879 
Is that the only objection you have to the recommendations of the 
Commission as it relates to organizational structure ? 
Mr. Brees. Of course, I was addressing myself to the organizational 
recommendations as they impacted and reflected on the Department 
of Transportation. I think an equal argument can be made on the 
Weather Bureau and the Coast and Geodetic Sur vey as to the separa- 
tion of those organizations from where they reside right now, and of 
course, the same argument that I advanced on the mixture of operating 
responsibilities and science could be advanced. 
Mr. Karrn. If your argument is throughly sound, shouldn’t they 
also belong in the Department of Transportation ? 
Mr. Brees. It has been argued that the Department of Transporta- 
tion which is the largest user, at least the largest user in the civilian 
side of Government, of the Weather Bureau services, should properly 
contain the Weather Bureau. I am not sure whether I fully subscribe 
to that argument or not. 
I haven’t studied it in great detail, but that argument has been ad- 
vanced and I think it has some merit. The Department does use great 
quantities of the output of the Weather Bureau. It also is the chief 
beneficiary of and interacts probably in the major degree with the 
Coast and Geodetic Survey since we rely on their charting service, 
Mr. Karry. You find no difficulty in exchanging information and 
cooperating and coordinating your activities irrespective of the fact 
that it 1s not under your jurisdiction, do you? 
Mr. Brees. Nothing of great consequence. 
Mr. Kartu. That is all, Mr. Chairman. 
Mr. Lennon. Mr. Schadeberg ? 
Mr. Scuapreperc. Mr. Chairman, the answers that have been given 
to Mr. Karth’s questions in his final questioning have answered many 
of the questions I was going to ask. Would it be feasible, Mr. Secre- 
tary to divide the responsibilities of the Coast Guard in a sense between 
NOAA and the Department of Transportation so that the matters 
of the Coast Guard related to transportation would be in the Depart- 
ment of Transportation and the other matters would be in another 
agency ? 
Mr. Brees. I suppose that could be done. I would suggest that 
there are some problems involved in doing that, because the matters 
directly related to oceanography are Sometinies ‘pretty well inextric- 
ably mixed with the other missions of the Coast Guard. 
For example, much of the research in science that we pursue in the 
polar regions is related to the mission the Coast Guard performs in 
the polar regions, in reporting of icebergs and breaking ice. The same 
is true in many of the oceanographic activities. Most of our cutters 
carry with them oceanog graphic instruments, but I suppose that even 
here they could supply this service to the new : agency as a service from 
the Department of Transportation to a NOAA. 
But I think there are management advantages to having them to- 
gether. Rather than pursuing “it that way, I would suggest that the 
Coast Guard could very well operate a fleet of oceanographic types of 
vessels for a NOAA and supply that service to them. 
Mr. Scrapeserc. Then what it really boils down to be is whether 
or not the proposed NOAA would spin off the matters of transporta- 
tion to the Department of Transportation or whether the Transporta- 
