184 



Mr. Pollock. Airport? 



Dr. Kavanagii. An airport, a floating airport, and I find that with 

 the technology as it exists at the present time, without doing any 

 further research and development, such an airport would be feasible, 

 of the size of Kennedy International. We haven't published this in- 

 formation, but it is a type of project which can be done even with our 

 present knowledge. It is a feasible project. 



Imagine the importance of a thing like this. It does not involve noise 

 problems and so on by pulling it offshore, pulling it off on Long Island 

 Sound or anywhere else you like. This has great potential. It is only 

 one little tiny element in this total problem of engineering of the 

 oceans, but it happens to be one in which I am personally interested. 



Mr. Pollock. The more you say, the more intriguin;^ it gets. 



Several months ago I tried to land on Alaska's Little Diomede 

 Island which is riglit off Russia. I had to cancel my plans because half 

 of the ice field where the planes landed floated away. There was no 

 place to land. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Lennon. Thank you. 



ITas the gentleman from Michigan concluded? 



Mr. P,UPPE. I have. Thank you for a most interesting presentation. 



Dr. Kavanaott. Our committee has been asked to come to Alaska 

 and confer with the people there on ocean engineering matters. 



Mr. liui'i'i:. Are you referring to his country of Alaska? I thought 

 mayl)0 they had been offered a better deal for their oil. 



Mr. Pollock. No comment. 



Mr. LioNNON. The gentleman from Virginia. 



Mr. Downing. I have no questions. I regret not being here for the 

 entire presentation. We worked on a $4 billion space budget this 

 morning. 



Mr. Lennon. The gentleman from California, Mr. Leggett. 



Mr. LEnoKTT. Thanlc you very much, Mr. Chairman. 



I am sori-y that I didn't hear your oral presentation, Doctor, 

 l)ut r have read through some of your remarks and I take it you fidly 

 sui)port the recommendations of Dr. Stratton and the Commission. 



Do you have any recommendations with respect to the emphasis to be 

 placed on the work of the agency to be developed by the Commission ? 



Dr. Kavanaoit. I did in the written statement from our committee 

 try to em])hasize one area of deep concern to our committee, and that 

 is the area of long-range engineering development. This areas, as I 

 indicated, is improperly handled at the present time. It is subject to 

 budgetary fluctuations and as a result the whole ocean program suffers. 



Wo liaVe suggested that any organization, regardless of what re- 

 organization is done in the Government, should consider adequate engi- 

 neering development in support of Government functions in the ma- 

 rine environment. This requires coordinated effort by all agencies in 

 long-range development, especially. On this subject we have tried to 

 give our reasoning as to what should be the functioning of 

 any reorganization. 



t think this is the best answer I can give you as to specific detail 

 which I would like to go into at this time. 



