480 



STATEMENT OF HERMAN POLLACK, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL 

 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF 

 STATE 



Mr. Pollack. Thaiik you, Mr, Chairman and members of the sub- 

 committee, the Departinent of State is pleased to have the opportunity 

 to discuss its role in the Government's effort to build a national oceano- 

 graphic program under the Marine Resources and Development Act 

 of 1966. 



You will recall that the act specified that "the marine science activi- 

 ties of the United States should be conducted so as to contribute to 

 * * * cooperation * * * with other nations and groups of nations 

 and international organizations * * * wlien such cooperation is in the 

 national interest.'- We find ourselves increasingly engaged in that 

 effort. 



Mr. David H. Popper, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Inter- 

 national Organization Afl'airs, and Mr. Burdick H. Brittin, Deputy 

 Special Assistant to the Secretary for Fisheries and Wildlife, are with 

 me to provide any information you may wish within their fields of 

 activity. Also Mr. Stanley N. Futterman, Legal Adviser's Office. 



First, I should point out that the Department of State is not an 

 operating agency in the field of oceanography We conduct no scien- 

 tific research per se. We do not operate any research vessels or sub- 

 mersibles. We run no laboratories. Nor do we conduct any operating 

 programs having to do with the exploration of the oceans or the use 

 of its resources. 



Rather, it is the Department's task to understand and make arrange- 

 ments to meet national needs in this area, insofar as they involve or 

 affect the foreign relations of the United States and its posture in the 

 world. 



This means the negotiation of arrangements with other countries 

 to meet a broad sj)ectrum of requirements ranging from specific re- 

 search projects to complex legal matters such as those involved in the 

 1958 Geneva Conventions concerning the law of the sea, and their 

 possible future modification. 



This means identifying opportunities in this field which can be used 

 for the benefit of our overall national objectives abroad. 



It necessitates relating the diverse international programs of Gov- 

 ernment agencies and private organizations to clear, attainable 

 national objectives. 



It requires an understanding of the interests and capabilities of other 

 nations in this field. 



It concerns international ground rules for scientific investigation of 

 the oceans and for exploitation of their resources, cooperation with 

 other countries, the development of means to promote our national in- 

 terests, including security requirements, while commodating the in- 

 terests of other nations. 



It is thus our purpose to achieve broadly acceptable international 

 arrangements that will encourage the development and use of the re- 

 sources of the oceans and that will avoid dangerous conflicts among 

 nations exploiting these resources. We must do this without compro- 

 mising our national security. We must at the same time enhance our 



