106 



I am glad that you liave been an early witness. We are going to hear 

 from other members of the Commission later on and other members 

 of the scientific community. I know, for example, that Dr. Walter Orr 

 Roberts, perhaps the foremost scientist in the field of the atmosphere 

 wants to testify. 



They will have your comments for reflection and advise us much 

 more competently than I can, being merely an amateur in this field. 



So, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Captain 

 Bauer, 



Mr. Lennon. The gentleman from Virginia. 



Mr. Downing. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. _ 



You have certainly given us a provocative and courageous state- 

 ment. Captain Bauer, and I applaud you for it. I have known you for 

 many years and I have the greatest respect for your judgment in this 

 field. 



Captain Bauer. Thank you, sir. 



Mr. Downing. And if my questions sound like I may disagree with 

 you, you are probably right. 



Do you think. Captain Bauer, that our present progress in the ex- 

 ploitation of oceanography is satisfactory ? Do you think we are mak- 

 ing proper headway ? 



Captain Bauer. Mr. Downing, I think that no one could ever be 

 satisfied with progress as a general thing. I will say that I think since 

 the creation of the Council, the National Council on Marine Sciences, 

 and Dr. Wenk's very able direction, many of the capabilities that had 

 been somewhat dormant in the existing structure have suddenly come 

 to life. 



I think that is true with the influence of this subcommittee following 

 the NASCO report. I can look with a great deal of pride at the accom- 

 plishments of this subcommittee in the field of oceanography. I remem- 

 ber one time when I was with the committee staff we wrote a bill to 

 establish a national oceanographic data center. This was established by 

 executive action. 



I remember we came up with the original idea — I think your counsel, 

 Mr. Drewry, was the originator of it — of the idea of ships of opportun- 

 ity. That concept is being used especially by the Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries in the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Navy. The 

 Smithsonian Institution have used them quite a bit in their researches 

 for specialized investigation. 



I remember that we had a great deal of opposition one time about 

 instrumentation standardization and a bill was drafted by this sub- 

 committee to establish a national instrumentation standardization 

 center. 



This was particularly brought out in testimony because of the fact 

 that one of our large institutions found that their oxygen determina- 

 tions during the International Geophysical Year were wrong. 



Centers for standardization were established in the Navy and the 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries by administrative action. 



So the accomplishments have been continually going on. I think the 

 last part of my statement perhaps is not strong enough but certainly 

 somewhere in the governmental system we need someone constantly 

 exercising pressure so that x^eople do not get dormant sitting down 

 where they are. 



