I Aan Lani - © TED \ a ' } , * - } aN 4 ] q ? . t +4 AD ots Tae | ..s =* mao * { . f 7 ¥, ate : THe s * i SMITHSONIAN YEAR +1977 Statement by the Secretary iz * j fl » ay ? se nt SOE eA eae ae 1 1sonian Year 1977, Programs and Activities, a detailed report, vailable from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. sere ee Ot a RR Anita dg Bam 4 ae The Years Ahead STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY S. DILLON RIPLEY The Smithsonian Institution * 1977 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 67-7980 FRONTISPIECE: Olomana: Hawaiian sugar plantation locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1883 was presented to the National Museum of History and Technology by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald M. Best. (Photo by G. M. Best) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., 20402 (paper cover) Stock Number: 047-000-99349-1 The Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution was created by act of Congress in 1846 in accordance with the terms of the will of James Smithson of Eng- land, who in 1826 bequeathed his property to the United States of America “to found at Washington, under the name of the Smith- sonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” After receiving the property and ac- cepting the trust, Congress incorporated the Institution in an “es- tablishment,” whose statutory members are the President, the Vice President, the Chief Justice, and the heads of the executive depart- ments, and vested responsibility for administering the trust in the Smithsonian Board of Regents. THE ESTABLISHMENT Jimmy Carter, President of the United States Walter F. Mondale, Vice President of the United States Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State W. Michael Blumenthal, Secretary of the Treasury Harold Brown, Secretary of Defense Griffin B. Bell, Attorney General Cecil D Andrus, Secretary of the Interior Bob S. Bergland, Secretary of Agriculture Juanita M Kreps, Secretary of Commerce F. Ray Marshall, Secretary of Labor Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Patricia Roberts Harris, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Brock Adams, Secretary of Transportation James R. Schlesinger, Secretary of Energy Board of Regents and Secretary - September 30, 1977 REGENTS OF THE INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THE SECRETARY Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States, Chancellor Walter F. Mondale, Vice President of the United States Henry M. Jackson, Member of the Senate Barry Goldwater, Member of the Senate Claiborne Pell, Member of the Senate George H. Mahon, Member of the House of Representatives Elford A. Cederberg, Member of the House of Representatives Corinne C. Boggs, Member of the House of Representatives J. Paul Austin, citizen of Georgia John Nicholas Brown, citizen of Rhode Island William A. M. Burden, citizen of New York Murray Gell-Mann, citizen of California Caryl P. Haskins, citizen of the District of Columbia A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., citizen of Pennsylvania Thomas J. Watson, Jr., citizen of Connecticut James E. Webb, citizen of the District of Columbia Warren E. Burger, Chancellor (Board of Regents) William A. M. Burden Caryl P. Haskins James E. Webb (Chairman) S. Dillon Ripley Dorothy Rosenberg, Executive Assistant to the Secretary John F. Jameson, Assistant Secretary for Administration Charles Blitzer, Assistant Secretary for History and Art David Challinor, Assistant Secretary for Science Paul N. Perrot, Assistant Secretary for Museum Programs Julian T. Euell, Assistant Secretary for Public Service T. Ames Wheeler, Treasurer Peter G. Powers, General Counsel Richard L. Ault, Director, Support Activities James McK. Symington, Director, Membership and Development Lawrence E. Taylor, Coordinator, Public Information vi Smithsonian Year - 1977 STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY takes of the new film overview on with Secretary Ripley as the narrator. g for one of the AS | po re: Ww c — = A = ° Ww & = E Ww) v r + ot °o G ‘a 4s 7) Ww w G as od G v a | he os UO G « ‘Ee 2 oe > w G om The Years Ahead S. DILLON RIPLEY As THE YEARS OF THE Bicentennial proceed—Lexington and Concord to Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris—1775-1783, it is astonishing to think that in a mere fifteen years, America will have come to another milestone, the five-hundredth anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the New World. Chicago celebrated that anniversary last, with a great mid-continental fair, representing the four-hun- dredth anniversary of the discovery of America. The World’s Co- lumbian Exposition in Chicago, held in 1893 (a year late), was the greatest of its kind ever produced in this country, an exhilarating outpouring of creativity in the arts—architecture especially—in the proofs of our new technological genius, and in an evocation of the spirit which has gone to make America what it is. Last year in a speech in Chicago, I urged the citizens of the mid-continent to think at once if they had any intention of replicating that enliven- ing occasion, for it is never too early to plan for such a