CONTRIBUTIONS OF GEOGRAPHY 191 



Division was also instrumental in stimulating the preparation 

 and publication of several pamphlets describing the physical 

 features of the environment of some of the army training 

 camps. These reports, generally issued by the State Geological 

 Survey, emphasized the topographic features of military sig- 

 nificance, the physiography and its influence on the economic 

 development of the region described. 



The Division was also active in collecting important in- 

 formation on a variety of subjects of military importance 

 which it supplied to the interested Government Departments. 

 Most of the information was of a geological nature, but in its 

 treatment it was somewhat geographical. 



American geographers were called upon to serve the Gov- 

 ernment in the War Trade Board and other organizations, and 

 a number were commissioned as officers in the army, some for 

 service at Washington and others for service abroad. Two 

 were assigned by the War Department to make detailed geo- 

 graphical studies along the western and Italian fronts, and one 

 of these was also sent to the Balkans on a similar mission. 

 American meteorologists were commissioned as officers and 

 sent to France to contribute their aid to our military opera- 

 tions. The " Inquiry " organized during the war under the 

 direction of Colonel House, and directed by the President to 

 make preparations for the coming Peace Conference, had its 

 headquarters in the building of the American Geographical 

 Society at New York, employed the map collections and map 

 making facilities of the Society in its work, had the Director 

 of the Society, Dr. Bowman, as its executive secretary, and 

 enrolled other geographers on its staff of experts. The first 

 troops to leave for Europe took with them collections of de- 

 tailed maps provided by this same Society. These are but 

 examples of the many ways in which geography came to the 

 aid of the American Government in solving problems arising 

 from the war. 



As an aid in preparing for some of the problems of the 

 Peace Conference the ** Inquiry " undertook the preparation of 



