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H E A R IN G

BEFORE TH E

COMMITTEE ON

INTERIOR ANI) INSULAR AFFAIRS

UNITED STATES js

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EIGH TY -NINTH CONG RESS

FI RST SESSION

ON

TH E NOM INATION OF J. CORDE LL MOORE TO BE ASSIS TANT 

SECRET ARY , MI NE RA L RESOURCES, DE PARTME NT OF TH E 

IN TE RI OR

AUGUST 23, 1965

Pr inted fo r th e use of th e Com mittee on In te rior and In su lar Aff airs

52-764

U.S. GOVERNMENT PR INTING OFFIC E

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COMMITTEE ON INT ERIOR AND INSULAR AFF AIR S

H E N R Y M. JA CK SO N, Washington, Chairman

CL IN TO N P. AN DE RS ON , New Mexico

ALA N BI BL E, Nevada

FR ANK CH URC H, Idaho

ERNEST GRUEN IN G, Alaska

FR ANK E. MOSS, Utah

QUEN TI N N. BURDIC K, North D ako ta

CA RL HA YDEN , Arizona

GEO RG E McGOV ERN , South Dak ota

GA YL OR D NE LS ON , Wisconsin

LE E MET CA LF , Montana

J erky T. Verk ler, Staf f Director

Stewart F rench, Chief Counsel

THOMAS II. KU CHEL , California 

GO RD ON AL LO TT , Colorado 

LE N B. JORD AN , Idaho 

MILWARD L. SIMPSON, Wyoming 

PA UL J. FA NN IN , Arizona

li
NOMINATION OF J. CORDELL MOORE TO RE ASSIST

ANT SECRETARY, MINERAL RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

MOND AY , AUGUST 23 , 19 65

U.S. Senate,

Committee on Interior and I nsular Affairs,

Washington , D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:10 p.m., in room 3110, 

New Senate Office Building, Senator Henry M. Jackson (chairman) 

presiding.

Present: Senators Jackson, Church, Moss, Burdick, McGovern, 

Nelson, Metcalf, and Fannin.

Also present: Jerry T. Verkler, staff director; Stewart French, chief 

counsel; James H. Gamble and Roy M. Whitacre, professional staff 

members; and Richard N. Little, minority counsel.

The Chairman. The committee will come to order.

This is an open public hearing by the Senate Interior Committee, 

held pursuant to public notice, on the nomination by President 

Johnson of J. Cordell Moore to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior 

for Mineral Resource Development. Mr. Moore would succeed John 

M. Kelly, of New Mexico, in the post.

Mr. Moore, who is from Illinois, is a veteran Government administrator. Presently he is serving as Administrator of the Oil Import 

Administration, which is under the Assistant Secretary for Mineral 

Resources, and, hence, he already has substantial knowledge of many 

of the duties of the position to which he has been nominated. Without 

objection, I will direct t ha t a biographical sketch of Mr. Moore appear 

in the record of this hearing at this point.

(The document referred to follows:)

J. C or de ll M oo re

Present position: Adm inistrator, Oil Im port Administration.

Nom inate d for: Assistant Secretary, Mineral Resources, Department of the 

Interior.

Born: Winchester, Ill., Jul y 20, 1912.

Edu cation: A.B., Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill., 1936; LL.B., Georgetown University , 1949; member of the bar; g raduate work, petroleum geology, American 

University, 1953 an d 1955.

Marita l status: Married. Experience: 1936-37: Assistant camp manager, Camp Graham, Grafton, Ill., 

Pdre Marqu ette project (Na tional P ark Service). 1937-39: Field represen tative, Universal Cred it Co. (Ford Finance Co.), St. Louis, Mo. 1939-41: Office of Hon. Jam es M. Barnes, Mem ber of Congress, 20th District, Illinois. 1941-42: 

Clerk-examiner, Metal Reserve Company (Rec onstruction Finance C orpo ration). 1942-46: U.S. military duty. 1946-47: Executive Director, Office of Foreign 

Liquidation for Latin America (Depa rtm ent of State), Panama, C.Z. 1947-50: Office of Alien Property, De partm ent of Justice. 1950-52: Assistant Director, 

1
2 INTERIOR NOMINATION

Division of Property Management, Department of the Interior. 1952-61: Director of Security and Staff Director, Mobilization Activities, Department of 

the Interior. 1961-65: Administrator, Oil Import Administration. Military: Captain, Naval Reserve, active duty, 1942-46: United States, 

North Africa, and Middle East.

