recommendations in the past. A steady stream of 

 reports from such authoritative bodies as the 

 National Academy of Sciences' and the President's 

 Science Advisory Committee^ have reviewed, criti- 

 cized, and recommended action. These reports can 

 be said to have borne fruit, as indicated by the 

 growth in the National investment in the marine 

 enterprise. They have also provided a basis for 

 critical evaluation by the panel, and without them 

 its work would have been infinitely more difficult. 



Given these reports, the panel undertook to ask 

 and answer poHcy questions which it believed were 

 of overriding importance to the Nation's marine 

 science posture. This was done through public 

 hearings, eliciting the information and opinions 

 from leaders in the field, and from various other 

 sources. The panel has sought to clarify the 

 present state of basic marine science, and to assess 

 its relationship to the Nation's needs as a step 

 toward the formulation of a coherent National 

 policy designed to serve not only the needs of the 

 hour but those of the future. 



In this task, the panel was confronted with a 

 host of profound questions. What are the Nation's 

 marine interests likely to be for the rest of the 

 century? Are they achievable with our present 

 knowledge and understanding of the oceans? If 

 not, where is our knowledge deficient? Are the 

 deficiencies remediable over the time span? Are 

 they due to a lack of funds or technology, or just 

 basic understanding? Are institutional arrange- 

 ments at the Federal and local levels adequate to 

 the tasks as perceived? What should be the role of 

 the Federal Government and private agencies in 

 marine science enterprise? How should the Federal 

 Government invest in basic marine science? Where 

 should the investment be made in terms of pro- 

 gram priorities? What must be done to insure ade- 

 quate levels of trained manpower for the tasks 

 ahead? 



The panel cannot claim to have answered all 

 these questions, but it hopes that the views and 

 conclusions will provide a useful base from which 

 the nation can move ahead. 



There are several overriding impressions. 

 Among them are the vigor and diversity of the 

 National effort; the way it has operated to react to 

 the real needs of the Nation, by its flexibility in 

 some areas and its rigidity in others. In short, the 

 panel is impressed by the way in which the 

 enterprise has been conducted, but it also finds a 

 need for change. The ways of the past and present 

 cannot meet the needs of the future. 



Considerable thought has been devoted to 

 determining the right bases for justification of 

 present and projected levels of marine science 

 activity. The panel has taken the following facts 

 into consideration: Lack of understanding of 

 marine processes constitutes a bar to action 

 programs vital to National needs. National se- 

 curity, resource requirements, protection and wel- 

 fare of the public, and the need to preserve and 

 use effectively the marine environment require 

 achievement of an understanding of marine 

 processes. 



We consider it imperative that intellectual 

 and scientific capital be recognized as the touch- 

 stone of future greatness. No society can shape the 

 future without it; any great society must be 

 prepared to direct part of its energies to under- 

 standing itself and its environment. Understanding 

 the planet Earth is at least as important as 

 understanding the planets of space, and the hope 

 of ultimate return is greater. 



With these beUefs in mind, and cognizant both 

 of National financial constraints and the compet- 

 ing claims of all other areas of science, the panel 

 has concluded that basic marine science has a 

 legitimate claim against the Nation's science re- 

 sources. 



'^ Oceanography 1960 to 1970, National Academy of 

 Sciences-National Research Council, 1959; Oceanography 

 1966, National Academy of Sciences, National Research 

 Council, Pub. No. 1492, 1967. 



^Effective Use of the Sea, Report of the President's 

 Science Advisory Committee, 1966. 



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