112 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1957 



Two changes occurred in the membership of the Board. Maj. Gen. 

 John P. Doyle, who retired from the Air Force, was succeeded by 

 Maj. Gen. Reuben C. Hood, Jr., as representative of the Chief of Staff 

 of the Air Force. The vacancy created by the death in 1956 of 

 William B. Stout was filled by the Presidential appointment of 

 Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle. The other members of the Board, Dr. 

 Leonard Carmichael, chairman ; Rear Adm. James S. Russell, repre- 

 senting the Chief of Naval Operations; and Grover Loening, 

 Presidential appointee, continued their service on this Board. 



At the meeting of the Board on December 14, 1956, all members were 

 present. The chairman summarized the history of the National Air 

 Museum ; described progress in the care of stored aircraft ; and again 

 acknowledged the generous gift from the Aircraft Industries Associa- 

 tion and the Air Transport Association of $25,000, used for an archi- 

 tectural study of a National Air Museum building. Mr. Loening 

 advocated the division of the Museum into two parts : a monumental 

 exhibition building for outstanding specimens, and a secondary facil- 

 ity in suburban Washington for the study collections. Dr. Carmichael 

 outlined the difficulties encountered during efforts to obtain a preferred 

 site for the exhibition building. Because of prospects of expansion, 

 the appointment of a director for the Museum was urged. Coopera- 

 tion with the new Air Force Central Museum recently established at 

 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio was discussed. A letter 

 affirming Air Force policy was presented by General Hood, in which it 

 was stated that aeronautical specimens held by the Air Force that were 

 primarily of national importance would be transferred to the National 

 Air Museum whenever space becomes available for their display. A 

 progress report was presented on the sculpturing and casting of the 

 William Mitchell statue. The Board resolved that it be accepted and 

 an appropriate ceremony be scheduled for its presentation. Follow- 

 ing a discussion of several aircraft believed to be available to the 

 Museum, and a statement by Admiral Russell regarding the problems 

 experienced by the Navy in recording and storing specimens being pre- 

 served for the Museum, the meeting adjourned. 



The next meeting of the Advisory Board was held on May 24, 1957, 

 following the news of the bill introduced in Congress to reserve a site 

 on the Mall for the National Air Museum. All members attended the 

 meeting and enthusiastically discussed the advantages of this site and 

 plans for the building. It was pointed out that details of building 

 construction and exhibition arrangements studied during the planning 

 of buildings for other proposed sites could be utilized in determining 

 the form of structure and interior arrangements for this latest project. 

 It was agreed that the next step would be to obtain authorization by 

 the Congress for the construction of the building and funds for the 

 preparation of plans. 



