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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

 The Under Secretary for 

 Oceans and Atmosphere 



Washington, D.C, 20230 



Dear Colleague: 



The United Nations has declared 1998 as the International Year of 

 the Ocean, and the Federal agencies with ocean-related programs 

 have been planning activities in honor of this occasion. One 

 such activity is the preparation of the enclosed set of 

 discussion papers which address a variety of themes and issues — 

 what is working well and what is not working well, needs, and 

 opportunities for the future. They are intended to provide 

 background information needed to assist the private and the 

 public sectors to work together to promote the conservation, 

 exploration, and sustainable use and national security interests 

 of the ocean. On behalf of all of the participating agencies, I 

 hope you will find this volume of interest. 



Sincerely, 



D. James Baker 

 Enclosure 



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