop them; 
(6) that ‘United States mining companies hens 
developed the technwlUBy, stegessb ny for the development 
and processing of deep seabed nodules and, given the 
necessary security of tenure, are prepared to make ihe 
necessary capital - investment for such b development ae 
processing ; ; and 
