commerce and secondarily as a factor in national 
security. The maritime statutes, primarily the Mer- 
chant Marine Act of 1936 and amendments, are 
administered by the Maritime Administration 
(MarAd) within the Department of Commerce. 
The national security element of U.S. maritime 
policy is vital to the Nation’s defense posture. Lines 
of communication are necessary to project power to 
potential points of conflict throughout the world. It 
is questioned by some experts and Government offi- 
cials whether the current status of the merchant 
marine could support the logistics of a major mili- 
tary action.2? The merchant marine also supports 
defense activities in peacetime and may play an ex- 
panded role in such areas as towing and salvage. 
In June 1976, the Transportation Institute, an 
organization representing U.S.-flag carriers, released 
a study in which it defined the need for beter coordi- 
nation of maritime and defense affairs.2? The study 
recommended creating the post of “Maritime Affairs 
Coordinator,” which would be responsible for (1) 
establishing and developing specific legislation for a 
national maritime strategy; (2) coordinating U.S. 
maritime research programs; (3) designing and co- 
ordinating an overall naval-merchant shipbuilding 
program, and (4) ensuring adherence to the provi- 
sions of the various existing laws relating to domes- 
tic and foreign trade, and increasing the merchant 
marine’s support of national defense objectives. 
Senator Robert Taft, Jr.—who was the author of 
a white paper on defense in which he identified the 
Navy’s need for cargo ships, oilers, and ammunition 
ships in the context of the U.S. Merchant Ma- 
rine **—introduced S. 3580 in the 94th Congress, a 
proposal to establish an Office of Maritime Affairs 
Coordinator in the Executive Office of the President. 
Patterned after the recommendations of the Trans- 
portation Institute, the office would be directed by a 
maritime affairs coordinator, who would serve as a 
member of the National Security Council. Member- 
ship in the NSC, according to the proposal, would 
provide for the maritime industry’s input to national 
defense matters. The present membership of NSC is 
restricted to the Departments of State and Defense. 
The Maritime Affairs Coordinator proposed by S. 
3580 would: 
e Develop and recommend to the President and 
the Congress a national maritime strategy pro- 
gram, including a civil-military shipbuilding pro- 
gram, and necessary legislation to effectuate such 
program. 
© Coordinate all Federal civil and military mari- 
time research programs. 
© Coordinate all other Federal maritime activities 
and make appropriate recommendations to in- 
sure adherence to the provisions of existing laws 
relating to domestic and foreign trade. 
e Represent maritime interests in national trans- 
portation planning. 
If the Office of Maritime Affairs Coordinator were 
modeled after the prototype recommended by the 
Transportation Institute, the maritime affairs coor- 
dinator would work directly with the following agen- 
cies to insure coordination of national naval-maritime 
interests: (1) Navy, (2) Coast Guard, (3) Maritime 
Administration, and (4) National Oceanic and At- 
mospheric Administration. The coordinator also 
would conduct continuous liaison with other Govern- 
ment agencies, as appropriate (e.g., Department of 
State, Department of Defense, and the Office of 
Management and Budget), and the relevant executive 
committees. Under the proposal, however, the Office 
of the Maritime Affairs Coordinator would be an 
advisory/consultative organization and would neither 
preempt nor directly affect the line responsibilities of 
MARAD for administering the maritime programs 
authorized under the maritime acts. 
White House Councils: Concept in Perspective 
The need for a White House Council to formulate 
and coordinate ocean policy at the highest level of 
the executive branch is considered to be axiomatic 
by most in the ocean community. The persistence 
of the concept is attributable to the logical rationale 
of the proposal, the perceived success of the former 
Marine Science Council, and faith that presence in 
2U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Merchant Marine and 
Fisheries. National Ocean Policy, Hearings before Subcommittee 
on Oceanography. 94th Cong., 2d sess., Ser. 94-43, 1976, p. 35, 
Testimony of William Middendorf III, Secretary of the Navy. 
2 Transportation Institute. An Analysis of the Direct Impact 
of the Merchant Marine on National Security. Washington: 
Transportation Institute, 1976. 
* Robert H. Taft, Jr., assisted by William S. Lind. White 
Paper on Defense: A Modern Military Strategy for the United 
States (processed). Washington: 1976. 
the White House will assure commitment and direc- 
tion in Federal ocean policy. 
Whether a White House Council would meet the 
expectations of the ocean community, however, 
depends upon a subset of external considerations. 
First, there is little chance that such a council which 
is ordained by the Congress would be influential 
unless the President fully concurred in its creation 
or unless it was formed at his initiative. White House 
councils are of limited value if they deal with sub- 
ject areas that are not perceived as crucial by 
Presidents. Second, Stephen Hess points out that 
the use of the Vice President for chairing advisory 
councils runs the risk that the President may ulti- 
mately have to reject the advice of his Vice Presi- 
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