SECRETARY'S REPORT 17 



THE ESTABLISHMENT 

 The Smithsonian Institution was created by act of Congress in 

 1846, in accordance with the terms of the will of James Smithson, of 

 England, who in 1826 bequeathed his property to the United States 

 of America "to found at Washington, under the name of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, an establislmient for the increase and diffusion of 

 knowledge among men." In receiving the property and accepting 

 the trust, Congress determined that the Federal Government was 

 without authority to administer the trust directly, and, therefore, 

 constituted an "establisliment," whose statutory members are "the 

 President, the Vice President, the Cliief Justice, and the heads of the 

 executive departments." 



THE BOARD OF REGENTS 

 The membersliip of the Board of Regents remained unchanged 

 except for the new Vice President of the United States, the Honorable 

 Lyndon B. Jolmson, who became an ex-officio member to succeed the 

 Honorable Eichard M. Nixon on Januar^^ 20, 1961. The roll of 

 Regents at the close of the fiscal year was as follows: Chief Justice 

 of the United States Earl Warren, Chancellor; Vice President Lyndon 



B. Jolmson ; members from the Senate : Clinton P. Anderson, J. Wil- 

 liam Fulbright, Leverett Saltonstall; members from the House of 

 Representatives : Frank T. Bow, Overton Brooks, Clarence Cannon ; 

 citizen members : John Nicholas Brown, Arthur H. Compton, Robert 

 V. Fleming, Crawford H. Greenewalt, Caryl P. Haskins, and Jerome 



C. Hunsaker. 



The usual informal dinner meeting, preceding the annual meeting, 

 was held on January 12, 1961, in the main hall of the Smithsonian 

 Building amid exliibits showmg the most recent developments in the 

 work of the Smithsonian bureaus. Col. Howard I. Chapelle spoke 

 on "Description of the American Watercraft Collection"; Dr. Charles 

 O. Handley, Jr., on "Mammal Survey of Panama"; Dr. T. Dale 

 Stewart on "Reconstructing Heads of Ancient Man"; Dr. Harold P. 

 Stem on "Holaisai in the Freer Gallery of Art"; and Dr. Fred L. 

 Wliipple on "Dust in Space." 



The annual meeting was held on Januaiy 13, 1961. The Secretary 

 presented his published annual report on the activities of the Institu- 

 tion. The Chairman of the Executive and Permanent Committees of 

 the Board, Dr. Robert V. Fleming, gave the financial report for the 

 fiscal year ended June 30, 1960. 



The Regents participated in the ceremonies for the laying of the 

 cornerstone of the Museum of History and Technology on the after- 

 noon of May 19, 1961, and met at 5 o'clock that day in the Regents 

 Room for the spring meeting of the Board. 



