546 
Development Act of 1966 to establish a comprehensive and long-range national 
program of research, development, technical services, exploration and utilization 
with respect to our marine and atmospheric environment.” 
We recommend that the bill not be enacted. 
H.R. 13247 would provide for the creation of a new Federal agency, the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, to serve as a principal instrumentality in the 
Federal Government for administration and coordination of civil marine and 
atmospheric programs. It would also provide for an advisory commission, the 
National Advisory Commission for Oceans and Atmosphere, to review continu- 
ously and make recommendations to the President and Congress on the status of 
these programs. This proposal follows closely the recommendations contained in 
chapter 7 of the January 1969 publication, Owr Nation and the Sea, a report of 
the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources. 
With respect to the report’s organizational recommendations, President Nixon 
on May 19, 1969, requested the Advisory Council on Executive Organization to 
examine carefully the Commission’s proposal in the broad context of Federal orga- 
nization. Part of President Nixon’s request to the Advisory Council on Executive 
Organization was to compare the Commission’s proposals with alternate ways for 
coordinating and advancing national development of marine sciences. Therefore, 
we believe that any attempt to create a new independent agency that would 
include all civilian marine and atmospheric activities is premature at this time. 
No such legislation would seem appropriate until the Advisory Council on Execu- 
tive Organization has completed its study and presented its findings to the 
President. 
The Bureau of the Budget has advised that there is no objection to the 
presentation of this report from the standpoint of the Administration’s program. 
Sincerely yours, 
‘RUSSELL FE. TRAIN, 
Under Secretary of the Interior. 
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, 
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, 
Washington, D.C.. October 21, 1969. 
Hon. Epwarp A. GARMATZ, 
Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 
House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 
Dear Mr. CHAIRMAN: This is in further reply to your letter of August 4, 1969, 
for comments on H.R. 13247, “To amend the Marine Resources and Engineering 
Development Act of 1966 to establish a comprehensive and long-range national 
program of research, development, technical services, exploration and utilization 
with respect to our marine and atmospheric environment.” 
The comments of the National Science Foundation are set forth in my testi- 
mony on the bill, delivered to the Subcommittee on Oceanography cf the Com- 
mittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries on October 1, 1969. 
Sincerely yours, 
W. D. McE roy, Director. 
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, 
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 
Washington, D.C., October 20, 1969. 
Hon. Epwarp A. GARMATZ, 
Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, U.S. House of Repre- 
sentatives, Washington, D.C. 
DEAR Mr. GARMATz: I very much appreciate the opportunity to present my views 
on H.R. 13247, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Program Act of 1969. As 
you know, I shall testify on this bill before your Committee on October 21, and 
will provide you with a full presentation of my opinions on that occasion. A 
copy of my prepared statement is attached. 
The central feature of the bill is the proposed establishment of an independent 
agency in the Executive Branch to carry out a broad range of functions affecting 
the marine and atmospheric environment. The bill would implement the organiza- 
tional recommendations of the report of the Commission on Marine Science, 
Engineering and Resources, 