celebration. The Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition was visited by twenty- seven and a half million people in 1893, at a time when the popula- tion of the United States was about sixty-seven million. How could it have been possible that the equivalent of forty-one percent of the citizens of the country could have visited Chicago in six months? In 1976 at our own Bicentennial celebrations in Washington, we estimated that 20,458,250 people visited the Smithsonian. We had thought that at least we could equal Chicago’s figure. There are planes and cars now, where there were simply trains and wagons before. But it was not to be. Of course our Bicentennial exhibits like the new Air and Space Museum itself, and the smashing 1876 Show at the Arts and Industries Building, will go on for several [3] years—for a generation or more at least in the case of the Air and Space Museum, at the moment the most popular museum of its kind in the world. But meanwhile, the population of the United States is more than two hundred and ten million, and so our pro- portion of visits to the capital of the country seems pale by com- parison. Why was the turnout so small compared to expectations? Everyone seems to say that travelers stayed away from Washington in 1976 because of the general belief that huge masses of tourists were coming, and there would be immense and fatiguing crowds. Well, the crowds stayed away, which made our Festival of American Folklife, all twelve weeks of it, the best and easiest ever to enjoy. Meanwhile, people have been coming to the capital in droves since the late autumn of 1976, and our visitation has climbed as- toundingly, topping 27 million in 1977. There is no doubt that the museums of Washington continue to draw immense crowds and to maintain their traditional popularity. In spite of the expense of travel these days, the difficulties of parking (the new METRO prom- ises to be an immense boon here), and the stay-at-home lure of television—not a satisfactory substitute in any case, at least in its present form—the people come, and most of them seem to feel it highly worthwhile from the reports we receive. The number of our Smithsonian Associates continues to grow, well exceeding one and a half million at present. Last winter I wrote a letter to a random sample of Associates, and received, according to our circulation experts, an astonishing number of replies. With five or six exceptions, the answers were extremely encouraging. “You're doing great. Keep it up!” was a familiar refrain. With an organization spread all over the country it is important to have some feeling of a link back and forth, to know what people might like, what could be improved, and how to make our public services better. For some years we maintained visitors books in the museums, asking people to comment and make suggestions. The procedure was cumbersome and relatively unrewarding. We could not service the comments effectively to assess the data received. It is always hard to know how people feel. Normally, we only hear complaints about visits to the buildings, small discourtesies (rare), loss of copies of the magazine, or subscription mix-ups. People complain bitterly about missing out on some of our tours, [4] and I know that our small Associates staff finds this as nagging a regret as I do. Who would not like to go on a tour that was small and well-managed, with an intelligent guide? If quality is to be maintained then this is the way our tours must be conducted, and so heartaches result when the lists of applicants are filled out in a twinkling. All I can do is insure that there has been no prejudice or bias in favoring one associate over another. In this age of assump- tions, brought on by the conviction that somehow comforts and conveniences are our birthright, a constant reminder of the incon- stancy of life—as we shall point out later in this report—is the breakdown in human communications. In spite of the glories of the Bicentennial year, the successful openings, so long planned, so efficiently executed by Smithsonian curators, exhibits specialists, and the myriad of helpers in the wings, from janitors, cleaning forces to directors and supervisors of security, the latter part of the year has had a sort of “morning after the night before” feeling. It is like cleaning up the trash at the fair- grounds after the circus has left. One wonders if it has all been worthwhile? As the haze of autumn days shortened to the deep darkness of the most extraordinarily cold winter of ’76—’77, as the government reformed itself with a new President, hailed as a fresh voice from the hinterland to lead us into green pastures, a certain sourness, generated by uncertainty perhaps, pervaded the Washing- ton scene. No one seemed to know quite where they were, and it was easy and characteristic under such circumstances to blame someone else. | It has been several years now since the end of the Vietnam War, and nearly half as many years since the bewildering period that culminated in Watergate. In these cynical and disillusioned years numerous young people have grown up, are now in their thirties, working hard for a living in a tough time. Behind them they have left college years, often