While the ocean"s role in the relations between man and nations can not be fully isolated from geopolitical theater, in the 20th Century, humans have consciously sought connection with the sea. We have transitioned from random exploration and uncritical exploitation of marine resources to an appraisal of the treasures looked within them. A policy and strategy to employ these resources soon followed. Even the imagery of the sea has changed. This book is about the creation and implementation of the Marine Resources and Engineering Development legislation in 1966 and beyond. Numerous policies have occurred since then, including those aimed at improving the management of the coastal environment, meeting world hunger with food from the sea, initiating an International Decade of Ocean Exploration, negotiating an unprecedented legal regime and disarmament of the seabed, and creating a new federal agency. This account is based primarily on the public record and personal interviews, supplemented with firsthand observations. The objective to explain the what, how and why of what happened.