that all decisions affecting such marine matters should require the 

 concurrence of the Department of Commerce. 



Certainly, there is room for debate in such problems of assigning 

 jurisdiction. However, the Administration believes that its solution 

 v^ill protect and enhance the vital marine considerations. 



MOVING AHEAD 



I was much interested in the assessment by NACOA of the 

 machinery for making oceanic and atmospheric policy. It is a 

 problem that has deeply concerned the President, not only in the 

 field of oceanic and atmospheric affairs, but in all governmental 

 affairs. It was the President's concern for such matters that led him 

 to take vigorous action in environmental matters in establishing 

 the Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Pro- 

 tection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 

 ministration. It was this same concern that led to the President's 

 sweeping proposals for reorganizing the Executive Branch of 

 Government, which would establish the Department of Natural 

 Resources. The Administration welcomes the suggestions of NACOA 

 on ways of improving the national policy-making machinery. It 

 feels that many of the weaknesses inherent in the present organi- 

 zational arrangements would be remedied by the President's re- 

 organization proposals. 



However, at many points in the Committee report, attention has 

 been called to the need for effective mechanisms for coordination 

 between the activities of the many Federal Agencies to insure a 

 coherent national program in both oceanic and atmospheric affairs. 

 The impression is conveyed that no such mechanisms exist. I feel 

 that it should be noted that many mechanisms do exist, although 

 they do suffer from imperfections. Under the Federal Council for 

 Science and Technology, chaired by the President's Science Ad- 

 viser, and its subsidiary committees, there has been established a 

 Government-wide mechanism for coordination of scientific and 

 technological matters. In particular, in the fields addressed by 

 the Committee, there exist an Interagency Committee for Atmos- 

 pheric Science and an Interagency Committee for Marine Science 

 and Engineering, which undertake annual reviews of the total 

 Federal effort in these fields, address policy questions, and co- 

 ordinate agency programs. 



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