REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 9 
Vice President, the Chief Justice, and the heads of the executive 
departments.” 
THE BOARD OF REGENTS 
The Board suffered the loss by death of one member, Senator Charles 
L. McNary, of Oregon, who died on February 25, 1944. He had served 
as a Senatorial regent since January 28, 1935. 
The roll of regents during the fiscal year was as follows: Harlan 
F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States, Chancellor; Henry A. 
Wallace, Vice President of the United States; members from the 
Senate—Alben W. Barkley, Bennett Champ Clark; members from 
the House of Representatives—Clarence Cannon, Foster Stearns, Ed- 
ward E. Cox; citizen members—Frederic A. Delano, Washington, 
D. C.; Roland S. Morris, Pennsylvania; Harvey N. Davis, New Jersey ; 
Arthur H. Compton, Illinois; Vannevar Bush, Washington, D. C.; and 
Frederic C. Walcott, Connecticut. 
Proceedings.—The annual meeting of the Board of Regents was held 
on January 14, 1944. The regents present were Chief Justice Harlan 
F. Stone, Chancellor; Vice President Henry A. Wallace; Representa- 
tives Clarence Cannon, Foster Stearns, and Edward E. Cox; citizen 
regents Frederic A. Delano, Roland S. Morris, Harvey N. Davis, 
Arthur H. Compton, and Vannevar Bush; and the Secretary, Dr. 
Charles G. Abbot. 
The Secretary presented his annual report covering the activities 
of the parent Institution and of the several Government branches, 
and including the financial report of the executive committee, for the . 
fiscal year ended June 30, 1948, which was accepted by the Board. 
The usual resolution authorizing the expenditure by the Secretary 
of the income of the Institution for the fiscal year ending June 30, 
1945, was adopted by the Board. 
The Secretary stated that in order that the employees paid from 
Smithsonian funds might share the same liberalized retirement ad- 
vantages as the Government-paid employees in the Institution, a bill 
covering this matter (S. 1558) had been introduced by Senator Bark- 
ley and referred to the Senate Committee on the Civil Service. 
Owing to the exigencies of wartime travel, the annual meeting of 
the Smithsonian Art Commission, usually held in December, was 
again omitted. 
The Board formally ratified certain resolutions adopted by a mail 
vote authorizing the Secretary to.execute an indenture dated March 
31, 1948, by Samuel H. Kress and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation 
modifying and amending an indenture dated June 29, 1939, by the 
same parties, and further authorizing the Secretary to accept the | 
offer of additional art objects by these parties for the collections of 
the National Gallery of Art. 
