im 



be an org:anization that will coordinate and improve the general real- 

 ization of the national program goals. 



Of course, in answering this question I realize I am sort of pre- 

 empting the Council and the Commission you gentlemen created, so 

 probably I should not have answered it ai all. 



I can say that the Navy is in a very fortunate position here. We 

 have a very unambiguous mission. We just want to carry out that 

 mission. We do want to see a Federal organization established which 

 will allow us to carry out our mission and contribute to the national 

 program to the maximum extent possible. 



Mr. Downing. Admiral, I think you have made a great statement. 

 Like Congressman Pelly, I deeply appreciate the fact that the Navy 

 has been in this field for so many years and has led the way. I thank 

 you. 



Mr. Lennon. The gentleman from California, Mr. Reinecke. 



Mr. Reinecke. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Admiral, I am very much impressed by your statement, too. I have 

 a couple of brief questions. 



You mentioned the possibility of getting down to 20,000 feet. Would 

 you care to comment for the record on your opinion of the proposed 

 resolution which would reserve everything beyond the Continental 

 Shelf to the jurisdiction of the U.N. ? I think we would know your 

 answer, but we would like it for the record. 



Admiral Waters. I can give you the official Department of Defense 

 answer, which would be my personal answer, too, and that is that for 

 obvious defense reasons we are against it, and also, certainly, I think 

 anyone who works in this sort of business from day to day realizes that 

 it is very premature to try to do anything about deciding who is to own 

 the deep ocean bottoms, because we really do not know what is there. 

 In other words, we would be making a decision from the standpoint of 

 ignorance, and this is an unwise thing to do. 



Mr. Reinecke. Thank you. 



You went to great lengths in your statement to clarify the point that 

 you feel the Navy has a dominant role in this overall national pro- 

 gram, and that you would not mind helping other interested agencies 

 or other interested industries — mining, salvaging, et cetera. 



I am concerned, however, as has been expressed here by other people, 

 about the possibility of this so-called lead agency concept that you 

 heard here. This is not quite like space, where there would not be much 

 work if it were not for NASA. I am thinking in terms m.ostly of private 

 enterprise, independent exploration and involvement. Are we not ask- 

 ing for a situation here where everyone will wait and see what the 

 Navy does ? Are you not apt to some degree to stymie the motivation 

 for private industry to get out and do for itself ? As a result of your 

 leading position and your proximity to large funds, they can just as 

 well wait and see what you come up with, and then take from your 

 finding accordingly. 



Admiral Waters. I do not think that is really a very strong pos- 

 sibility, sir. 



Mr. Reinecke. How about the problem of patents and copyrights 

 and particularly the location of mineral deposits ? If a branch of the 

 Federal Government comes up with these, obviously they should be 

 protected for public dominion or world dominion or whatnot, depend- 

 ing upon location. Will this not in itself deter private exploration? 



