46 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I07 



Academic Relations 



The Ethnogeographic Board did not devise any special promotion 

 techniques for establishing relationships with the academic institu- 

 tions, but depended on its Board members, consultants, cooperating 

 committees, and Sponsors. The articles in Science and The Scientific 

 Monthly and the summaries in the annual reports 'of the Councils 

 reached many scholars, and most of the leading professional socie- 

 ties were reached by correspondence, particularly in connection with 

 the Area Roster. The brochure and some of the mimeographed 

 materials were sent to a few institutions and scholars, although with- 

 out systematic coverage. 



Although a sizeable number of scholars learned about the Eth- 

 nogeographic Board, either directly or indirectly, the relationships 

 were inadequate in that few appreciated the potentialities of this 

 direct channel to Government for their scholarly programs and re- 

 search. The Director was aware that the academif relations were 

 unsatisfactory and brought up this subject at practically every Board 

 meeting. The analysis of this problem involves much more than 

 promotion techniques and, consequently, is reserved for a later 

 discussion. 



INFORMATION 



One of the major functions of the Washington office during the 

 first year and a half consisted of answering questions. The Area 

 Roster and tne information files were assembled for this purpose. 

 The promotion techniques encouraged Government agencies to ask 

 questions, and the staff even assisted in phrasing these so that 

 they could be answered more effectively. Judging by the quantity 

 of inquiries received, these services were amply utilized. Queries 

 came in by telephone, official visitors, and by mail. The liaison 

 officers forwarded others from many branches of the Army and 

 Navy. 



Some questions could be answered immediately, others involved 

 several hours or days of search. The more substantial questions, 

 and their answers, were kept in a card file, but there is no record of 

 all the ones answered quickly. All letter requests and copies of 

 answers were available, so that these, plus the card file, allow a gen- 

 eral description of the nature, source, and variety of the questions, 

 as well as the Board's technique and effectiveness in answering. The 

 questions can be grouped into several major categories, although 

 these are not always mutually exclusive, owing partly to the complex 



