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the other facts that are apparent, there is no doubt that in the long run there IlIUst be an interbasin diversion into the colorado River Basin in order to solve the many problems that are foreseeable not too many years ahead. I think you are well informed I on the beginnings of some effort and coopera- tion between the western states to see whether this can be done. Certainly we are dedicated to a solution which will include this kind of diversion, presumably from the Columbia. But in looking at that diversion it cannot be allowed to mislead us or divert our atten- tion from the problem at hand - the vital necessity to protect Colorado's rights under the Colorado River compact agai..}t use in the Lower Basin. To oversimplify it, the ",ay I read l-lr. Tipton's report, it seems to me obvious that Central Arizona cannot be built and operative without Upper Basin water. This being true, it would seem at first blush that we should simply take an adamant position that, within the limits of our ability, we ",ould oppose central Arizona in every way we know how. However, the points that ~lr. Sparks brought up, if we can, as a process of talk- ing and negotiating on this, actually guarantee, nail do\~, and make certain that our obliga- tion is limited, one, simply to the 7~ million or more accurately the 75,000,000 on a ten- year running basis at Lee Ferry, then I assume we could afford, if this is nailed down, to say you can build any project you choose in the Lower Basin. And the second and fully as important a point to me that Larry touched on briefly, regardless of the agreement, if I the river is to be operated by the Secretary of the Interior, whoever he may be, then it seems to me true that the compact is largely vitiated. Unless we in the Upper Basin can control that river and the releases from our storage dams, I can't see any agreement that we could make that would be operative to pre- serve and protect our rights on the river.