66 



Guard, hoAvever, you discern that about 13 percent of their total fund- 

 ing relates to defense and defense matters. A much greater portion of 

 their effort relates to matters much more closely akin to functions of 

 NOAA. It was our view, and I concur in this as a former Under Secre- 

 tary of the Navy, that the defense functions of the Coast Guard could 

 well be taken over by the Navy at no great loss in total defense capa- 

 bility or at no increase in cost. This involves a kind of change in the 

 role of the Coast Guard, but it is one that we thought in the total na- 

 tional interest was discernible. 



Mr. Pelly. Well, it seemed to me that only very recently did we 

 give the Coast Guard any role as far as oceanography went. I think 

 that is comparatively recent. I see someone shaking his head so pos- 

 sibly there I am wrong but, nevertheless, I have in mind that the Coast 

 Gua,rd patrols our fisheries and it has functions I guess in almost every 

 part of the world even though there may be only a few filing cabinets 

 in some countries. But it just seems to me that this agency possibly to 

 some may seem better under administration policy more directly than 

 actually coming under an independent agency. 



I would appreciate any more thinking on that line because I think 

 that point may come up and it is going to have to be answered before 

 probably Mr. Lennon introduces that piece of legislation that he has 

 indicated he is going to do. There will certainly be some strong feelings 

 to the contrary. 



Mr. MosHER. Will the gentleman yield ? 



Mr. Pelly. I yield. 



Mr. Mosher. You are not suggesting that an independent agency is 

 really independent of the executive, of the White House policy ? 



Mr. Pelly. Well, we have debated that before with the Maritime 

 Agency. 



Mr. MosHER. It is not my understanding. 



Mr. Pelly. It all depends on how it is set up but if you have certain 

 length terms of office for commissioners, would the President have the 

 right to remove the people directing that agency. I suppose he would. 



Mr. MosHER. NASA is an independent agency, but certainly the 

 Administrator of NASA serves at the will of the President. 



Mr. Lennon. Will the gentleman from Washington yield at that 

 point ? 



Mr. Pelly. I yield. 



Mr. Lennon. Mr. Baird, in j^^our experience as Assistant Secretary 

 of the Navy and serving as a member of this Commission, can you in 

 any way tell us how the functions of the Coast Guard under this inde- 

 pendent agency or its roles and missions would to any degree be re- 

 duced as to effectiveness by taking it out of the Department of Trans- 

 portation and putting it into this independent agency as distinguished 

 from taking it out of the Treasury Department and putting it into the 

 Department of Transportation. 



Mr. Baird. I would prefer that some of my fellow Commissioners, 

 Mr. Chairman, talk to those points, except that on the defense issue, I 

 feel as I stated before, many of the roles and missions and functions 

 relate to things other than defense. They relate, as Mr. Pelly suggested, 

 to fisheries. And Dr. Crutchfield can speak better to that than I can. 



Mr. Lennon. Search and rescue is its major mission, of course. In 

 my own mind, I cannot think of how by taking it from the Depart- 



