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asked me to chair. This is a new Committee, one of five recently es- 

 tablished to bring together coordinated Federal efforts directed at 

 meeting priority national requirements in marine science. The Com- 

 mittee is so recently formed — August 16, 1967— that it is not possible 

 for me to report on our progress except to say we have met twice and 

 have begun to assess the magnitude and complexity of our problems. 



The Committee is responsible for policy and program recommenda- 

 tions regarding exploration, description, and prediction, and the re- 

 quired ships, buoys, satellites, and other facilities. It is also responsible 

 for surveys, mapping, and charting of the Continental Shelf and 

 deep oceans, data management and the coordination of technical as- 

 pects of surveys for ocean bottom resources. 



The Committee's major work lies ahead. I should like to assure the 

 subcommittee, however, that in the execution of this work our inter- 

 agency group will labor constantly to formulate programs which take 

 full advantage of the capabilities of all Federal agencies and meet 

 our national needs. 



I shall be very happy to try to answer any questions. 



Mr. Rogers. Thank you very much. Dr. Wliite, for an excellent 

 statement. 



Mr. Pelly? 



Mr. Pelly. Dr. White, we had testimony recently from a Depart- 

 ment of Interior witness that indicated the Department of Interior 

 is mapping the seabed as far out as a hundred miles. Do you work in 

 cooperation with them ? 



I notice on page 6 of your statement you refer to the bathymetric 

 map and underwater topography. Do you do their mapping for them 

 or would you indicate what cooperation there is between the Depart- 

 ments ? 



Dr. White. Yes. We work very closely with Geological Survey. As 

 I have indicated in my testimony, we have a program of assisting them 

 in the mapping, for example, of the regions off Alaska. 



In addition to this general kind of mapping which is required for 

 mineral exploration, there will also be required rather detailed surveys 

 when you actually come down to very specific items that have to be 

 done. And the Geological Survey has been doing some of these very 

 surveys. 



In addition to that, the Geological Survey has also put out a num- 

 ber of large-scale topographic maps. These are different from those 

 which we are putting out in that they cover a very broad area and the 

 density of the information is very low. The data on which these are 

 based are the data from the Coast and Geodetic Survey. The reason 

 for doing it is because they had to get on immediately with the prob- 

 lem, and they process these data on a very large scale to start with. 



Mr. Pelly. I am hopeful you will proceed rapidly and expeditiously 

 to map out our coastal water seabed before it is transferred under 

 international law to the United Nations as is now being proposed. I 

 hope we can expedite this work. I am glad to hear of this departmental 

 cooperation. 



In your reference to Project Storm Fury, is there any restriction 

 that you find on your work in modifying hurricanes because you are 

 prevented by international law from the use of atomic explosions in 

 the atmosphere ? 



