SECRETARY'S REPORT 117 



and flown into the Washington Airport, was disassembled there by 

 Museum persomiel with help of the airline crew and hauled by truck 

 to Suitland, the fuselage being towed on its own wheels. The Ger- 

 man V-l buzz bomb of World War II was assembled and painted, 

 with the assistance of Andrews Air Force Base mechanics. At the 

 close of the year preparations were being made to set up our own 

 paint-spraying booth. 



In Building 1 a shop for maintenance of vehicular and handling 

 equipment has been organized. Because much of the equipment for 

 lifting heavy loads was obtained from Government surplus stock, it 

 has required reconditioning. Repairs have been conducted during the 

 year on five forklifts, a crane, truck, and bulldozer, and the associated 

 slings, dollies, jacks, hoists, and other material. Some repairs have 

 been made to the roads connecting the buildings. 



The four large aircraft that remain stored in the open at Andrews 

 Air Force Base, and which suffered from vandalism and exposure 

 until Museum persomiel could be engaged to care for them, were the 

 first to receive preservative attention from the Museum crew. All 

 openings on these aircraft were sealed; control surfaces, propellers, 

 and tires removed; engines cleaned and sprayed; landing gears 

 shored ; and the wings and fuselages securely tied down. 



Final projects of the year were the unloading of the Bell VTOL 

 aircraft, and the removal of two airplanes from exhibition for repair. 



ASSISTANCE TO GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS 



During the fiscal year it was acknowledged by the Court of Claims 

 that the Curtiss Army racing airplane of 1925, preserved here since 

 1927, embodies wing details that enabled the Government successfully 

 to defend itself against a claim involving nearly half a million dollars. 

 That amount alone is several times the annual appropriation for this 

 Museum. In addition, the Justice Department was furnished infor- 

 mation and shown material relative to claims pertaining to rotorcraft, 

 airplane control devices, and parachute releases. The fact that this 

 information was readily made available to the investigators saved time 

 and expense to the Justice Department. If the related specimens had 

 not been preserved the Government's cause would certainly have been 

 weakened. 



Many offices within the Government requested and received as- 

 sistance and information from the Museum during the year. Among 

 these were the U. S. Information Agency; the Office of Military 

 History; the Air Force Information Service; the Department of 

 Defense, Office of Public Information, and the same Department's 

 Office of Scientific Information ; the Air Force Research Unit ; the Air 

 Research and Development Command ; the State Department, Office of 



