NO. I ETHNOGEOGRAPHIC BOARD BENNETT 'JJ 



A number of polite letters acknowledged the report. Two took 

 exception to some points and made valuable suggestions for a follow- 

 up statement. All United States' members of the Joint Bolivian- 

 United States Labour Commission, who went to Bolivia following 

 the tin miners' strikes, carried copies of the report and its influence 

 is reflected in their publication: Labour Problems in Bolivia (Inter- 

 national Labour Office, Montreal, 1943). Dr. Maes submitted a 

 special statement, which emphasized the concrete proposals of the 

 conference, to the National Indian Institute, Department of the In- 

 terior. In spite of all this publicity, no one suggested a follow-up 

 meeting or further discussion. Even the Ethnogeographic Board 

 showed no further interest, although here was an excellent oppor- 

 tunity for one of its famous dinner conferences. 



The research technique, if such a conference can be so labeled, was 

 successful in the sense that it produced a preliminary report on an 

 important problem. In spite of this, no others were held. An abor- 

 tive attempt to hold a conference on "Ethnic Conditions in the 

 Amazon Basin" was abandoned because the various persons asked 

 did not see how to organize it. The Provost of Yale, in commenting 

 on the procedure in a letter to the Director, thought that the univer- 

 sities would be receptive to proposals of this kind, but that there would 

 be difficulties in finding key men sufficiently free from other duties to 

 give much energy to such enterprises. 



Survey of Area Studies in American Universities 



The Ethnogeographic Board, with its area interests and academic 

 affiliations, was in an excellent position to undertake an objective 

 survey and analysis of the foreign area courses offered at many uni- 

 versities. Historically speaking, however, it got involved in such a sur- 

 vey somewhat accidentally. 



At the September 1943 meeting of the Board the Director pointed 

 out the desirability of hiring a competent assistant who could organize 

 the regional materials acquired by the Board, obtain additional infor- 

 mation from the universities and the scientific world, and make all 

 this available to the area training programs of both universities and 

 the armed forces. This idea was approved, and Elizabeth Bacon was 

 employed for the purpose. Since many universities would have to be 

 visited Dr. Fenton, whose work on the Area Roster was no longer 

 too demanding, was also assigned to this task. The survey was ini- 

 tiated in January 1944. 



Dr. Fenton was delegated to represent the Ethnogeographic Board 



