transferred the coordinative and operational func- 
tions of special units to mission agencies, and re- 
structured those units which remained in the White 
House.*° 
Coordinating machinery is necessary only when 
coordination cannot be achieved by sound organi- 
zation, good management, and formal and informal 
cooperation among agencies engaged in related and 
mutually supporting activities. Consolidation of pro- 
grams through reorganization of the ocean effort 
within the responsible executive departments might 
improve coordination among ocean programs. How- 
ever, the proponents of a White House-centered 
effort to oversee ocean affairs see benefits in the 
added stature and influence caused by association 
with the Executive Office of the President or the 
White House staff. 
Historical Role of the White House in Ocean Policy 
Marine Science Council 
The National Council on Marine Resources and 
Engineering Development—known as the Marine 
Science Council—was created concurrently with the 
Stratton Commission by the Congress in 1966." 
The Council was established as a temporary Cabinet- 
level interagency group in the Executive Office of 
the President. The Vice President was chairman as 
designated by statute and had the responsibility to 
develop and advance a comprehensive program deal- 
ing with all aspects of marine science activities. 
Under the chairmanship of Hubert H. Humphrey, 
the Council was visible, and according to observers, 
at least partially successful and active in exercising 
leadership in ocean science and technology policy. 
However, 3 months before its expiration, the author- 
izing legislation for the Council was terminated in 
1971 allegedly for “lack of interest” of the Adminis- 
tration at that time.’” 
Since then, ocean science policy coordination has 
been relegated to lower sub-Cabinet level inter- 
agency coordinating committees of various kinds. 
The reporting requirement of the Marine Resources 
and Engineering Development Act continues to be 
fulfilled annually under the auspices of the Federal 
Council for Science and Technology with the assist- 
ance of various science-related policy groups that 
have tended to appear and disappear over time. 
First, the Office of Science and Technology (OST), 
then the Science and Technology Policy Office of 
the National Science Foundation (NSF), and cur- 
rently the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
(OSTP). 
Title I of the Marine Resources and Engineering 
Development Act, the authority for both the Marine 
Science Council and the Stratton Commission, is 
essentially dormant although it still remains in the 
U.S. Code. The declaration of ocean policy for the 
nation in the 1966 act does remain, although ignored 
1°U.S., President, “Presidential Message to the Congress Trans- 
mitting Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977,” 18 July 1977. Presi- 
dential Documents, 13:1007-1016. 
11Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act, 33 
U.S.C. 1101-1108. 
22 Edward Wenk, Jr. The Politics of the Ocean. Seattle: Uni- 
versity of Washington Press, 1972, p. 163. 
by most and bypassed by subsequent events. It re- 
flects the emphasis at the time of passage of the Act 
on the potential seen in using ocean resources. The 
policy objectives emphasize accelerated development, 
encouragement of private enterprise in ocean re- 
source use, and development of technology for vari- 
ous ocean uses. Resource protection is not men- 
tioned. 
The only remaining vestige of the policy focus on 
marine science is the report mandated by the Act, 
titled Federal Ocean Programs. The document re- 
flected the status of ocean activities in the Federal 
Government when produced by the staff of the 
Marine Sciences Council, but since then has dimin- 
ished in quality and quantity and has been released 
as much as a year-and-one-half beyond the required 
statutory date. For several years, the Federal Ocean 
Programs report has been compiled piecemeal as an 
interagency effort rather than by an integrated staff. 
Its contents vary in quality among the sections, little 
marine science policy guidance is provided in the 
document, and its usefulness is impaired by the un- 
even treatment given the sections by agencies that 
clearly consider it to be an onerous chore. The White 
‘House has shown little concern for the report, which 
helps explain the extended delays in its issuance. 
Science Advisory Structure 
At one time marine science and technology were 
the major focus of ocean policy. Subsequent to the 
spectacular space achievements of the Russians in 
the late 1950s, Federal priorities were shifted to 
space technology. Other scientific areas, including 
oceanography, were also the beneficiaries of the 
major emphasis on science. Thus, the Stratton Com- 
mission and the Marine Science Council which were 
created during the “grand period of science” were 
similarly oriented toward research and development. 
Before the establishment of the Marine Science 
Council, there were efforts in the 87th Congress in 
the early 1960s to give the then-existing Office of 
Science and Technology (OST) responsibility for pre- 
siding over a coordinated national program of ocean- 
ography to be aided by an Advisory Committee on 
Oceanography. It is not surprising, therefore, that 
the science advisory functions within the Executive 
IX-5 
