﻿2 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  and 
  exploration 
  projects 
  not 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  orderly 
  resumption 
  

   of 
  cultural 
  activities 
  after 
  the 
  war 
  have 
  been 
  suspended 
  for 
  the 
  dura- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  one 
  exception, 
  namely, 
  those 
  activities 
  related 
  to 
  a 
  closer 
  

   cultural 
  cooperation 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  American 
  republics. 
  Such 
  co- 
  

   operation 
  is 
  of 
  vital 
  importance 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  better 
  relations 
  between 
  

   neighboring 
  countries 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  of 
  emergency, 
  but 
  also 
  as 
  

   a 
  permanent 
  program 
  after 
  the 
  war. 
  The 
  Institution 
  is 
  particularly 
  

   well 
  fitted 
  to 
  take 
  part 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  program 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  many 
  years 
  

   of 
  friendly 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  scientists 
  and 
  scientific 
  institutions 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  American 
  republics. 
  

  

  Thus 
  the 
  wartime 
  policy 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  use 
  all 
  its 
  

   resources 
  to 
  aid 
  in 
  winning 
  the 
  war, 
  while 
  continuing 
  insofar 
  as 
  

   possible 
  the 
  recording 
  and 
  publishing 
  of 
  essential 
  scientific 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  such 
  curatorial 
  work 
  as 
  is 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  proper 
  care 
  

   of 
  the 
  National 
  collections. 
  

  

  The 
  Smithsonian 
  War 
  Committee, 
  appointed 
  by 
  me 
  early 
  in 
  1942, 
  

   has 
  continued 
  to 
  meet 
  regularly 
  with 
  the 
  aim 
  of 
  originating 
  or 
  con- 
  

   sidering 
  plans 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  Smithsonian's 
  contributions 
  to 
  the 
  war 
  

   effort. 
  The 
  Committee 
  has 
  made 
  many 
  recommendations 
  during 
  the 
  

   year, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  approved 
  and 
  put 
  into 
  effect. 
  Several 
  

   war 
  projects 
  have 
  also 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  Institution 
  through 
  my 
  own 
  con- 
  

   tacts 
  with 
  Army 
  and 
  Navy 
  officials 
  or 
  through 
  contacts 
  made 
  by 
  

   other 
  Smithsonian 
  staff 
  members. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  present 
  here, 
  as 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  Institution's 
  

   part 
  in 
  the 
  war, 
  a 
  brief 
  statement 
  of 
  such 
  of 
  its 
  wartime 
  activities 
  

   as 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  public. 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  year's 
  publications, 
  most 
  of 
  

   which 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  war 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  American 
  republics, 
  a 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  farther 
  on 
  in 
  this 
  report 
  under 
  the 
  heading 
  

   "Publications." 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  Institution's 
  con- 
  

   tribution 
  is 
  of 
  an 
  indirect 
  nature, 
  for 
  the 
  obvious 
  reason 
  that 
  an 
  

   organization 
  can 
  only 
  undertake 
  work 
  for 
  which 
  its 
  staff 
  has 
  the 
  

   requisite 
  training 
  and 
  experience. 
  In 
  total 
  war, 
  however, 
  accurate 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  obscure 
  peoples 
  and 
  places 
  and 
  other 
  subjects 
  chiefly 
  

   of 
  academic 
  interest 
  in 
  normal 
  times 
  suddenly 
  becomes 
  of 
  vital 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  to 
  the 
  Army 
  and 
  Navy. 
  In 
  furnishing 
  some 
  of 
  this 
  infor- 
  

   mation, 
  urgently 
  needed 
  and 
  often 
  hard 
  to 
  get, 
  lies 
  the 
  Institution's 
  

   major 
  contribution. 
  

  

  Strategic 
  information 
  to 
  war 
  agencies. 
  — 
  As 
  stated, 
  the 
  Institution's 
  

   greatest 
  usefulness, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  other 
  similar 
  organizations, 
  

   derived 
  from 
  the 
  specialized 
  knowledge 
  of 
  its 
  scientific 
  staff, 
  which 
  

   provided 
  the 
  answers 
  to 
  innumerable 
  urgent 
  questions 
  continually 
  

   facing 
  the 
  Army, 
  Navy, 
  and 
  war 
  agencies. 
  More 
  than 
  a 
  thousand 
  

   recorded 
  inquiries 
  had 
  been 
  answered 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  

   year, 
  and 
  probably 
  as 
  many 
  more 
  for 
  one 
  reason 
  or 
  another 
  were 
  

  

  