Report of the Secretary of the 
Smithsonian Institution 
LEONARD CARMICHAEL 
For the Year Ended June 30, 1958 
To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: 
GrenTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit a report showing the activ- 
ities and condition of the Smithsonian Institution and its branches 
for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1958. 
GENERAL STATEMENT 
The 112th year of the Smithsonian Institution, whose activities are 
recorded in this report, has demonstrated anew that James Smithson’s 
scientifically and philosophically oriented mind conceived an effective 
enterprise when he specified that the establishment he founded and 
endowed should devote itself to “the increase and diffusion of know}l- 
edge among men.” ‘These two related objectives still guide and 
inspire the varied and constructive activities of his Institution. /n- 
crease of knowledge well describes the scientific and scholarly research 
that is effectively carried on by Smithsonian staff members. Déffusion 
of knowledge aptly summarizes the development of public museum 
displays, the presentation of lectures, the conduct of a great official 
correspondence about science and related matters, and the issuing 
of scientific and popular publications by the Institution. 
During the year here reported upon 10,365,872 individuals visited 
the Smithsonian, if all its branches are considered. This is a truly 
amazing and significant fact, for probably no other museum group 
anywhere, comparable at all to the Smithsonian Institution, has ever 
been visited by so many people in a single year. It is interesting to 
note, however, that a growth in the recognition of the importance of 
national museums seems to characterize not only America but also 
many of the other nations of the world at the present time. As the 
United States becomes more certain of its established place in the 
world, its citizens seem to become increasingly interested in the unique 
type of knowledge about American natural resources and American 
civilian, military, and technological history that can be acquired at 
their Smithsonian. Our records show that the Institution now has 
if 
