481 



commercial and industrial capabilities. Needless to say, this is a com- 

 plicated task. 



It may be worth noting that it is not so much the scientific explora- 

 tion of the oceans which creates international problems as the develop- 

 ment and application of the technology for exploitation of their re- 

 sources. This latter will involve a substantial investment, a large poten- 

 tial for profits, and questions of ownership, sovereignty and national 

 security. It is a high-risk venture. 



I need not point out to this subcommittee that we appear to be on 

 the threshold of a quantum jump in interest and activities in this field — 

 political as well as scientific, industrial, and commercial. In recent 

 years we have seen an upsurge of interest, both here and abroad, in 

 all phases of marine activity, especially in those having to do with the 

 ocean depths and the seabed and subsoil of the oceans. Today we find 

 the world turning its attention to the oceans beyond the Continental 

 Shelf and seeking an internationally agreed modus operandi for the 

 development and use of their resources. 



Let me turn now to the specific involvement of the DepartmxCnt of 

 State. 



First, certainly in terms of historic involvement and experience, the 

 Department is heavily engaged in international arrangements concern- 

 ing fisheries. To carry out these responsibilities there is within the De- 

 partment an Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Fish- 

 eries and Wildlife, headed by Ambassador Donald L. McKernan. The 

 Special Assistant is charged with the implementation of U.S. interna- 

 tional fishery policj^. To a large degree this is accomplished through 

 U.S. participation in eight different international fisheries commis- 

 sions, involving some 25 foreign countries, and in worldwide organiza- 

 tions such as the FAO. Through these organizations, the focus of our 

 effort is to achieve rational utilization and conservation of the living 

 resources of the high seas. In addition the Special Assistant is responsi- 

 ble for conducting negotiations with foreign governments concerning 

 specific fishery problems of mutual concern such as those involved in 

 the agreements reached with the Soviet Union, Japan, and Mexico 

 during the current calendar year. I understand that the Committee 

 on Merchant Marine and Fisheries has been briefed in detail on these 

 negotiations by Ambassador McKernan ; the last such briefing having 

 occurred on December 4. 



Next, we are increasingly involved in the programs and plans of 

 international intergovernmental bodies whose interests focus directly 

 on oceanography or impinge on the exploration and use of the re- 

 sources of the oceans — particularly the United Nations and its special- 

 ized agencies. For example, we are directly engaged within the Inter- 

 governmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO in its con- 

 sideration of scientific activities in oceanography, the Food and 

 Agriculture Organization in its concern with fisheries: the World 

 Meteorological Organization in its arrangements to study the effect 

 of the oceans on climate; the International Maritime Consultative 

 Organization with respect to shipping problems and the safety of 

 lives at sea ; and the International Telecommunications Union in con- 

 nection with ocean communications. 



We are also involved directly in arranging, or supporting, bilateral 

 and multilateral cooperative projects with foreign governments and 



86-705— 68— pt. 1 32 



