﻿4 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  other 
  American 
  republics 
  through 
  its 
  anthropological, 
  zoological, 
  and 
  

   botanical 
  explorations 
  and 
  field 
  work 
  in 
  that 
  area 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  

   wide 
  exchange 
  of 
  its 
  publications 
  for 
  those 
  of 
  scientific 
  institutions 
  of 
  

   Mexico 
  and 
  South 
  and 
  Central 
  America. 
  Thus 
  the 
  Institution 
  has 
  

   been 
  in 
  an 
  excellent 
  position 
  to 
  undertake 
  several 
  major 
  projects 
  de- 
  

   signed 
  to 
  improve 
  cultural 
  relations 
  with 
  our 
  neighboring 
  countries 
  

   to 
  the 
  south. 
  Under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Julian 
  H. 
  Steward, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  American 
  Ethnology, 
  a 
  Handbook 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  South 
  

   America 
  has 
  been 
  brought 
  practically 
  to 
  completion 
  and 
  is 
  expected 
  

   to 
  be 
  published 
  during 
  the 
  coming 
  year 
  as 
  a 
  Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  

   This 
  comprehensive 
  publication, 
  which 
  will 
  form 
  four 
  volumes 
  of 
  

   text 
  and 
  two 
  of 
  bibliography, 
  is 
  a 
  truly 
  cooperative 
  undertaking, 
  

   for 
  50 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  contributors 
  are 
  scientists 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  American 
  

   republics. 
  Also 
  on 
  the 
  initiative 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Steward, 
  and 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Ralph 
  

   L. 
  Beals 
  as 
  temporary 
  director, 
  an 
  Inter-American 
  Society 
  of 
  Geog- 
  

   raphy 
  and 
  Anthropology 
  has 
  been 
  organized, 
  with 
  membership 
  open 
  

   to 
  scientists 
  anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  hemisphere. 
  More 
  than 
  700 
  members 
  

   have 
  already 
  been 
  enrolled 
  from 
  nearly 
  all 
  countries 
  on 
  both 
  con- 
  

   tinents. 
  A 
  journal 
  with 
  articles 
  in 
  English, 
  Spanish, 
  and 
  Portuguese 
  

   will 
  record 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  Society. 
  The 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  "Checklist 
  

   of 
  the 
  Coleopterous 
  Insects 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  Central 
  America, 
  the 
  West 
  

   Indies, 
  and 
  South 
  America," 
  prepared 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Dr. 
  R. 
  E. 
  

   Blackwelder, 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  press 
  as 
  a 
  Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Museum. 
  A 
  

   long-needed 
  tool 
  for 
  entomologists, 
  this 
  check 
  list 
  will 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  

   years 
  to 
  come 
  by 
  scientists 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  hemisphere. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  

   Smithsonian 
  scientists 
  have 
  visited 
  other 
  American 
  republics 
  during 
  

   the 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  closer 
  professional 
  collaboration. 
  

  

  Other 
  wartime 
  activities. 
  — 
  The 
  new 
  series 
  of 
  publications, 
  Smith- 
  

   sonian 
  War 
  Background 
  Studies, 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  in 
  detail 
  in 
  an- 
  

   other 
  place. 
  I 
  will 
  say 
  here 
  only 
  that 
  the 
  series 
  is 
  filling 
  a 
  real 
  need 
  

   for 
  authentic 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  less 
  well-known 
  peoples 
  and 
  regions 
  

   involved 
  in 
  the 
  war, 
  and 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  the 
  books 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  

   editions 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  increased 
  progressively 
  from 
  3,500 
  to 
  8,000 
  copies. 
  

   In 
  addition 
  both 
  the 
  Army 
  and 
  Navy 
  ordered 
  editions 
  of 
  from 
  1,000 
  

   to 
  10,000 
  copies 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  papers 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  service 
  personnel. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  recommendations 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  War 
  Com- 
  

   mittee 
  was 
  for 
  a 
  roster 
  of 
  the 
  technical 
  and 
  geographical 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  the 
  Institution's 
  staff. 
  The 
  roster 
  has 
  been 
  at 
  the 
  service 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ethnogeographic 
  Board 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  of 
  material 
  aid 
  in 
  enabling 
  

   the 
  Army, 
  Navy, 
  and 
  war 
  agencies 
  to 
  locate 
  quickly 
  the 
  specialist 
  or 
  

   the 
  knowledge 
  they 
  needed. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  library, 
  a 
  file 
  of 
  illustra- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  strategic 
  areas 
  appearing 
  in 
  Smithsonian 
  publications 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  more 
  obscure 
  technical 
  journals 
  has 
  been 
  completed 
  and 
  made 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  to 
  war 
  agencies. 
  A 
  brief 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  Smith- 
  

  

  