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tating consent of States members subject to only the following impor- 
tant provisions: First, 60 days’ advance notice; secondly, provision 
that the coastal State shall have an opportunity to participate in the 
research program; thirdly, that all of the data would, upon request, 
be made available to the coastal State, and samples that are not feasible 
to duplicate would be made accessible; and, finally, that the results of 
the research would be published in a timely fashion in the open 
scientific literature. 
These are very similar to the provisions embodied in the Marine 
Commission’s recommendations for a new convention on freedom of 
scientific research. The Marine Commission recognized, quite properly 
I think, that the adoption of a new international convention is a very 
time-consuming process, and in consequence recommended, and I fully 
concur, that the United States should seek to enter into bilateral and 
regional agreements embodying the recommended provisions for the 
new convention, and also to take such other initiatives as possible to 
encourage freedom of scientific research and international scientific 
cooperation. 
IT most strongly support this position, and particularly the recom- 
mendation, that, in addition to proceeding with bilateral and regional 
agreements, we go ahead and act unilaterally in this matter. The Com- 
mission has made a recommendation in this regard that is quoted on 
page 21 of my statement, so I won’t read it, which I strongly endorse. 
T would go a bit further, however, and urge the United States simply 
to announce unilaterally that it is prepared to permit the research 
vessel of any nation, upon certification by its sovereign, to undertake 
scientific and exploratory activities in our waters, and on the seabed 
under our jurisdiction, subject only to the conditions respecting ad- 
vance notice; participation in the activities, which of course needs to 
include free access to all equipment, compartments, devices, and rec- 
ords that are aboard the ship; access to and copies of all data obtained ; 
and access to specimens collected. 
IT am quite confident that under these circumstances we would have 
nothing to fear from the activities of vessels carrying on operations 
close to our coasts, even though they included resource exploration, 
because, to the extent other nations carry on research or exploratory 
activities, where we participate and get all the information along with 
them, we would be getting for free a lot of information we would have 
to pay for if we did the work ourselves. 
At the same time, it would be an excellent demonstration that this 
is the best policy, for all nations, including the underdeveloped nations 
that presently seem to be afraid that the great powers are going to rob 
them of their marine patrimony, because it is an excellent way to ob- 
tain the information about the environment and the resources 
that they themselves require for their own welfare. 
I would like to point out, specifically, that I don’t advocate trying 
to distinguish among fundamental scientific investigations, commer- 
cial exploration, and military intelligence. I think this is a fruitless 
exercise, because the same kind of vessel with exactly the same kind of 
equipment, taking exactly the same kind of observations can be en- 
gaged in any of these activities. The only way of distinguishing would 
be the intent of the operators, and I believe that intent is very difficult 
to determine. I believe the important operational distinction is whether 