Home: 4301 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, D.C.

Voting residence: Illinois.

The Chairman. Mr. Moore, you alr ead y are fav orably known to 

a nu mber of Sen ators on the comm itte e. How ever, I th in k it would 

be well if you would o utline y ou r bio gra phy and make some com ments 

reg ardin g yo ur dut ies in con nec tion with the position to which you 

hav e been nominated . We are ha pp y to have you wi th us.

STATEMENT OF J. CORDELL MOORE, NOMINEE TO BE ASSISTANT

SECRETARY, MINERAL RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF THE

INTE RIOR

Mr. M oor e. Th an k you , Mr. Chairma n.

Fo r the past 4 years, T have been Ad ministrator of th e Oil Im port 

Ad ministrat ion charged w ith res ponsibi lity for co ntrolling the impo rta ­

tion of residual fuel oil, cru de oil, unfinished oil, and finished prod ­

ucts in accorda nce with Proclam ation 3279, and the Oil Im po rt 

Re gulation s of the Dep ar tm en t of the Interio r, issued pu rsua nt to 

Proclam ation 3279.

Would you like to have more detail on the pro gra m itself, or do 

you th in k th at is sufficient?

The Chair man. Well, I think you ju st ou tlined the hig h points of 

the presen t office. You, of course, have variou s divisions under you 

to which you might make refe renc e.

Mr. M oor e. I un de rst an d th e responsibilities of the Office of th? 

As sis tan t Secre tar y for Mine ral Resources. Un der this Office, we 

have several different functio ns: The Burea u of Mine s, the U.S. Geological Surve y, the Oil Im po rt Ad ministratio n, the Office of Oil and 

Gas, the Office of Coal Resea rch , the Office of M ine rals and Solid F uels, 

and the Office of Geograph y. I do no t belie ve I have missed any .

1, as ind ica ted earlier, have been Adm inist rator of one of these 

division s durin g the p ast 4 years . Du rin g the 16 years I have been in 

the Dep artm en t, I have wor ked very closely with the Bu rea u of 

Mines, with the Geological Surve y, the Office of Coal Resea rch and 

the Office of Min erals and Solid Fuels. Th is was in con nec tion with 

my respon sibilities as staff directo r of Defense Mo bilization activitie s 

of the Dep ar tm en t of In te rior and as Di rec tor of Se curity of the 

Dep artm en t and as As sis tan t Di recto r of the Division of Prop ert y 

Managem ent.

Th e C hairman. So, prior to your p res ent position, you served in the 

Dep artm en t of the Inter ior fro m 1950 un til 1961, whe n you became 

Ad minist rator of the Oil Im po rt Ad mi nis tration?

Mr. M oore. That is corre ct, sir.

In addit ion , I had appro xim ate ly 1 ye ar wi th the Na tio na l Pa rk 

Service in 1936 and 1937.

Th e C hairman. Suppose yo u ju st go ba ck and sta te where you were 

born, yo ur edu cation, and then yo ur service, pub lic or priva te.

Mr. M oore I was bor n in Winch ester, Ill., Sc ott Co un ty, Ju ly 20, 

1912. I was edu cated in the public schools of Winc heste r and Jack -
INTERIOR NOMINATION 3

sonvilJe, Ill. I received an A.B. degree at Illinois College, Jacksonville, 

Ill., in 1936. Subsequently, I came to Washington and received an LL.B. degree at Georgetown University in 1949. In 1953 and 1955,1 took graduate 

work in geology at American University.

The Chairman. Th at is petroleum geology?

Mr. Moore. Petroleum geology, t ha t is correct.

After graduating from college, I worked as assistant camp manager for a recreational demonstration area, Pore M arquette project, Graf­ ton, Ill. This was a work camp consisting of approximately 300 men. From 1937 to 1939, I was a field representative for the Universal Credit Co.—the Ford-finance company—working out of St. 

