490 



Mr. Pelly. I urge you to pursue every possible avenue and to settle 

 this matter. We are coming into a difficult period with the beginning 

 of the new season. There are sure to be problems concerning foreign 

 aid and other international matters of interest to the Department of 

 State. 



Not being on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, I do not have much 

 of a chance to talk to you. However, I would appreciate anything you 

 can do to pursue and to resolve the matter. 



Mr. Lennon. Will the gentleman yield on this point ? 



Mr. Pellt. Yes. 



Mr. Lennon. Some 10 days ago an article appeared in the news 

 media of the country that an arrangement had been worked out with 

 the Soviet Republic that would permit the Soviet Union, their fishing 

 trawlers, mother fleet, and all, to come within the 12-mile fishing limit 

 in consideration of their willingness to take less of a certain type of 

 white fish and hake. Something of that kind. 



The Congress is cognizant of the fact that this committee reported 

 out a bill which was finally signed into law by the President which 

 gave this country exclusive fishing rights out to the 12-mile limit be- 

 yond the so-called 3-mile international waters as historically recog- 

 nized. 



I was contacted immediately by telephone and wire for the basis 

 upon which the Department of State negotiated an agreement with a 

 foreign country which in substance and in a practical effect negated 

 the law of this land which gives our fishermen the exclusive right out 

 to the 12-mile fishing zone. 



On December 4, Mr. McKernan of your Department was here and 

 appeared before the Fish and Wildlife Subcommittee, of which I am 

 a member and which I could not attend because I was chairing a Sub- 

 committee of the Armed Services that day. That was a closed hearing. 



I would like to ask two things be done. I would like to obtain, and the 

 committee would like to obtain immediately a sanitized version of Mr. 

 McKernan's statement before this committee in order that we in turn 

 can release it to the j)eople who have wired, who have written, who 

 have called, raising the question of the authority of the Department 

 of State to violate a law passed by this Congress, signed into law by 

 this President without any prior notice to the Congress, The first notice 

 we got that this was being done was when we read in the paper it was 

 an accomplished fact, and that is a thing that is of some consequence 

 to a lot of people. 



I do not want to release it, do not intend to release the so-called 

 statement made by Mr. McKernan in explanation of this because it 

 was a closed session, but I shall do it if I do not have in my hands 

 within the next 48 hours a sanitized version of Mr. McKernan's state- 

 ment that I can send to the people who are concerned on the question 

 of how it is that the Department of State, in the interests of inter- 

 national good will and also to protect our own fishermen, can violate the 

 laws of the Congress. No. 1. 



(See hearings entitled, "Fisheries Agreements and Negotiations," 

 serial No. 90-13, printed by the committee.) 



Mr. Lennojst. Then I would like for the Department of State, the 

 Legal Department, if you will, supplemented by the Department of 



