887 
involved in the various facets of marine science. Hasn’t the time come 
now at last and can we turn our backs on this Commission report. 
Has there ever been a more responsible, knowledgeable, dedicated 
commission which has given the time that this Commission has in 
making its recommendations to the executive branch of the Govern- 
ment and to the Congress with respect to the direction we ought to go? 
“What are your alternatives ? 
You suggest and it was suggested here yesterday that perhaps one 
of the alternatives would be that we would take the same agencies that 
were suggested to go into NOAA and put them in an existing depart- 
ment. Off the top of your head, in which department would suggest 
that they all be put? Would you like to have the Bureau of Commer- 
cial Fisheries? Would you like to have certain facets of the Fish 
_andWildlife now in the Department of the Interior? Would you like 
to have ESSA out of the Department of Commerce in the Depart- 
ment of Transportation ? These are traumatic things. We are all human 
and react, “Don’t take anything from me.” That is what we have to 
resolve. 
We have to make up our minds. I appreciate that the administra- 
tion can’t make a rash recommendation or judgment, but I repeat what 
I said earlier when I said that we are all disappointed that the admin- 
istration has not given a little more priority at least in coming forward 
a little more definitively with alternatives if 1t cannot buy the Com- 
mission report. 
I would not have you understand as a member, a representative of 
the new administration that there is any partisan politics in this at all. 
I think you know that last year, as soon as the election was over, the 
distinguished gentleman, Mr. Mosher, the ranking Republican member 
on this committee, and T conferred with respect to trying to maintain 
the continuity of the National Science Council. We recommended to 
the President that he continue Dr. Wenk in this job to give the new 
Marine Science Council an opportunity to continue because they were 
all new people, as you know. 
We are all a little disappointed, and I think that view is shared 
almost in unanimity on this subcommittee with respect to you coming 
in and saying, “This we recommend and this we disapprove.” 
It is going to be a difficult time. I remind you, sir; that Dr. Wenk 
in his statement yesterday speaking for the administration, and I cer- 
tainly think he speaks for the administration, listed all the accomplish- 
ments of the Marine Science Council. I had to agree, but I had to 
remind him at the same time that when the Marine Science Council 
came into being through legislative enactment by this Congress, the 
executive opposed the creation of a Marine Science Council, and I am 
talking about the former administration, 
They just didn’t see the need or the justification or the ultimate 
accomplishment, but we did, and it turned out that we were right. 
We want your help. We want the administration to get into this 
thing, and we want you to do more than just suggest that there are 
alternatives. Definitively we want to know what the alternatives are 
We are going to vote for bringing out of this subcommittee and the 
full committee and putting before the House sometime in the year, 
some legislation, and we hope that it will meet consensus on the part 
of the administration. 
