230 
planning are important components in every country’s decisionmaking 
and have a central role in the Soviet Union. There are indications, 
however, that the Soviet Navy does not have the same prestige or 
sympathetic support as other Soviet military forces. The Soviet Navy 
has undergone numerous cutbacks and occasionally struggled for its 
very survival. With the movement of nuclear strategy into the sea, 
naval proponents such as Admiral Gorshkov, have argued for in- 
creased support of naval development. 
The relative importance of naval interests as opposed to other ocean 
agency interests should not, however, be underrated. Naval needs 
will undoubtedly receive careful consideration and a large amount 
of funding relative to other ocean uses. Wenk, in describing the US. 
Navy, for example, called it the “big boy” in the oceans “running 
ships, sponsoring most of the research, influencing Congress, and cap- 
turing the headlines.’’ 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a focal agency in law of the 
sea issues. The exact role of the Ministry in foreign policymaking 
is not known, but has generally been presented in minimal terms. 
It has, however, developed a significant expertise in law of the sea 
issues, and must interact at some stage of ocean policymaking. Andrei 
Gromyko has been Foreign Minister since 1957, and Vasiliy Kuznetsov 
has been First Deputy Minister since 1955. Both are voting members 
of the Central Committee, and in 1973 Gromyko was appointed a 
member of the Politburo. The stability in tenure, and Gromyko’s 
promotion indicate a confidence and satisfaction in the work of the 
Ministry. The Ministry as a whole has been heavily represented in 
United Nations meetings on the law of the sea. Out of a total of 
69 delegates in the 8 years of discussions, 37 have been affiliated 
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 of them with the Ministry’s 
Treaty and Legal Department. 
The Treaty and Legal Department is the main body within the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerned with ocean policy. This struc- 
ture seems to parallel that of other countries where the Legal Section 
of the Foreign Affairs Ministry assumes control or coordination of 
the United Nations Law of the Sea negotiations.** The Treaty and 
Legal Department is the source of the Ministry’s expertise. Oleg N. 
Khlestov, head of the Department since 1965, has a specialty in law 
of the sea issues and has written on this subject. He was Deputy 
Chief of the Department from 1957-65, and since 1973, a member 
of the Foreign Ministry collegium. Out of the Department’s total staff 
of 18 officials identified in 1974, one-third are specialists or have 
worked in maritime legal affairs.*© It is likely that the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, relying on the Legal and Treaty Department, exhibits 
coordinating or primary power when ocean issues assume foreign pol- 
icy dimensions. 
°3 Wenk, p. 135. 
84See Appendix A. ; 
® Ann L. Hollick, ‘‘Canadian-American Relations: Law of the Sea,” International Organization 28 
(Autumn, 1974): 755-80. 
°§ United States Central Intelligence Agency. Reference Aid. ‘Directory of U.S.S.R. Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs Officials’ A(CR) 74-26, (July, 1974), pp. 37-38. The listing given is not exhaustive 
since additional departmental members have been identified as delegates to the United Nations Law 
of the Sea proceedings. 
