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enter an era of chaos. Decisions which nations make now will
determine the kind of planet that our children will inherit
over the remainder of this century and beyond.

This morning, I would like to set forth the American
view on several major issues of law and foreign policy --
in the oceans and in outer space, in the conduct of war
and the containment of terrorism, and in the role of
multinational enterprises. In particular, on the urgent
question of the law of the sea, I would like to offer
principles and proposals which we believe can be the basis
for significant progress in this vitally important negotiation.

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The Law of the Sea

The United States is now engaged with some 140 nations in a com-
prehensive negotiation on the law of the sea. A United Nations Conference
has been seeking a consensus on rules to govern international relations in
the domain of the oceans.

One need not be a legal technician to understand what is at stake in
these negotiations. The oceans are 70% of the earth's surface. The
importance of free navigation for nations' security is traditional; the
economic significance of ocean resources is becoming vast. The oceans are
the source of life, the characteristic distinguishing our world from all
other planets known to us; they both unite and divide mankind.

From the seventeenth century, the law governing use of the oceans
was founded on a relatively simple precept: freedom of the seas, limited
only by a narrow belt of territorial sea generally extending three miles
offshore. Today, when the explosion of technology

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has dramatically expanded the use and potential of the oceans, a more
comprehensive approach is needed:

- In a world economy hungry for new sources of energy and minerals the oceans are a largely untapped lode of vital reserves and are becoming an arena of vigorous competition.

- In a world that faces widespread famine and malnutrition, the importance of fisheries as a source of protein becomes enormous.

- In a world clouded by increasing pollution, the environmental integrity of the oceans becomes a critical international problem.

- In a world where 95% of international trade is carried on the seas, the preservation of freedom of navigation is essential.

The competition has begun. Unless clashing claims and competitive practices are embraced soon in an international legal consensus, the world faces the prospect of mounting conflict. Already, unilateral claims by nations to fishing zones and territorial seas extending from 50 to 200 miles have

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resulted in a "lobster war," a "cod war", perennial seizures of fishing vessels in troubled waters, and constant disputes over rights to ocean space. Shipping tonnage is expected to increase fourfold in the next thirty years. Large, self-contained factory vessels now circle the globe and dominate fishing areas that were formerly the domain of small coastal boats. The world-wide fish harvest is increasing dramatically, but often without due regard to sound management or the legitimate concerns of coastal states. Shifting population patterns will place new strains on the ecology of the world's coastlines.

This negotiation may be the world's last chance. For there is no satisfactory solution by national means, and unilateral action only invites counteraction and anarchy. The United States believes that law must govern the oceans. Even though we are in a superior competitive position, the failure to reach a legal consensus will mean unrestrained military and commercial rivalry and thus a generation of continuing political turmoil.

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The United States therefore welcomed the United Nations mandate in 1970 for a multilateral conference to write a comprehensive treaty governing the use of ocean space and resources. We welcomed the progress that was made at Caracas last summer and at Geneva this past spring. At the end of the Geneva session, the Conference produced a "single negotiating text" of a draft treaty which will focus the work of the next session, scheduled for March 1976 in New York.

Consensus has been achieved in most areas, but several major issues are unresolved. Let me briefly sketch these key issues and set forth the considered American position, which we believe can be the basis of a solution.

The scope of the Law of the Sea negotiation stretches from the shoreline to the farthest reaches of the seabed. The issues include:

- the extent of the territorial sea and the related issue of right

- of passage through straits;