APPENDIX 6 



Report on the International Exchange Service 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the activities 

 of the International Exchange Service for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, 1952 : 



The Smithsonian Institution is the official United States agency 

 for the exchange with other nations of governmental, scientific, and 

 literary publications. The International Exchange Service, initiated 

 by the Smithsonian Institution in the early years of its existence for 

 the interchange of scientific publications between learned societies and 

 individuals in the United States and those of foreign countries, serves 

 as a means of developing and executing in part the broad and compre- 

 hensive objective, "the diffusion of knowledge." It was later desig- 

 nated by the United States Government as the agency for the 

 transmission of official documents to selected depositories throughout 

 the world, and it continues to execute the exchanges pursuant to con- 

 ventions, treaties, and other international agreements. 



Although the number of packages received for transmission during 

 the year decreased by 9,386 to the yearly total of 1,001,614, the total 

 weight of the packages increased by 36,854 pounds to the total of 

 825,627 pounds. The average weight of the individual package 

 increased to 13.18 ounces as compared to the 12.46-ounce average for 

 the fiscal year of 1951. The publications received from both the 

 foreign and domestic sources for shipment are classified as shown in 

 the following: table : 



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