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UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 
ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY 
NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM 
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
ffiashinatan 25, D.C. 
ns. a. 
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART 
NATIONAL COLLECTION OF FINE ARTS 
FREER GALLERY OF ART 
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE SERVICE 
CANAL ZONE BIOLOGICAL AREA 
March 18, 19^9 
Dr. Alexander Wetmore 
c/o Captain L. D, Snell 
Albrook Air Force Base 
Canal Zone 
Bear Dr. Wetmore: 
Not hearing from you about a reply to Cole on the puzzling Panama 
matter, I sent him a letter, copy of which is enclosed. I think we are 
entirely in the clear on this. We have reached a pretty sad state if 
we cannot publish findings of national commissions. The more I look into 
the matter the more I think we can argue with Mr. Thomas in case the 
matter is brought to his attention. 
As to the Hoover recommendations for the Smithsonian, I asked Jack 
to go to the Bureau of the Budget to check whether they were preparing 
any executive orders pending approval of the overall bill. Questions 
asked by Dr. Keddy and answers given by Mr. Lawton are as follows: 
(1) Are any changes contemplated in the legal or organizational 
status of the Smithsonian Institution? 
Answer: no 
(2) Are any changes being considered relative to the present 
relationships of the Institution with the President and other 
Governmental agencies? 
Answer: no 
(3) Will the officers of the Smithsonian Institution have an oppor¬ 
tunity to present their views in advance if any change in the 
Institution’s legal or organizational status or relationships 
should come up in the future for consideration? 
Answer: yes 
Other Hoover recommendations which have come in and which might 
interest you are 
(1) That Commercial Fisheries be taken from Fish and Wildlife and 
turned over to Commerce; 
(2) That Public Buildings be transferred to Interior; 
(3) That Army Engineers be transferred to Interior; 
(4) That N.A.C.A. go to Commerce; 
(5) That Indian Affairs be transferred from Interior to a new department 
for social science, education and Indian affairs; 
(6) That Land Management, except Minerals, go to Agriculture. 
