501 



Executive Office of the Pkesident, 

 National Council on Marine Resources, 



AND Engineering Development, 



Washington, B.C., May 16, 1969. 

 My. John M. Drewey, 



Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 Longworth House Offiee Building, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Drewry : Thank you for sending me Paul S. Bauer's comments on 

 the OOMiSER report. 



Mr. Bauer's recommendations deserve serious consideration. However, my 

 present empLoyment with the Marine Sciences Council Staff makes it inappro- 

 priate for me to provide detailed comments concerning his statement. 

 Sincerely, 



David A. Adams. 



The Texas A&M University System, 



College Station, Tex., March 15, 1699. 

 President Richard M. Nixon, 

 Thfi White House, 

 Wwshington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. President : The Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and 

 Resources, in its report, Our Nation and the Sea, has proposed reorganization of 

 some executive departments to meet the needs and challenges facing our nation 

 relative to marine resources, and national decisions on this question will have a 

 significant effect on our future. It is important that the question be viewed in a 

 context which encompasses not only oceanic, atmospheric and coastal zone affairs, 

 as suggested by the Commission, but which also includes environmental affairs. 

 I propose to you such a comprehensive reorganization context. 



Now is the time to make a broad and courageous step to consolidate and focus 

 the federal executive concerns for natural resoui*ces and environments — a step 

 similar to that which was taken when the Department of Defense was formed to 

 consolidate concerns for national security. Specifically, I propose that there be 

 created a Department of Natural Resources and Environments, made up of the 

 Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and a new Depart- 

 ment of the OceauK and Atmosphere. The relationships among these units v\'Ould 

 be comparable to the relationships among the Departments of Defense, Army, 

 Navy, and Air Force. Bureau reorganizations can take place after the Department 

 of Natural Resources and Environments has been formed. 



The principal goal to be achieved is to replace the multi^agency program formu- 

 lation and decision making on natural resources and environmental quality with 

 a unifi'ed major agency focus under one Secretary. Consequently, other units of 

 the federal executive, for example, the Atomic Energy Commission, also might 

 be brought within this new Department as appropriate. Within this major agency, 

 consideration could be given to administriative arrangements that have been 

 shown to be successful within the Defense Department. For example, a parallel 

 to the Director of Defense Research and Engineering would be a Director of 

 Environmental Research and Enginieering. 



My suggestion is made with the thought that future developments will bring 

 about eventual consolidation of executive departments into a half dozen or so 

 major departments concerned with segments of our national goals ; i.e.. Defense, 

 State, Natural Resources, Human Resources, Technology and Industry, Com- 

 muncation and Transport, and Grovernmental AfPairs. It is too much to hope that 

 such 'a comprehensive, reorganization will be done in one fell iswoop. The Defense 

 components were focused following our experiences of World War II, but only 

 after much debate. Our nations growing complexity with the multiplicity of 

 decisions on environmental and resounce iproblems makes this an appropriate 

 time for a second bold consolidation. 



In your deliberations for implemeniting the recommendations made by the Com- 

 missiion on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources, I urge consideration of 

 this more comprehensive reorganization. 

 Resii>ectfully yours, 



John C. Calhoun, Jr. 



