35 



Mr. Reinece:e. I would like to identify with your last remarks. I 

 think any alternative would be preferable to giving the bottom of the 

 sea to the United Nations. Dr. Wenk, I was very impressed with your 

 presentation and the extent of it, in fact so much that I was very much 

 concerned. 



I would like you to give us your feeling of the relationship between 

 the Council and Commission as far as authority is concerned. 



Dr. Wenk. The Council was established to advise and assist the 

 President on a day-to-day basis with regard to a variety of issues. The 

 issues are the same as those to which the Commission is addressing 

 itself. 



With regard to assistance the Council provides the President, this 

 concerns the review of what is going on in the Federal Government; 

 the establisliment of a comprehensive coordinated program; the im- 

 provement of coordination between the agencies and the designation 

 of agency responsibility if there is ambiguity; the development of a 

 long-range point of view with regard to these studies ; and finally, an 

 evaluation of the priorities on a Government-wide basis. 



In addition, the President has asked the Council to draft for him 

 the annual report which the law requires that he submit to the 

 Congress. 



The Commission is addressing exactly the same set of issues, but it is 

 looking at them from a somewhat different point of view. I believe 

 they can be far more objective, because they are outside of the Federal 

 Government. 



They are obliged by the legislation to make recommendations with 

 regard to a long-range national plan, which by implication suggests 

 the manner in which the different participants will articulate with 

 each other and, finally, to make a recommendation with regard to 

 Federal reorganization. 



This final point — the recommendation with regard to a possible 

 realinement of Federal structure — is an explicit responsibility of the 

 Commission, one that the Council will be addressing only in its rela- 

 tionship of providing advice to the President. 



Mr. MosHEK. Will the gentleman yield ? 



Mr. Reinecke. All right. 



Mr. MosHEK. I just want to emphasize the point, as I understand it, 

 that the Council in its advisory capacity to the President is an interim 

 organization. It only exists until the Congress makes up its mmd what 

 its permanent status shall be and that status might be quite different. 



Mr. Reinegke. I thank you for your definition. I was concerned on 

 page 103 of your report where you outline the long-range picture of 

 the problems to which the Council will address itself and it seems 

 to me that to some degree you are usurping the areas of responsibility 

 of the Commission. 



You indicate the following policy areas : 



Identification of the goals of the Nation and of society and the capacity of 

 marine sciences to accelerate progress toward these goals; 



The potential contribution of marine science and technology to world order 

 and peace ; 



The role of the Federal Government along the shoreline and in the oceans, 

 and methods of cooperation between the Federal Government and States, regions, 

 universities, and private industry ; 



The administrative, legal, and technological framework for encouraging the 

 rational exploitation of the resources of the sea ; 



