6 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1953 



The roll of regents at the close of the present fiscal year was as 

 follows: Chief Justice of the United States Fred M. Vinson, Chan- 

 cellor; Vice President Richard Nixon; members from the Senate: 

 Clinton P. Anderson, Leverett Saltonstall, Robert A. Taf t ; members 

 from the House of Representatives: Clarence Cannon, Leroy John- 

 son, John M. Vorys; citizen members: Vannevar Bush, Arthur H. 

 Compton, Robert V. Fleming, and Jerome C. Hunsaker. 



On the evening of January 15, 1953, preceding the annual meeting, 

 an informal diimer meeting of the Board was held in the main hall of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, with the Chancellor, Chief Justice Vinson, 

 presiding. This followed a custom established in 1949 at the sugges- 

 tion of Chancellor Vinson, who believed that an evening meeting each 

 year would help the regents by further acquainting them with the 

 scientific and scholarly work of the Institution, Several research 

 workers representing different departments of the Institution were 

 present and gave brief firsthand accounts of their recent studies to the 

 Board members. 



The regular annual meeting of the Board was held on January 16 in 

 the Regents Room. The Secretary gave his annual report covering 

 the activities of the Institution and its bureaus. The financial report 

 of the executive committee was presented for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, and this was accepted by the Board. The usual resolution 

 was passed authorizing expenditures of the income of the Institution 

 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1954. 



INDUCTION OF NEW SECRETARY 



Dr. Leonard Carmichael, psychologist and former president of Tufts 

 College, who had been elected seventh Secretary of the Smithsonian 

 Institution by the Board of Regents at its meeting on April 9, 1952, 

 took office on January 2, 1953. Special induction ceremonies were 

 held in the Regents Room, with the Honorable Harold M. Stephens, 

 chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals, administering the 

 oath of office. Dr. Carmichael succeeded Dr. Alexander Wetmore, 

 biologist, who retired after serving 28 years with the Institution, since 

 1945 as Secretary. Dr. Wetmore, as research associate, is continuing 

 his scientific work with the Smithsonian. 



FINANCES 



A statement on finances, dealing particularly with Smithsonian 

 private fimds, will be found in the report of the executive committee 

 of the Board of Regents, page 159. 



