30 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1944 
ship of all works of art and exhibition material sent to the United 
States under the auspices of the former French Government for exhi- 
bition purposes at various places in the United States, including the 
World’s Fairs at New York, N. Y., and San Francisco, Calif. 
On August 20, 1948, The American Commission for the Protection 
and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas was 
organized, and several executive officers of the Gallery were appointed 
to serve as officers of the Commission. The headquarters of the Com- 
mission are located in the Gallery building. 
In March 1944 the Gallery, at the request of the State Department, 
established the Inter-American Office. This office was created to act 
as the official Government clearinghouse for the exchange of informa- 
tion concerning art activities in the American Republics. 
The three standing committees of the Board, provided for in the 
bylaws, as constituted at the annual meeting of the Board, held Febru- 
ary 14, 1944, were: 
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
Chief Justice of the United States, Harlan F. Stone, chairman. 
David K. E. Bruce, vice chairman. 
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. C. G. Abbot. 
Ferdinand Lammot Belin. 
Duncan Phillips. 
FINANCE COMMITTEE - 
Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., chairman. 
David K. E. Bruce, vice chairman. 
Secretary of State, Cordell Hull. 
Ferdinand Lammot Belin. 
Samuel H. Kress. 
ACQUISITIONS COMMITTEE 
David K. E. Bruce, chairman. 
Ferdinand Lammot Belin, vice chairman. 
Duncan Phillips. 
Chester Dale. 
David BH. Finley, ex officio. 
The permanent Government positions of the Gallery are filled 
from the registers of the United States Civil Service Commission or 
with its approval. On June 30, 1944, the permanent Government staff 
numbered 243 employees. Since the beginning of the war, 58 mem- 
bers of the staff, or approximately 25 percent, have entered the armed 
services. 
The operation and maintenance of the Gallery building and grounds 
and the protection of the works of art have been continued through 
the fiscal year 1944 at as high a standard as possible with the reduced 
staffs now available. These staffs have been cut to a minimum owing 
to the fact that the Gallery has desired to reduce expenditures and 
