REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 125 



visory Board "to investigate and survey suitable lands and buildings 

 for selection as a site for a national air museum and to make recom- 

 mendations to Congress for the acquisition of suitable lands and build- 

 ings for a national air museum." 



At this meeting, too, the preparation of estimates of appropriations 

 to implement the $50,000 authorized by the Congress for the purposes 

 of the act was discussed in detail, and Dr. Wetmore was advised by 

 the Board to submit the request to the Bureau of the Budget. This 

 was done, and on March 21, 1947, President Truman transmitted to 

 Congress "A Supplemental Estimate of Appropriation for the Fiscal 

 Year 1948 in the Amount of $50,000 for the Smithsonian Institution" 

 (H. R. Doc. No. 181). On April 30, 1947, Dr. Wetmore appeared 

 before the Independent Offices Subcommittee on Appropriations and 

 presented a brief statement on the origin of the National Air Museum 

 and on the need for the requested appropriation. 



Following this initial meeting of the Advisory Board, approxi- 

 mately 200 letters were addressed to aeronautical interests through- 

 out the Nation. These letters called attention to the establishment 

 of the National Air Museum and urged the recipients to advise the 

 Board of any aeronautical items which in their estimation should be 

 considered for inclusion in the future National Air Museum. The 

 letter also requested that such materials be carefully preserved until 

 such time as the Board could make a study of them. The response 

 to these letters has been large and indicates the existence at this writ- 

 ing of much valuable museiun material in private hands scattered 

 throughout the Nation. Both the Army and Navy, too, are assem- 

 bling and holding large quantities of valuable aeronautical material 

 of the recent war years. A portion of these collections, and several 

 private collections, were inspected toward the close of the year at the 

 Institution's own expense. 



The major problem involved in the advancement of the National 

 Air Museum project is the acquisition of a storage depot for the tem- 

 porary assembly of the museum material. This is most essential to 

 prevent the permanent loss of material and to enable the Advisory 

 Board to determine and recommend to Congress suitable lands and 

 buildings for the new bureau. At the close of the year this vital 

 problem was still unsolved, nor had the Congress appropriated the 

 $50,000 authorized and requested for use in the fiscal year 1948. 



Respectfully submitted. 



C. W. MiTMAN, 



Assistant to the Secretary for the National Air Museimi. 

 Dr. a. Wetmore, 



Secretary^ Smithsonian Institution. 