Louis, Mo. I came to Washington in 1939 and worked in the office of the Honorable Janies M. Barnes, Congressman from the 20th District, Illinois, and, simultaneously, attended law school and, incidentally, I 

taug ht at the Capitol Page School. From 1941 to 1942, I was clerk-examiner, Metal Reserve Co., one of the war agencies set up under the Reconstruction Finance Corp. From 1942 to 1946, I served with the U.S. Navy, with duty at the Naval Air Station, Opa-locka, Fla., Washington, D.C., north Africa, 

and the Middle East. From 1946 through 1947, I was Executive Director of the Office of Foreign Liquidation Commissioner for Latin America, with head quarters in Panama, C.Z., with branch offices in Port-of-Spain, Trin i­ dad; Havana, Cuba; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This Office was charged with the responsibility for disposing of all Government property—excess Government property—located in South and Central 

America and the Caribbean. Upon my return from South America, 1 went with the Office of Alien Property as a supervising liquidator, disposing of assets taken 

over from enemy aliens under the Trading With the Enemy Act. From 1950 through 1952, I was Assistant Director of the Division of Property Management for the Department of the Interior. Tliis area is under the Administrative Assistant Secretary and cut across Bureau lines. We dealt with all the bureaus and offices of the 

Department. From 1952 through 1961, I was Director of Security for the Depart­ ment and during a substantial part of this time, Director of Mobilization Activities for the Department of the Interior. I became Administrator of the Oil Import Administration on August 19, 1961. I have held tha t office until the present time. I am a captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve. My home is 4301 Massa­ chusetts Avenue, Washington, D.C. My voting residence remains in Illinois. I am married and have no children. My wife is the 

former Pauline Ruyle, Jacksonville, Ill. Are there any questions you would like to ask, Mr. Chairman?

The Chairman. Mr. Moore, you have submitted a financial 

statement which we will go over in executive session at the conclusion of the open hearing. At th at time you will be interrogated also by the members. It is my understanding that there is no conflict that you 

know of in your financial holdings.

Mr. Moore. I know of no conflict.
4 INTERIOR NOMINATION

The Chairman. None of your outside interests would conflict with 

the duties and responsibilities you will undertake in connection with 

this position?

Mr. Moore. If the committee feels there is any property listed 

there which I should dispose of, if you will let me know, I shall be 

very glad to dispose of it.

The C hairman. 1 want to say for the benefit of the committee that 

the letter will be available so tha t all members of the committee 

will have a chance to ask whatever questions they may wish of Mr. 

Moore. It also covers the property of his wife as well. As we know, 

the conflict of interest stat ute was changed, I believe in 1963, to 

include the husband, the wife, and minor children as to any property 

tha t they may own which would in any^Jway be in conflict with the 

duties and responsibilities of the nominee.

Senator Fannin?

Senator Fannin. That is a very impressive background. I assume 

tha t the work at the American University was in line with the type of 

activity in which you will now be involved? In other words, it was 

training for that particular activity?

Mr. Moore. 1 did not realize then T was going to be nominated for 

Assistant Secretary of the Interior. The subject of my studies was 

my natural interest.

Senator Fannin. And as adm inistrator at the Oil Impo rt Administration, you have been involved with work th at is very similar to this 

activity that is now under consideration?

Mr. Moore. Yes, sir.

Senator Fannin. How long have you been administrator of the Oil 

Import Administration? For what length of time have you been 

involved as administrator of the Oil Import Administration?

Mr. Moore. For the past 4 years.

Senator Fannin. In that activity, have you traveled widely?

Mr. Moore. Yes, extensively throughout the United States, in 

Canada and Venezuela.

Senator Fannin. So you are very familiar with the resources 

around the Nation?

Mr. Moore. Yes, sir; T feel that I am.

Senator Fannin. No further questions.

The Chairman. Senator Metcalf?

Senator Metcalf. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

1 concur with the chairman tha t we are delighted to have you 

before the committee.

1 notice tha t according to your biography, all of your minerals 

experience has been in petroleum?

Mr. Moore. Tn petroleum?

Senator Metcalf. Yes. Have you had any experience in metal 

mining and coal?

Mr. Moore. No, I have not had any extensive experience in 

metal mining or coal. T have had a year’s experience in dealing with 

critical minerals. As you probably know, the Metals Reserve 

Co. was the agency which started the stockpiling program 

prior to World War II. I was with tha t organization, handling such 

materials as quartz crystals and industrial diamonds, lead, tin, 

zinc, copper, antimony, nickel, and various other minerals of the
INTERIOR NOMINATION O

type with which we also deal in the Departm ent of the Interior 

today.

Senator Metcalf. Mr. Kelly, your distinguished and very able 

predecessor, who was able to do a splendid job in all of the agencies 

of this Department, also came out of the oil business and some of 

us feel tha t perhaps the oil and petroleum part of this agency has 

been overemphasized. Do you feel that this would be any conflict 

with such a rival fuel as coal, or that you will be able to handle the 

metal mining business of this agency?

