4 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM—1965 
find it impossible to hold and attract the capable, energetic scientists, 
engineers, and technicians which the agencies and research labora- 
tories require. 
From this discussion of the nature of oceanography, it should be 
clear that oceanography is not one field but a combination of fields. 
Classical disciplines and newer interdisciplinary sciences become close- 
ly coupled because the interests involved all relate to the sea. 
Insofar as the Federal Government is concerned, the complexity 
that arises out of the variety of scientific categories is paralleled by 
the complexity that arises from the variety of practical interests which 
we have in the sea. The ocean is a military arena which, in an era of 
undersea warfare and sea-based deterrents, must be understood by 
the Navy. The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in carrying out its 
statutory functions must inventory fish stocks; it must understand 
the factors which promote their growth and distribution; and it must 
employ this understanding to improve the effectiveness of the catch. 
And I might add—to insure that there is a catch and to know where 
we can find it in the future. i 
The Bureau of Sports Fisheries and Wildlife has concern for the 
conservation and utilization of our living resources as they contribute 
to ocean-related recreation. The Geological Survey and the Bureau 
of Mines are interested in determining the distribution and richness 
of mineral resources on or below the ocean floor and the means by 
which they can be exploited—both on the shallow Continental Shelf 
in the near future, and in the deeper ocean in the more distant future. 
The Coast and Geodetic Survey has the important task of charting the 
oceans, measuring not only bottom topography but also currents, tem- 
peratures, gravity, and magnetic fields. The Weather Bureau seeks 
to understand better how the ocean behavior influences weather and 
climate, and how such scientific information may be employed to im- 
prove weather prediction and, perhaps a long way off, to modify cli- 
mate. The Atomic Energy Commission must understand processes 
within the ocean to determine how it may safely deposit radioactive 
waste, and the Public Health Service has a corresponding obligation 
to study adverse effects of pollutants on fish and other marine life, 
which form part of the human food chain. The Coast Guard is re- 
sponsible for protecting life and property at sea. It requires an un- 
derstanding of storm and iceberg hazards. The Coastal Engineering 
Research Center of the Army Corps of Engineers maintains an in- 
terest in the damaging effects of waves and weather on our shores and 
means by which these effects may be corrected or moderated. The 
Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation have 
exceedingly vital roles in relation to the broad understandings of the 
ocean, to help insure that important areas of research are not over- 
looked as a result of concentration on the individual mission respon- 
sibilities of the various agencies. 
Although the State Department maintains no research program 
of its own, it has a direct interest in the potential of oceanography to 
contribute to our foreign policy. The phenomena which we are ob- 
serving are, of courses, global, and international cooperation in scien- 
tific expeditions has become a well-established medium for the more 
rapid and effective study of the oceans. Through such scientist-to- 
