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The U.S. Committee reviews and approves all projects before they 
are implemented under the agreement. Similarly, the Soviet side of 
the Joint Committee reviews and approves all projects. in addition, 
each U.S. Committee member has been designated as the U.S. cochair- 
man of a Working Group of experts for one of the areas of coopera- 
tion under article II of the agreement. At the first meeting of the 
Joint Committee, Working Groups of experts from both countries 
were established to develop and implement cooperative activities such 
as, research projects, data exchanges, workshops, and _ scientists 
exchanges. In addition to the U.S. cochairman from the Joint Commit- 
tee membership, the U.S. memberships in the Working Groups include 
a Federal area coordinator, who acts in the capacity of Executive 
Secretary and coordinates its activities. This coordinator is usually 
from the Federal agency which sponsors a major part of the U.S.- 
related research. The other U.S. members of the Working Group 
are leading scientists from academic institutions and Federal agencies 
and laboratories. These U.S. scientists meet jointly at least annually 
with their Soviet counterparts. It is through them that new proposals 
are developed and cooperative activities implemented. They alternately 
meet in the United States and Soviet Union and usually undertake 
a tour of related facilities to provide further background for develop- 
ing cooperation. 
The recommendations and activities of the Working Groups are 
in turn reviewed and considered for approval by the Joint Committee. 
Each side independently considers the proposals of the Working 
Groups and assesses the results of the cooperative efforts. At the 
meetings of the Joint Committee the progress being made in each 
of the areas of cooperation is reviewed and new proposals are jointly 
approved as appropriate. 
The Joint Committee meets approximately every 12 to 18 months 
alternately in the United States and Soviet Union. The initial meeting 
was held in Washington, D.C., in February 1974 and the second 
meeting took place in Moscow in May 1975. The next meeting is 
planned for the fall of 1976 and is scheduled to be held in the 
United States. These meetings are usually followed by a postmeeting 
tour of facilities for familiarization with projects and laboratories. 
Following the first meeting in the United States, the Soviet delegation 
visited the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences as well as facilities 
of the University of Miami and NOAA in Miami and the Texas A. 
& M. University. In return, the U.S. delegation to the second meeting 
in the U.S.S.R. visited facilities in Odessa, including a research vessel, 
as well as facilities in Sevastopol, Gelendzhik and Batumi. 
COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES 
There is now a total of 15 cooperative projects agreed to by both 
sides: with 3 projects in the area in ocean-atmosphere interaction; 
2 projects concerning ocean currents and dynamics; 6 projects in 
the area of marine geology, geophysics and geochemistry, including 
deepsea drilling; 3 studies of biological productivity; and 1 project 
concerning instrumentation. With the exception of the area of 
geochemistry and marine chemistry, there are cooperative activities 
in all areas of the agreement. These activities are predominantly joint 
