4 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1949 
Museum and of the Smithsonian Institution, and with the generous 
cooperation of the British Government the actual transfer of the 
plane took place in November 1948. It was brought across the 
Atlantic to Halifax on the Mauretania, from there to Bayonne, 
N.J., on the Navy carrier Palau, and to Washington by Navy truck. 
At the formal presentation on December 17, 1948, the ceremonies 
were opened by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. After 
the invocation by Maj. Gen. Luther D. Miller, Chief of Chaplains, 
Department of the Army, and greetings by the Presiding Officer, 
Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion, a message from the President of the United States was read by 
Col. Robert B. Landry, Air Force Aide to the President. His Britan- 
nic Majesty’s Ambassador, Sir Oliver Franks, K. C. B., C. B. E., 
then spoke on “Britain and the Wright Brothers,” after which the 
presentation of the aeroplane was made by Milton Wright, of Dayton, 
Ohio, on behalf of the estate of Orville Wright. Mr. Wright told of 
his boyhood recollections of his uncles’ bicycle shop where the Kitty 
Hawk plane was fabricated, and concluded thus: 
“The aeroplane means many things to many people. To some it 
may be a vehicle for romantic adventure or simply quick transporta- 
tion. To others it may be a military weapon or a means of relieving 
suffering. To me it represents the fabric, the glue, the spruce, the 
sheet metal, and the wire which, put together under commonplace 
circumstances but with knowledge and skill, gave substance to 
dreams and fulfillment to hopes.” 
The aeroplane was accepted on behalf of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion by Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, Chancellor of the Institution, 
and the address of acceptance was given by Vice President-Elect 
Alben W. Barkley, a regent of the Institution. In the course of his 
address Mr. Barkley expressed one thought that doubtless was in the 
minds of all participants in the ceremony: 
“Tt is a matter of deep regret to all of us that Orville Wright could 
not have been here today to see this wide public recognition of achieve- 
ment, and receive in person the fitting acclaim to his brother, to 
himself, and to their Kitty Hawk plane. We are grateful to all of 
those who have made it possible to bring the plane back to its native 
soil, and especially to the heirs of the estate of Orville Wright, for 
depositing the Kitty Hawk machine here where all America will have 
an opportunity to see it, and where all may do it fitting honor.” 
The Kitty Hawk aeroplane now hangs suspended from the ceiling 
of the north hall of the National Museum’s Aris and Industries 
Building, where the presentation ceremony was held. Directly back 
of the main entrance, the plane is the first object to meet the eyes of 
