795 
Mr. Firesn. There are none that are quite the same. Most of them 
are past the funded organizational stage that we are now in. There 
are several that are older than we are and considerably more experi- 
enced and they sell their services to other industry groups to develop, 
for instance, the placer mining that was discussed earlier. 
They are also searching for phosphates. There is a great deal of 
service work that these companies perform for the petroleum indus- 
try. But a funded program to develop the technology for deep ocean 
mining is unique in Deepsea Ventures. 
Mr. Lennon. We note that in the private sector of the economy re- 
lating to the marine sciences and marine engineering that there is a 
consensus with respect to the Commission’s report relating to the 
National Advisory Committee. There is a reluctance on the part of 
the private sector to commit itself to the specific recommendations of 
the Commission pertaining to a Government structure as such and we 
appreciate that because you folks have to work with the Federal 
agencies that would ultimately be involved in such a Government 
structure if such legislation was ever enacted into law. 
We can understand that. But if you create the National Advisory 
Committee and then you don’t create a Government structure, what 
will then be the functions of the National Committee? How will it 
be justified ? 
Mr. Furese. Sir, the dilemma is well described. 
Mr, Lennon. That is the reason I asked the question. 
Mr. Furrss. I would hesitate to be prescriptive, and I feel that this 
is industry’s problem as you recognize, however we can live with the 
agencies whether they are combined or whether they retain their sepa- 
rate identities. 
I think that a great deal of constructive work was done for in- 
stance by the Interagency Committee on Oceanography. This is 
where Dr. Wenk got his feet wet in Government oceanography and 
it permitted him to function so well as the Commission’s executive 
leader. 
However, the NACA, if you will, the old National Advisory Com- 
mittee on Aeronautics, was structured carefully with people of enough 
capability and recognition, Government, academic, and industry, so 
that their deliberations were very effective and, if they could not 
relate with just one agency, they still were able to provide informa- 
tion, to have a funded operation where they could coordinate and 
gather together enough of the technology so that there was a central 
thrust to this development of aeronautical techniques and technology. 
Mr. Lennon. Let us go back and talk about the ad hoc committee, 
the so-called Inter-Agency Committee on Oceanography. 
The gentlemen of this committee after working very closely over 
the years with the so-called Inter-Agency Committee on Oceanography 
found that it did not have sufficient statutory stature to make a de- 
finitive national policy related to all the fields of oceanology and that 
is the reason why the committee made the decision to create the Na- 
tional Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development. 
Wouldn’t you agree that the National Council on Marine Resources 
and Engineering Development created by an act of Congress to reach 
the high level of policymaking and also at the advisory level because 
26—563—70—pt. 2——-19 
