Mr. CARPENTER. We'd be glad to. Mr. CLAUSEN. This could be an informal memorandum, as far as I am concerned, and I will work it out with these gentlemen. Mr. Carpenter, what is the case or point you are making to this committee to justify authorization of appropriations for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands? Mr. CARPENTER. As far as an open-ended approach? Mr. CLAUSEN. Yes. Mr. CARPENTER. This is based primarily on the uncertainty surrounding the political status negotiations which, as you know, have been going on now for over 3 years. We have felt that we did need considerable flexibility for the next few years, depending on how these talks developed, and that is the basic reason for our request for an open-ended type authorization. Mr. CLAUSEN. What is the projected time frame and I don't like to set and establish dates when we're dealing with sensitive questions, but what would you say is the projected time frame for hopefully a successful negotiation to be finalized on the political status question? Are we talking, as I understand, possibly 2 or 3 years, something like this? Mr. CARPENTER. I think at this point it's almost impossible to say. I don't think we have reached the point where we can clearly see the end of the road, particularly as far as the negotiations with Micronesia as opposed to those with the Mariana Islands. Mr. CLAUSEN. Well, I am again, I think that we as a committee have this prime responsibility of continuing oversight and review, and I have some reservations about the open-ended. I am wondering if I don't know why, but I come down on a figure in my own mind that possibly a 3-year authorization might serve your purposes in giving you sufficient flexibility, and at the same time, Mr. Chairman, give us the kind of an opportunity for continuing oversight and review and report back in line with our basic responsibility. Mr. SKUBITZ. Will the gentleman yield? Mr. CLAUSEN. Yes. Mr. SKUBITZ. First of all, I am not in favor of giving open-end authority for 3 years. I thought our chairman brought to light some matters that required airing on the need for additional funds above the $56 million because of the cutbacks in other areas. I am just wondering whether we shouldn't consider authorizing whatever sums that are necessary for fiscal year 1974 and not allow a 3-year open-end authority. Mr. CLAUSEN. Well, I'm sure that's something we can discuss in the markup, but I would like to have a response, if it is at all possible, as to that kind of suggestion. Mr. CARPENTER. Well, obviously, we would prefer to have as much flexibility as possible, if not an open-ended bill, we would hope to have, say, 3 or more years. This would be our preference. Now, one reason I say that is that this would permit better planning, particularly on the part of the High Commissioner and his staff and the Congress of Micronesia, for a longer period of time. Mr. CLAUSEN. Now, if this committee authorizes, say, $60 million for fiscal years 1974, 1975, and 1976, or if we were to extend it to 1977 and 1978, which is the difference between the 3- or the 5-year authori zation, we would need the background information and the facts that justify that amount. What facts can you give us to justify the authorization of those amounts? Mr. JOHNSTON. Well, Congressman Clausen, if I might respond to that, we are, of course, in another 5-year planning cycle, and our 5year plans as developed with the Congress of Micronesia by the government of the trust territory, are to ask for $70 million in fiscal 1975, 1976, and 1977, and $80 million in the following 2 years, in 1978 and 1979, and that is the amount that we can justify in our 5-year planning evele. Mr. CLAUSEN. Would you then be kind enough to submit this? How large a document is that, the justification and background information? Mr. JOHNSTON. Not too large. Mr. BURTON. We would like to have a copy of that and have the information placed in the record at this point. [The information referred to follows:] TRUST TERRITORYWIDE TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS OPERATIONS SUMMARY, 1972-1979 |