REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE SMITH- 
SONIAN INSTITUTION 
ALEXANDER WETMORE 
FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1949 
To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: 
GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit herewith my report show- 
ing the activities and condition of the Smithsonian Institution and 
its bureaus during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1949. 
GENERAL STATEMENT 
The Institution continued vigorously to pursue its program of 
activities in ‘‘the increase and diffusion of knowledge” as stipulated 
by its founder, James Smithson. The increase of knowledge is fos- 
tered by original scientific researches and explorations in the fields 
of anthropology, biology, geology, and astrophysics; the diffusion of 
knowledge, by publications in a number of series that are distributed 
free to libraries and educational institutions throughout the world, 
by extensive museum and art gallery exhibits, by the International 
Exchange Service for the world-wide interchange of scientific and 
governmental publications, and by a large correspondence, both 
national and international. 
I present first certain general features of the year’s activities, 
together with a summary of the work of the several bureaus of the 
Institution, to afford a concise picture of the events of the year. 
Next follow appendixes containing more detailed reports on each 
bureau, and finally there appears the financial statement of the Execu- 
tive Committee of the Board of Regents. The appendixes contain 
reports on the United States National Museum, the National Gallery 
of Art, the National Collection of Fine Arts, the Freer Gallery of 
Art, the Bureau of American Ethnology, the International Exchange 
Service, the National Zoological Park, the Astrophysical Observatory, 
the National Air Museum, the Canai Zone Biological Area, the Smith- 
sonian library, and the publications of the Institution. 
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