4 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



Six Nations, or Iroquois, in the William L. Clements Library of the 

 University of Michigan. Returning to Washington in September, 

 Dr. Fenton resumed his research at the Bureau of American Ethnol- 

 ogy. He organized and conducted the Seventh Conference on Iro- 

 quois Research held at Red House, N. Y., October 5-7. In November 

 he participated in a symposium on the training of professional anthro- 

 pologists, which was held on the occasion of the annual meetings 

 of the American Anthropological Association. Late in November 

 Dr. Fenton was called to the National Research Council to organize 

 a national conference on disaster studies, in which he participated 

 on December 6. He resigned his position with the Bureau to accept 

 an appointment as executive secretary of the Division of Anthro- 

 pology and Psychology at the National Research Council and began 

 his duties on January 1, 1952. 



Dr. Philip Drucker reported for duty as general anthropologist 

 on January 3, 1952, immediately following his release to inactive duty 

 by the United States Navy. On February 15 he proceeded to Mexico 

 D. F., for a period of 6 weeks, which he spent studying the large 

 offering of artifacts of jade and similar materials excavated in 1941 

 at Cerro de las Mesas by the National Geographic-Smithsonian 

 Institution archeological project. This collection is housed in the 

 National Museum of Mexico. On his return to Washington he pre- 

 pared a descriptive monograph on the collection, which was ready 

 to be submitted to the Director of the Bureau at the end of 

 the fiscal year. In addition. Dr. Drucker continued his studies of 

 Meso-American archeology in general. 



RIVER BASIN SURVEYS 



(Report prepared by Frank H. H. Roberts, Jr.) 



The River Basin Surveys, organized in the autumn of 1945 as a unit 

 of the Bureau of American Ethnology to carry into effect a memo- 

 randum of understanding between the Smithsonian Institution and 

 the National Park Service, continued its operations throughout the 

 year. The memorandum provides for the salvage of archeological 

 and paleontological materials that would otherwise be lost as a result 

 of numerous projects for flood control and irrigation, hydroelectric 

 installations, and navigation improvements in the river basins of the 

 United States. As in the past, the investigations were conducted in 

 cooperation with the National Park Service and the Bureau of 

 Reclamation of the Department of the Interior, the Corps of Engi- 

 neers of the Department of the Army, and a number of nongovern- 

 mental local institutions. The operations as a whole are called the 

 Inter- Agency Archeological and Paleontological Salvage Program. 



