Report on the National Air Museum 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the activities 

 of the National Air Museum for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1957 : 



The occurrence of greatest importance to the National Air Museum 

 during the fiscal year 1957 was the introduction in Congress of a bill 

 proposing the reservation of a definite site on the Mall, in Washing- 

 ton, for the National Air Museum building. Introduced in the Senate 

 on May 2, 1957, by the Honorable Clinton P. Anderson, this bill, 

 S. 1985, would reserve for this Museum an area directly across the 

 Mall from the National Gallery of Art. The site is bounded on the 

 north by Jefferson Drive, on the east by Fourth Street, on the south 

 by Independence Avenue, and on the west by Seventh Street, and 

 would provide space for a building with a base of approximately 

 300,000 square feet. It has been approved for the Museum by the 

 National Capital Planning Commission. 



Great progress was made in establishing a shop for the restoration 

 of aircraft that have long been in storage. The exhibition area re- 

 mains the same as in former years, but rearrangements were made 

 to give more space to individual exhibits. Important accessions were 

 received. The number of sources from which specimens were ob- 

 tained compares favorably with other years, while the number of 

 specimens acquired is greater than in any previous year owing to an 

 important transfer of aeronautical instruments and similar material 

 from the National Bureau of Standards. 



The fame of the National Air Museum as a depository for evidence 

 of aeronautical history and progress is constantly increasing. More 

 and more time is required from the staff to furnish information to 

 visitors and correspondents. Many demands for facts are received 

 by phone from Government agencies. It is increasingly apparent 

 that the aircraft industry and persons engaged in aeronautical 

 research depend on the Museum for this service. Accurate replies 

 should be given promptly, but the present curatorial staff can no 

 longer keep abreast of the increased demand. Two additional 

 curatorial positions have been authorized, and it is hoped that quali- 

 fied persons can be obtained to fill them. 



ADVISORY BOARD 



Two meetings of the Advisory Board of the National Air Museum 

 were held, at which progress was reported and plans discussed. 



ill 



