846 
money and not getting anything back, that’s what makes inflation 
go up. When you are spending money and getting a return that is a 
different situation. We could bring up our productivity by taping 
the vast potential of the ocean. 
Now, another thing I am concerned with: I think it would appear 
that we are going backwards. After settimg up the Council we are 
going back to an interagency operation, where you set up in the Coun- 
cil, a committee on policy review which is staffed by officials in member 
agencies of the Council at the assistant secretary level. 
“Well now, if we are going back into operation of interagency com- 
mittees, only, and they are setting the policy and policy review, we 
might as well abolish the Council and go back to an interagency com- 
mittee, which is a backward step as far as I am concerned. 
It is downgrading. We wanted to have policy set by those people: 
on the Council and not by the assistant secretaries. Furthermore, it 
seems to me when you are putting an important decision on an orga- 
nization and chair it by one of the particular departments that has one 
of its member agencies under its control, but which might be trans- 
ferred, you are almost asking for sudden death. I wouldn't think that 
the Council would get very good advice. I don’t mean to personalize: 
but just as an example, what response would you expect 1f an Assistant 
Secretary of Interior considered whether they ought to transfer some- 
responsibilities to fish and wildlife. 
I don’t think they will do it. So everyone will say, well, let’s let 
the Ash committee study it, and I agree with my colleague there. They 
have eight staff people and eight clerical people. They were formed,. 
I understand, in April, they have met 3 times, once in June, once in 
July, and once in August. I understand they are going to meet Thurs- 
day in September. 
Well, it seems to me to reorganize the whole executive branch, as: 
my colleague, Mr. Mosher said, we can’t wait for that because some- 
one does not understand the priority of development of the resources 
of the sea. 
That is why I think the chairman, and my colleagues here are cor- 
rect in moving ahead. The Congress 1s going to have to take the ini- 
tiative as we have had to do in the past with other administrations. 
I think we are going to have to do it again, and I think this committee. 
is ready to do it. I hope that you can take back to the Council the 
concern of Members of Congress that we are not getting the leadership 
from the Vice President and the Council that we should in oceanog- 
raphy matters. 
There has been a downgrading, unfortunately, rather than an: 
upgrading which was the very purpose of establishing the Council. 
THE ROLE OF THE CONGRESS IN SETTING PRIORITIES 
Now, let me ask you this on the subject of money. I don’t know why 
the Congress should not start looking at programs. For instance, 
foreign aid where Congress appropriated about $1.7 billion. I think 
the request is now up to $4 to $7 billion more. I think it is quite pos- 
sible we may want to review that and say maybe we would rather 
put a couple of hundred million more, maybe 300 or 400 into this. 
effort, rather than increasing what we did last year in foreign aid. 
