tions were introduced in the House during August and Sep- 

 tember expressing great opposition to the vesting of control 

 of deep ocean resources in an international body. It was almost 

 November before a lone House resolution endorsed the Malta 

 approach. In the Senate, there was one major resolution oppos- 

 ing the move and two introduced by Senator Pell of Rhode Island 

 which endorsed Malta-like action. Senator Pell also drafted a 

 sample treaty in March 1968 for consideration by the U. N. 

 which proposed a licensing body and an international Sea- 

 Guard (modeled after the Coast Guard) to enforce regulations 

 and maintain peace. 



An interim report of the House subcommittee which held 

 hearings on the resolutions was released in December 1967. 

 It concluded that a decision on an international treaty now 

 would be "precipitate, unwise, and possibly injurious" to 

 national objectives. They recommended that the matter should 

 be studied in more detail, that the U. S. actively discourage 

 action toward a final decision at this time, and that the U. S., 

 while continuing to encourage international cooperation, pro- 

 ceed "with the greatest caution." Some members of the sub- 

 committee did, however, believe that the U. N. was the proper 

 assembly for eventual agreement and that the Outer Space 

 treaty provided an impressive precedent. 



Both Houses made it clear that the development of ocean- 

 ography has been and should continue to be particularly asso- 

 ciated with Congress. They do not feel that they are offering 

 unsolicited advice and intend to carefully oversee every step 

 of future proposals. 



The Department of State. Representatives of the State 

 Department assured Congress that the government had no in- 

 tention of supporting a Malta-type proposal at this time, and 

 that it had made no agreements of any kind which would dispose 

 of the ocean floor. The Department felt that there were too 

 many uncertainties to justify establishing a new international 

 organization. 



The Department of Defense. This group advised awaiting 

 the development of technical knowledge before closing any 

 options. They felt that it would be undesirable to prejudice any 

 strategic or military options without enough information to 

 guarantee the security of the U. S. The Navy was concerned 

 that restrictions on territory for peaceful exploitation might 

 restrict the movement of U. S. military vessels. 



Other Reactions. Two groups which supported the inter- 

 nationalization of the sea-bed, but not necessarily the Malta pro- 

 posal, were the editors of the New York Times and the Geneva 

 World Peace Through Law Conference. Those who opposed it 

 included the National Oceanography Association, the U. S. Cham- 

 ber of Commerce, and the American Legion. In 1966, a PSAC 



