191 



Dr. Kavanagh. I think we should be movinjr ahead hi the sea far 

 faster than we are moving at the present time. It is my understand in|r 

 that this is the function, for instance, of the National Marine Council 

 which is to get this action moving-, and I think tlie sooner we act upon 

 it and get more action in the Government, the better off we will lie in 

 terms of the oceans. 



Mr. Haxxa. I thank the gentleman. I yield back the chair. 



]Mr. Lenxon. The gentleman from Ohio. 



yh\ Feighan. I have no questions, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Lennon. Doctor, in reading again the letter that you read into 

 the record that was addressed to the chairman of the subcommittee on 

 May 9, I really interpret the four points that you made with respect 

 to your organization's recommendations that actually you have in the 

 summation of these four points in a way endorsed in substance some 

 of the recommendations of the Commission report. 



Is that a fair statement ? I am not referring to any so-called National 

 Advisory Committee for the Oceans, but their objective. 



Dr. Kavanagh. I would say yes, that there are many of the things in 

 that report which we endorse" wholeheartedly. Yet I can't say as an 

 unqualified statement that this is endorsed in its totality, but we have 

 given you alternatives here, which I think is our important function, 

 pointing out things which may not have been considered in that report, 

 one of which is the alternatives of organization and we pointed out the 

 highlights of that area which w^e are most concerned with. 



Mr. Lenxon. This committee took, along with its counterpart in the 

 Senate, approximately 2 years to hammer out a piece of legislation 

 that we finally enacted into law which brought into being this com- 

 mission. They were mandated to make a study in depth of all of these 

 areas that you have discussed and which your commission represents 

 as well as to recommend if, in their judgment, such was a feasible and 

 logical Government structure, I believe that there is no commission 

 that ever was more dedicated in their efforts to try to find a meaningful 

 program projected in their report to the Congress. 



It is a challenge to the connnittee and to the Congress as to whether 

 or not that report will be implemented in its entirety or even in part. 

 To some degree, to an immeasurable degree it is going to depend on the 

 gentlemen in the executive branch o'f the Government. 



We had the assurance of Dr. Wenk on the National Council estab- 

 lished under the act that they had been instructed by the executive 

 branch of the Government to make a study of the report- and make 

 their recommendations to the executive, and Dr. Wenk has indicated in 

 a letter to me within the last 4 days that they would be prepared to tes- 

 tify on the report, and I assume that they will at that time reflect the 

 administration's position. 



To me it is a little bit unfortunate that some of the people in the 

 administration at the Cabinet level have already taken public issue 

 with the recommendations of the report. I think t:hey ought to at least 

 have waited until the Council had made its study and recommendation 

 to the administration inasmuch as they were requested by the adminis- 

 tration to make a study of the report and make a recommendation. I 

 think they were a little premature. 



Does counsel have a question ? 



Mr. Dkewrt. Yes, Mr. Chairman. 