unhappy, filled with unanswered questions, frustrating and destructive of idealism. The processes of education have been badly eroded in these years. Pessimism about education and the virtues of science has taken over. Our surveys of standard tests tell us that the majority of college graduates cannot read or reckon properly for the level of their ages or the anticipated qualifi- cations which presume the degrees they hold. Language, history, and mathematics have suffered particularly, and stereotyped grunt- [5] ing interjections such as “like” or “right” and the inevitable “OK” outnumber most of the words of any of our sentences these days. Ten years later, then, with idealism as a commodity at its nadir, with disillusion as a norm, is it any wonder that to this generation the existence of institutions is questioned, whether they be intellec- tual practices such as the pursuit of science, or structures such as foundations, colleges, or places of learning? Government itself is suspect in the same terms. It is not only massive and growing at an exponential rate, but is conducted by “bureaucrats,” (whoever they are), faceless drones, whose honesty is in question, and whose stu- pidity is taken for granted, or so the current thinking goes. Simi- larly, government is perceived as administered by venal hucksters called politicians, surrounded by henchmen and toadies. In this atmosphere of disillusionment which seems to have surged again, post-Bicentennial, a new President—fresh from a rural set- ting, speaking of honesty, morality, and the essential humanity of human rights—has had a powerful impress upon us. I, for one, have been captured anew by a dream of the restoration of confi- dence that could come with a renewed sense of faith in our insti- tutions and a humbling sense of the duty of our government to work for all our citizens. Surely the Bicentennial must have re- minded us of the necessity of history. This must have been part of the vital reawakening of interest in our roots, which made our latest seminar at the Smithsonian on “Kin and Communities: The Peopling of America” so popular. I have the impression, however, that many people in their thir- ties, working hard as they may be—or studying esoteric religions, or just doing nothing to celebrate their ingrained disillusionment— have not regained any convictions. Underneath, they may lack any real feelings for the worth of our system, the value of our culture, the essential role of science in helping to make a better world. They have become steeped in myths generated by a profound cynicism, even while they may be at work in the system. One area where this can be seen is in the media, where careers now depend upon alleged triumphs of investigative reporting, based upon the principle that all persons in leadership roles have arrived there by corrupt means, and must constantly be undressed in public to dis- cern what new warts or moles of roguery have grown upon their backs overnight. [6] This is sad for our country. It combines with the new adminis- tration’s strictures about morality to imply that all old established institutions are somehow elitist or autocratic per se. It accompanies a wave of neo-populism, always present in American thought, al- lied both to the frontier spirit on the one hand and a revival of mysticism on the other. Curiously, the Know-Nothing political party of the 1850s flourished also in an aura of agnosticism. Cer- tainly we live in secular times. Cynicism and iconoclasm go hand in hand. As a scientist I enjoy honest skepticism, but I question the rise of materialism, the carelessness for facts and honesty, the disrespect for learning which have overtaken our communications, our speech, and our human congress one with another. Is democ- racy itself somehow hostile to intellectual talent as John Hope Franklin suggested in his 1976 Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities? We extol “elitists,” ie., “the cream of the crop” in business, in sports, or the entertainment world, or even politicians, especially if they become statesmen. Somehow intellectuals get shafted with the slogan “elitist’’ while golf champions escape. This is an abnegation in our rationale of culture, akin to the present problems with education testing. It could be a foretaste of mediocrity. As an institution, the Smithsonian epitomizes the very essence of the best of American cultural evolution, that unique marriage of public and private support for intellectual pursuits which marks our history. Historically, the earlier attempts in this country to rally the powers of government in the support of cultural activities generally failed. George Washington nurtured hopes for a national university. John Quincy Adams tried to create a great national observatory and could find no public support for it. It was always philanthropy which even in the early days was called upon to support spiritual or unmaterial concepts. Even the monument built to honor the Father of our Country, George Washington, was started with a popular subscription. When this early philanthropy failed, an unabashed Congress let the stump of the Washington Monument stand unfinished for forty years before finally author- izing funds