REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE 

 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



C. G. ABBOT 



FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1941 



To the Board of Regents of tJie Smithsonian Institution. 



Gentlemen : I have the honor to submit herewith my report show- 

 ing the activities and condition of the Smithsonian Institution and 

 the Government bureaus under its administrative charge during the 

 fiscal year ended June 30, 1941. The first 18 pages contain a sum- 

 mary account of the affairs of the Institution, and appendixes 1 to 11 

 give more detailed reports of the operations of the National Museum, 

 the National Gallery of Art, the National Collection of Fine Arts, 

 the Freer Gallery of Art, the Bureau of American Ethnology, the 

 International Exchanges, the National Zoological Park, the Astro- 

 physical Observatory, the Division of Radiation and Organisms, the 

 Smithsonian library, and of the publications issued under the direc- 

 tion of the Institution. On page 130 is the financial report of the 

 executive committee of the Board of Regents. 



OUTSTANDING EVENTS 



Among the numerous bureaus and agencies in Washington, certain 

 ones are listed as defense agencies, and the Smithsonian Institution 

 was included during the year in this list. Its vast collections are 

 of great usefulness in the identification and studj' of strategic ma- 

 terials relating to national defense, such as rubber, tin, aluminum, 

 mica, optical glass, abrasives, and many others. Its staff includes 

 scientific experts and technicians with outstanding experience in 

 connection with such materials, as well as laboratories and equipment 

 for all sorts of delicate experimental work. The Smithsonian has 

 already been assigned a number of defense problems and stands 

 ready to devote all its resources to such work when called upon. 



The National Gallery of Art was completed and opened to the 

 public in March 1941, bringing to fruition the late Andrew W. 

 Mellon's gift to the Nation of his priceless art collection and a mag- 

 nificient building to house it. 



The great hall of the Smithsonian Building was completely re- 

 decorated, and in it was installed a unique exhibit designed to 



