NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM—1965 29 
I should emphasize that this is not an executive planning document 
in a stepwise programatic sense; this would have been most unrealistic 
and would have created more problems than it solved. Rather, as 
stated in the document itself, we have tried to provide a bridge between 
scientific discovery and application and to indicate a desirable balance 
of effort among the institutions in universities, government, and 
industry who undertake this work. 
As I pointed out earlier, your committee also suggested that no 
accomplishment of the ICO could exceed in total value that of estab- 
lishing strong and clear national goals in oceanography. This publi- 
eation, “Oceanography: The Ten Years Ahead,” reflects the consider- 
able attention we have paid to this sector of the planning spectrum in 
that we have drafted our plan within the framework of a statement 
of national goals. 
We have listed the support of basic science as the primary goal since 
it is the reservoir from which all applications must be drawn. This 
is not sheer altruism. We know from experience in war, in tough 
economic competition, and in man’s fight for a life free of poverty 
and disability, that research pays. It is the Federal Government that, 
in oceanography as well as in other fields, has strengthened basic 
research to provide the reservoir of knowledge needed to satisfy specific 
practical objectives. It must thus assume some responsibility for 
training and educating highly skilled manpower that it consumes, in- 
cluding the sponsorship of basic research undertaken by graduate 
students and by their faculty advisers. 
We have naturally listed defense first among the areas of applica- 
tion. This is, of course, in line with our national outlook in all fields. 
It has become widely accepted that we, like the other major nations of 
the world, have a heavy stake in the preservation of peace. In the 
current world situation, military strength is a necessary element in our 
way of life. This must be a national capability so strong that the fact 
of its availability to the free world is a deterrent to major infractions 
of the peace of the cold war. 
Within our defense team, the Navy’s domain is the world ocean— 
from its deepest depths up through the air-sea interface and into the 
skies and space above. During peacetime, one of its most important 
missions is maintaining the freedom of the seas so that we and other 
nations of the world may enjoy the advantages of waterborne com- 
merce and transportation so vital to our growing economy. During 
wartime, it must, in addition, deny this freedom to the enemy. The 
Polaris deterrent, antisubmarine and mine countermeasure forces, 
carrier attack and amphibious forces—all depend for safe, effective 
operation on accurate knowledge of the ocean environment. Develop- 
ment of nuclear-propelled submarines makes submerged operation for 
long periods of time possible, and this creates under the sea an extensive 
area for naval operations, and one that must become familiar to us. 
Next, we have problems of resource management and the control 
of marine wealth in the world oceans, particularly concerning the 
world fisheries, their importance to mankind and the interrelationships 
between the fish populations and the oceanographic environment. 
Fish are an important source of protein for the diets of many peoples 
of the world, but we know very little about their growth patterns and 
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