4 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1951 



1951, was as follows: Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, Chancellor; 

 Vice President Alben W. Barkley ; members from the Senate : Walter 

 F. (icorge, Clinton P. Anderson, Leverett Saltonstall; members from 

 the House of Representatives; Clarence Cannon, John M. Vorys, 

 E. E. Cox ; citizen members : Harvey N. Davis, Arthur H. Compton, 

 Vannevar Bush, Kobert V. Fleming, and Jerome C. Hunsaker. 



The regular annual meeting of the Board was held in the Regents' 

 Room on January 12, 1951. The Secretary presented his annual re- 

 port covering the activities of the Institution and its bureaus, includ- 

 ing the financial report of the Executive Committee, for the fiscal 

 year ended June 30, 1950, and this was accepted by the Board. The 

 usual resolution authorized the expenditure by the Secretary of the 

 income of the Institution for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1952. 



The Secretary announced that he would reach retirement age in 

 June 1951 and brought to attention the question of the selection of a 

 successor. Accordingly, tlie Chancellor appointed a Special Com- 

 mittee to make recommendation in this connection. Dr. Wetmore 

 agreed to serve until a successor had been chosen. 



Concerning the Gellatly art collection, the Secretary reported that 

 under date of February 28, 1950, the office of the Attorney General 

 informed the Institution that the Supreme Court had denied Mrs. 

 Gellatly's petition for a writ of certiorari to review the decision of the 

 United States Court of Appeals. This long controversy of more than 

 20 years apparently has come to an end, with result favorable to the 

 Smithsonian. 



On the evening of January 11, 1951, preceding the annual meeting, 

 an informal dinner meeting of the Board was held in the Main Hall 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, with the Chancellor, Chief Justice 

 Fred M. Vinson, presiding. This occasion gave opportunity for mem- 

 bers of the Smithsonian staff to make a fuller presentation of the 

 scientific work of the Institution than was practicable at the regular 

 meeting the next day. 



On May 3, 1951, a special meeting of the Board of Regents was held 

 in the Regents' Room with the Chancellor presiding, concerned with 

 I ho operation of the Institution, including the extension of tenure of 

 office of tlie Secretary. 



FINANCES 



A statement on finances, dealing particularly with Smithsonian pri- 

 vate funds, will be found in the report of the Executive Committee of 

 the Board of Regents, page 154. 



