l8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7 



Brief Summary of the Activities of the Ethnogeographic Board, August i, 

 1943, to July 31, 1944- ' 



Report of Progress, Ethnogeographic Board, 1942-1945. 



The Conference Board of Associated Research Councils discussed 

 the Ethnogeographic Board at each meeting and sent copies of its 

 minutes to the Director and the Board members. 



General 



The accomplishments of the Board, to be described in detail, reflect 

 the organization. The Directorate determined the pattern and geared 

 its stafif for the various types of services to the Army, Navy, and w^ar 

 agencies. Judging by the quantity and quality of these services, the 

 Board and the Directorate were successful. However, the total or- 

 ganization was inadequate for many needed research activities because 

 the staff lacked the necessary personnel, the Director was too occupied 

 by the immediate urgencies, and the Board itself was too remote 

 and passive. 



The Board was supposed to be interdisciplinary, but it is clear from 

 this review of the organization that it was dominated by anthro- 

 pologists. The Director and the five professionals on his stafif, three 

 out of the six consultants, the Chairman and one member (later two) 

 of the Board, and four out of the seven official liaison officers with the 

 Army and Navy were all anthropologists. The Board was created by 

 the anthropological committees of the National Research Councils, 

 and continued to be dominated by the one profession, in spite of at- 

 tempts to branch out. This overemphasis may possibly have handi- 

 capped the full potential development of the Ethnogeographic Board. 



BUDGET 



The idea of an Ethnogeographic Board became a reality when the 

 Smithsonian Institution offered to provide salaries for the Director 

 and one assistant, office space and service, and some clerical assistance. 

 The three Councils at once agreed to add a sum for other expenses 

 during the initial trial period and to consider making an application 

 for further financial support. The Ethnogeographic Board was 

 launched, then, on a budget for the first 6 months of $3,000, plus the 

 Smithsonian's contribution. Another $1,000 was added to this as a 

 special item for the Committee on Asiatic Geography. The geogra- 

 phers spent about one-half of their fund, and the Board itself operated 

 successfully on slightly less than its $3,000. 



Before the close of this trial period the three Councils and the 



