931 
The reason I say I am encouraged by your testimony is became of 
what you have not said. The Commission report is the best proposal 
that has been made up to this point, and I think most thoughtful 
people agree that it is the best approach that has been suggested to 
date, 
Years hence and in retrospect it may not have been the very best, 
and I think over a period of time we will make some modifications. 
I might just digress momentarily and say that the language you used 
on the last page, and I will quote, “It may not be the best vehicle for 
the Nation’s effort in the marine environment,” doesn’t really bother 
me because you are saying, “It may not be the best program.” So that 
statement is a very cautious one. 
I don’t think it is a negative one at all. Again I say that I was encour- 
aged because I think the rest of your testimony is rather positive in 
nature. 
I think theoretically your statement does support in great part the 
Commission’s recommendations pertaining to an NOAA agency. 
I was encouraged, Mr. Chairman, also because the Secretary feels 
so strongly that research and development moving along together has 
many advantages over research and development moving along sepa- 
rately, particularly when they are separated by agencies of 
Government. 
NASA, I think, is the best illustration of what fantastic success you 
can have with this. Never in the history of our country has major re- 
search and technological development and progress been so successful, 
particularly when none of their programs had ever been done before by 
man in all of our history. 
That is because the research and the development went hand in 
hand, the people who did the research followed through and also 
carried out some of the development. They didn’t have to talk to dif- 
ferent people. All they had to do was to continue to pursue what they 
found during the course of their research activities throughout the 
development of the program. 
Well, I agree with you. I say that is the reason I am encouraged. 
I might say to my colleague, Mr. Dellenback, that because of what 
you said, Dr. Tribus, I think that for all practical purposes you have 
given indirectly at least an endorsement to the Commission’s report. 
T am not going to ask you whether or not that is true. I am not even 
going to ask you to comment on that statement. 
What you have said relating to research and development moving 
along simultaneously, side by side, within one agency under the same 
authority and good management, I think pretty much does what we 
are asking you to do, beyond which I am confident you cannot go at 
this time or possibly even in the future. 
But I want to thank you very much for your testimony. I find it 
most encouraging, and I think you have done a yeoman’s job here in 
convincing this committee that they are on the right track. Thank you. 
Mr. Lennon. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for the com- 
ment, and I thank the gentleman from Oregon for the very precise, 
incisive questioning that developed the testimony on which the gentle- 
man from Minnesota is able to make those comments. 
It has contributed a great deal. It is certainly obvious, isn’t it, 
Mr. Secretary, and Dr. White, that if there is such a Central Govern- 
