The following report is based on a talk given at a policy forum on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 25, 1990. The forum was sponsored by the Center for Ocean Law and Policy of the University of Virginia Law School.

Having served on the Stratton Commission and now holding the job as Administrator of the agency created out of its recommendations, I may have a unique point of view on its role. I do know that taking the time to review the folklore that has grown up around the Stratton Commission, and comparing that with my own recollections, was an enjoyable exercise. It was, however, more than a pleasant nostalgic recollection; it was also an opportunity to realize the dynamic qualities of the public policy process by which we brought into being a national program in marine science that is poised today to help us understand the environmental problems we face as we enter the twenty-first century.

Knauss, J.A. 1990. The Stratton Commission—Its history and its legacy. Oceanography 3(1):53–55, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.1990.23.

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