497 



shape, relatively speaking. I am pleased that you know that their 

 effort and their interest is so small in the deep ocean bed. 



Mr. Brittin. Excuse me, sir. I said I did not know. I said that 

 nothing unusual has come to my attention. 



Mr. Keith. I thought you said there was very little evidence of 

 their having made any real effort in the deep ocean bed. 



Mr. Brittin. I mentioned I am not aware of any. If there is any, 

 I do no know of it. 



Mr. Keith. Do you have reason to feel that they are not active in 

 this area, or do you have reason to feel that they are, or do you not 

 know? 



Mr. Brittin. I do not know, sir, on the basis that it really is beyond 

 my field of competence. I know in the fisheries arena they are rather 

 good at exchanging information with us, but beyond the fisheries 

 arena is beyond my competence. 



Mr. Keith. I just did not want the committee to get the impression 

 from the testimony which was offered that they were not really ac- 

 tively pursuing this. We just do not know. I think the Congress should 

 bear this in mind. 



Mr. Karth. Does anyone in the State Department know the answer ? 



Mr. Pollack. I think I indicated, sir, in my previous statement 

 that we do follow all the available information on the oceanographic 

 programs, not only in the Soviet Union, but in other countries. The 

 principal thrust of the oceanographic program in the Soviet Union has 

 been directly toward the living resources and toward the scientific ac- 

 (juisition of oceanographic information, topography, and so on. Noth- 

 ing has come to my attention which would indicate anything approxi- 

 mating an equal concern or investment of resources with respect to 

 the ocean floors and their mineral resources. 



Mr. KJEiTH. Thank you. 



Mr. Dow. Just to continue along that line, I recollect recently see- 

 ing a brochure which demonstrates the Soviet activities in oceanog- 

 raphy and they are very active in that field. And from what little 

 knowledge I have of our own activity in that field, oceanographic 

 exploration generally goes to the extent of taking cores, coring sam- 

 ples in the deep ocean. 



I rather remember that in the Eussian bulletin on their activity there 

 was a picture of cores there. I could be mistaken, but there was some 

 evidence. I do not think from that evidence we could measure it, but 

 I would be rather surprised if they had not manifested some action 

 and activity in that field. 



Mr. Pollack. I did not mean to imply they have not because indeed 

 they have. They are a major oceanographic power at this point in time 

 and they are proceeding along all of the lines that would be appropri- 

 ate to a major oceanographic power, I was simply trying to indicate 

 that I do not know of any information that would indicate that their 

 posture in the UN was related to some major technological achieve- 

 ment which they are about to spring on the world relating to the ocean 

 bottom. 



Mr. Dow. In other words, you do not think they are taking millions 

 of barrels of oil out of the Pacific Ocean floor or anything of that kind ? 



-705— 68— pt. 1 33 



