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here on the amount and the thrust of the science program. We are 
building on a tremendous body of knowledge in transportation that 
has been, in many cases, pursued for years. Transportation technology 
in the rails has gone on for 150 years or more. Technology in aero- 
nautics and civil aviation is now 70 years old, or so, and these pro- 
grams are building on a body of knowledge that has existed for a long, 
long time. 
The needs in the marine sciences, I think, are of a different magni- 
tude. To be sure, this is not a new science. It is ‘a very old one. Men 
have been studying the seas and the waters since the beginning of 
elvilization. 
Mr. Karrn. Unfortunately not enough progress has been made due 
to the confusion of responsibility which has existed. Do you agree with 
that ? 
Mr. Brees. I would certainly agree that not very much progress has 
‘been made because there has not been enough of a thrust here or in 
any country. I would also agree that the organizational aspects are 
a large part of that, although one would have supposed that there 
would have been a greater attenion to this science in places like the 
United Kingdom and in some of the European countries than there 
was. 
But organization certainly has a large part in that matter. 
Mr. Karru. Is there any doubt in your mind that if there would be 
certain technological breakthroughs in pollution abatement or pollu- 
tion control in an NOAA type organization that that technological 
development would probably pass on to other agencies that have a 
greater existing responsibility in pollution abatement and pollution 
control ¢ 
Mr. Braes. No indeed. I think that the problem is so great that 
there would be immediate adoption by almost all agencies concerned 
with this problem including the Department of Transportation. 
Mr. Karru. Really what I am getting at is that like NASA to some 
degree, once a scientific research project has been successful in provid- 
ing breakthroughs, that the applicability of that scientific research may 
well be passed on to other agencies of the Government agencies which 
have a more direct responsibility just like NASA today passes on to 
other agencies this technological breakthrough. 
Mr. Brees. Yes. My reference here though is primarily related to 
some of the operating responsibilities that the Coast Guard now holds 
in such things as law enforcement, navigation, and search and rescue, 
which are intimately connected with the problems that we have in the 
same areas in the air. 
Here it seems that you have operating responsibilities which not 
only are quite demanding and urgent in and of themselves, but there 
is also a great necessity that these be coordinated on a day-to-day basis 
with parts of the FAA, for example. 
In fact, there is a very close working relationship here in all of 
the areas. ‘Search and rescue, the navigation aids, and so forth, have 
to be put together in such a form that they provide a meaningful sys- 
tem. It seems to me that these kinds of operating responsibilities are 
best lodged in an executive department that is primarily concerned 
with this, in a broad way, across all modes of transportation. What the 
Commission is trying to address is how do you use human and finan- 
