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I think that would be lovely. The only thing is, having spent a little 
time around town here, I figure it would probably take so long to do 
it that it would mean that we don’t really get on with the ocean job. I 
think our Nation really requires to get on with its ocean affairs, and 
we have been studying it and recommending it now for 12 years—as I 
said, I got into this with NASCO in 1957 and we are now in 1969. 
It is generally recognized by everyone that we really need to focus 
on the mastery of, and the use of, the oceans for civilian purposes, for 
the welfare of mankind. So, the old quotation is that “The best is the 
enemy of the good.” This would be the best. If you can accomplish it, 
fine. But I would hate to see us abandon the “good” of getting all us 
ocean people together, working on the problems of the ocean itself in 
effective fashion. 
Mr. Karru. Yes, sir. I think from a practical standpoint, practical- 
ity occasionally must take precedence over what we might consider to 
be the very best possible organizational structure, I am inclined to 
agree with you that if you try to build the apparatus too large to begin 
with, you would probably end up with more than four legs and more 
than one head and possibly even several tails trying to wag both legs 
and head. As a result of that you are so busy trying to organizationally 
structure it to make it effective that many years would pass before you 
really got down to doing the things that the organization was origi- 
nally intended to do or originally intended to have as its primary 
objective. 
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 
Mr. Downine. Mr. Pelly. 
Mr. Petxy. First, Dr. Schaefer, I wonder if you would satisfy my 
curiosity. You indicated dissent with the suggestion of the Commission 
as to an outer limit of sovereignty for the coastal states. What is your 
view as to the boundary ? 
Dr. Scrarrer. As I have pointed out in my full statement, I per- 
sonally believe that the most appropriate boundary would be the outer 
edge of the continental terrace. 
You see, you have the Continental Shelf and the continental slope, 
and these together constitute the continental terrace, that is where the 
continental land mass gives way to the deep sea floor. This is an ap- 
propriate geological division. There is the geology of the continental 
land mass, including the dryland, the shelf, and the slope; the whole 
continental block is of one kind of light rocks. The abyssal sea floor, 
composed of the basaltic, basic and ultabasic rocks, is quite different. 
So this is a logical difference. 
Secondly, the mineral resources of two kinds of rocks tend to be 
different. 
Thirdly, there is a certain amount of argument going on to the 
effect that a good many of the nations, when they adopted the Con- 
vention on the Continental Shelf at Geneva, believed that the coastal 
nation’s jurisdiction extended on down to at least the base of the con- 
tinental terrace. 
Tn fact you will note that Mr. Auerbach’s panel recommended revis- 
ing the convention to establish their recommended new boundary. 
Another boundary at the approximate depth of the outer edge 
of the continental terrace has been also recommended, I believe, by 