Mr. Moore. No, T do not believe there will be a conflict. I believe 

you will find I have had quite a few contacts with coal people over 

the past few years. Residual fuel oil does have an impact on the 

coal industry. We have had considerable experience in dealing 

with coal and the coal industry.

Senator Metcalf. Well, as you know, Montana is in the Williston 

Basin and has considerable petroleum resources. We out in the 

West are also concerned with the development and research of our 

coal and other mineral resources, our hard rock mines. This is 

an important part and vital part of your interest. If you can administer all these minerals impartially, and you have assured me that 

you see no conflict, I would certainly be delighted to have you assume 

the office to which you have been nominated.

Mr. Moore. I assure you I have an interest in all of our minerals.

The Chairman. Senator Burdick?

Senator Burdick. Mr. Chairman, I am also interested in the 

Williston Basin. It is in the area of my hometown.

We have, in North Dakota, large and extensive holding of lignite 

coal. Do you know anything about lignite coal?

Mr. Moore. Yes, sir.

Senator Burdick. Could you treat lignite coal like any other coal 

as we develop the natu ral resources of this country?

Mr. Moore. I am sure tha t all of our natural resources have a 

place in our general economy, Senator, and where appropriate, I am 

sure that lignite will be considered favorably.

Senator Burdick. You just keep your eye on that lignite deposit 

out in North Dakota and I shall be happy.

Mr. Moore. Thank you, sir, I shall do that.

Senator Burdick. That is all.

The Chairman. Senator Church?

Senator Church. I have no questions. I just want to wish you 

well in your new assignment. It is a very important one and I am 

looking forward to working with you.

Mr. Moore. I will be happy to work with you, Senator.

Senator Church. Tha nk you.

The Chairman. Senator Moss?

Senator Moss. T am very pleased to have you before (he commit tee 

here. I, too, wish you well. I think tha t you will do well in (his 

post, Mr. Moore. I would like to hear a word or two of your views on the oil shale 

problem. Will tha t come under your direction, now?

Mr. Moore. Some of the scientific and technical aspects of oil 

shale unquestionably come under the mineral resources area. Some 

other aspects of the present problem are primarily legal, I believe. 

They would not necessarily be under the mineral resources area.
6 INTE RIOR NOMINATION

However, we would have a collateral interest in any thing that takes 

place in the Colorado-Utah Plateau area where the oil shales are 

located.

Senator Moss. You would hav e something to do with shaping the 

policy of how it is going to be handled; is tha t correct?

Mr. M oore. Yes , sir.

Senator Mo ss. Wha t is yo ur present feeling on this matter? Oil 

shale heretofore has been prett y much kep t locked up. We do not 

have any extensive program for its development. Do you feel we 

ought to continue tha t wa y, or do you lean to the school where you 

think developments should begin on oil shale?

Mr. M oore. Oil shale, as with other hydrocarbons — all of the 

fossil fuels— and particu larly because of the tremen dous size of 

oil shale resources, is o f tremendous importance to the U.S. economy. 

The re is no question about that. The imp act of these resources in 

the future, of course, is goin g to be ver y important. I have not 

crys tallized an opinion at the present time as to how rap id this development should be, but you may be sure tha t I shall look into it at the 

first opportunity after I assume my new duties.

Sena tor Moss. As administrator of the Oil Impor t Administration, 

you have had this petrochemical problem tha t is still somew hat 

unresolved. Is it you r opinion tha t certain types of hydrocarbons 

should be allowed to come in for the petrochemical indu stry, or 

should we keep them out entirely?

Mr. M oore. I believe it is only fair to say tha t I cannot talk on this 

particular subject in any gre at detail. Thi s mat ter is under study in 

the executive branch at the present tune. Recommendations have 

been made for a new proclamation, for a change in Proclamation 

3279, as amended. Petrochemicals are an integral p art of this subject. 

I can say tha t we feel tha t petrochemicals hav e a part in the overall 

program.

Now, as to the exte nt of tha t part or the details, I do not believe 

I should discuss it further— I resp ectfully request tha t I not be 

asked to comment any more than that.

Senator Moss. All ligh t, than k you.

Th e C hairman. Are there any further questions of Mr. Moore at 

this time?

If not, the committee will retire to the libra ry to go into executive 

session with Mr. Moore to consider his financial holdings with respect 

to any possible conflict of interest.

(Whereupon, at 2:30 p.m., the committee was in recess, to reconvene 

in executive session.)

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