NO. I ETHNOGEOGRAPHIC BOARD BENNETT I3 



The Board met twice a year as an advisory and policy-making body. 

 Beyond this it liad no continuing function. 



The original Board consisted of six members : Carl E. Guthe, 

 anthropologist, University of Michigan, now Director of the New 

 York State Museum, Chairman ; Wendell C. Bennett, anthropologist, 

 Yale University ; Carter Goodrich, economist, Columbia University ; 

 John E. Graf, entomologist and Assistant Secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution ; Robert B. Hall, geographer. University of Michi- 

 gan ; and Wilbur A. Sawyer, medicine and public health, Rockefeller 

 Foundation. Later the membership was increased to seven by the 

 addition of Mortimer Graves, language and literature, American 

 Council of Learned Societies. In the course of time, two members, 

 Drs. Hall and Sawyer, resigned and were replaced by Isaiah Bowman, 

 geographer, Johns Hopkins University ; and William Duncan Strong, 

 anthropologist and ex-Director of the Board, Columbia University. 

 In general the Board had sufficient backing to allow selection of 

 members for interest and action, rather than front or prestige. 



The Board membership was kept small by deliberate policy. At 

 one point the Board asked the Sponsors to add three more members, 

 preferably in or near W'ashington, so as to give representation to 

 such fields as history, political science, sociology and psychology. The 

 Sponsors declined, on the grounds that the group was already work- 

 ing harmoniously and new additions might disturb this. In effect, 

 this was true. in that the members cooperated well and took a sincere 

 interest in the work. That is, with the exception of the geographers, 

 who, through lack of interest and because of other obligations, never 

 appeared at a Board meeting. 



Until 1945 the Board met twice a year, and the mimeographed 

 minutes of the five meetings have been important documents for 

 the present history. At each meeting, the Board reviewed the activi- 

 ties of its Directorate, discussed questions of policy, suggested new 

 procedures, considered appointments to the staff, and approved the 

 budget. The Sponsors thought of the Board as an advisory body to 

 guide and aid the Directorate. However, no seven scholars are con- 

 tent to limit their discussions to advice, and consequently each meet- 

 ing brought forth many suggestions on broad problems, techniques, 

 and needs. Frequently these resulted in recommending new action 

 for the Washington office, which harassed the poor Director, although 

 seldom were such mandates clearly enough framed to guide his course 

 of activity. 



The Board appointed the professional staff members, consultants. 