to complete it in the 1870s and 1880s. The Smithsonian felt some of this lack of sympathy in its early relations with the Congress. Once the Institution had been author- ized—by a narrow margin of votes after eight long years of arguing ee whether to accept the philanthropic bequest of the Englishman, James Smithson, as a governmental trust—the United States na- tional museum collections were foisted on the new creation. Pre- sumably, the then Congress thought that the Smithsonian, created by a private bequest for original study and exchange of information for human good, would relieve the government of the expense of meeting its former accepted and proper responsibilities. Fortunately Joseph Henry, the first administrator of the Institution, with help from its new board of trustees, the Regents, was able to steer a course for justice. By the 1850s, Congress had agreed to authorize annual appropriations for the maintenance of the collections which would be exhibited as part of the Smithsonian’s museum functions for the public good. As Henry put it in his annual report for 1858: “every civilized government of the world has its museum which it supports with a liberality commensurate with its intelligence and financial ability, while there is but one Smithsonian Institution—that is, an estab- lishment having expressly for its object the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” If we perform the museum functions for our government then, we do it in partnership with the Congress, the Smithsonian employing its best expertise to “increase and dif- fuse knowledge,” while at the same time curating and exhibiting the national treasures that we have been given, with appropriations granted us for the public good. This sort of partnership has worked very well and, indeed, it has been an unigue contribution of America, the blending of public and private or trust funds for education and for cultural activities, providing at once great flexibility and full accountability. The rise of the state college system in this country in the 1860s, through land grant and other indirect support, was a pioneering venture. Perhaps the example of the Smithsonian should be considered more impor- tant historically than it has been. That gift, accepted somewhat re- luctantly in 1846, was the first in a gradual awakening of govern- ment interest in supporting education and culture. By the 1880s and 1890s, the college system was in full swing. By the post-World War II years of this century the trend had become overwhelming, al- though in the process museums and nondegree-granting institutions like our own had lagged far behind in the amount of public support or of clear recognition of their value to general education. [8 ] Education in this country with its accompanying degrees has al- ways had a magic appeal of its own, as a kind of personal ticket of admission, an opportunity for every disadvantaged child to make its own way upward, ever upward, by its bootstraps, to a great wel- coming plateau of achievement, success, and happiness. Whatever the eventual results, the juggernaut of education with its own built- in megastructure of associations, societies for the promotion of this and that, faculties of every kind, and lobbies, has created the vast Health, Education and Welfare Department, largest in the world, to evoke this promise of our boundless land of plenty. No wonder our system has also spawned the largest outpouring of studies in social psychology in history, as we peer into the records of the past for statistics and project them toward the future, attempting to find out where we went wrong. What happened along the way to the para- phernalia of learning, the ability to read, to assimilate and to pro- gress intellectually—even beyond the mere ability to master the complicated machines and technologies of our station in life? What happened to happiness? None of us knows the answer to these riddles, but I sometimes feel that we started off with a set of assumptions that was crude at best. History, and some acquaintance with philosophy and mathe- matics, should have taught us to be prepared. It is an interesting phenomenon of our times that the public, which often senses things better than those who think they know better, is visibly entranced by learning outside of the classroom, by open education, by new concepts of continuing education, and by the evident paradox of increasing interest in learning as a process. This can now be ex- tended over many years of adulthood, even as the age of physical maturation is pushed further into the realms of preconceived child- hood. What a dilemma for educators dealing with children, who are capable of creating children of their own, while still not ready for education in preparation for the stereotyped roles of adult life. It is clear that the distinction between “child” and “adult’” must be redefined morally and philosophically, even as it is being redefined physically. One of the obvious ways for educators, administrators, and planners alike to address the problem of when, how, and why to educate anybody is to strengthen support for our cultural organi- zations as distinct from the traditional patterns of education. From [9] kindergarten (and I have always believed that the Montessori sys- tem was by far the best) on through the ever briefer rites of child- hood into adulthood, people are telling us that they want more support for cultural activities which can be enjoyed together, com- munally, all ages—extended families—everyone. Government has responded with rapid rises in the support for the arts and the humanities, the National Endowments, a new Museum Services Act, and surprisingly vigorous support for the Smithsonian itself. All these indications at the federal level of government show to what an extent there has been a response to these movements to- ward the restoration of family, to the study of folkways, to his- tory, and to museum education and the performing arts. These interests are far greater and more pervasive than our government leaders had thought until recently. They will continue to grow for they speak to an essential need, almost as great as hunger. There is the need to recreate a sense of kinship, of belong- ing to something, beyond merely someone. On the surface, it may appear odd to associate museums with the innate needs of human beings. But I believe that it is true that museums provide a setting for open education in which all ages can participate together, in which the lessons of history can be wholly understood, and in which there are no barriers between people owing to age. People of all ages, and especially families, find museums a self-generating experience. Museums and their affiliate organs of experience and education—the arts in all forms—be- come thus a priority, not a frill or an indulgence. Museum exhibits are a testament to the need to reinterpret the past, to correct er- rors, to act in awareness of the constant need for measured truth and relevance. Like collections, exhibits lose their value if they are not nurtured, just as a history teacher’s lectures go stale if they are not constantly reassessed. A good example of our current revisions is a hall now being designed in the National Museum of Natural History/Museum of Man. It is on the history of what we know as “culture,” the his- tory of aggregations of peoples, hunting parties, family groups liv- ing in shelters, on to clans, tribes, the beginnings of towns and cities. A few years ago, design of this hall would have been a far more static process. Now, with the new knowledge brought by studies in animal domestication and the cultivation of plants, we [ 10 ] John Singleton Copley, self-portrait in oil on canvas executed circa 1780-1784. The acquisition by the National Portrait Gallery of this portrait was made pos- sible by a matching grant from The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Rockets reach for the stars in this unusual view of the National Air and Space Museum’s Space Hall. Director Michael Collins with the 1976 and 1977 World Freestyle Frisbee Champions, Erwin (left) and Jens (right) Velasquez at the National Air and Space Museum’s first Smithsonian Frisbee Festival which was held on September 4, 1977. Thousands of people attended the day-long Festival which featured demonstrations by Frisbee champions and instructional workshops taught by Frisbee afficionados from several states. ¥ ey Bas s as ees “ewe “i Se Female Atlas lion, one of several on loan from the National Zoo of Rabat, Morocco, watches over her cub at the National Zoological Park’s new big-cat complex. The Atlas lion has been extinct in the wild since the 1930s. At the National Museum of Natural History’s new Naturalist Center, botanical specimens are inspected by Irene Magyar, who directs the Center’s operation for the Museum’s Office of Education. (Photo by Richard K. Hofmeister) are pushing back the limits of such aggregations in time, beginning to understand the temporal threshhold between hunting and agri- culture and domestic life. At the same time, studies by biologists and animal-behavior research bring us to another focus, from the biological side, toward an understanding of the social aspects of animal populations, the refinements of animal psychology, trial- and-error learning, skills and tool-using by animals, the threshhold between innate behavior and the dawn of reasoning. So one hall will flow into another now, and the separation between our knowl- edge of ancestral man as part of fossil deposits laid down two or three million years ago and the earlier levels of integration of higher primate species as a living part of the environment are all beginning inexorably to flow together as a series of object lessons in the development of man and his place and his time. The latest hall of the origin of cultures, which follows the hall of ice-age life in the earlier Pleistocene period, follows in turn a hall of organic evolution. In the cultural layer of our tale to tell, our exposition of open education, we have been fascinated to find that the Museum already possesses a number of small but cogent collections from classical times. We had thought the Smithsonian deficient in classical archeological material not actively collected by ourselves at the turn of the century. This was the period when the Metropolitan, the Philadelphia Museum, and many others, re- flecting a new interest by wealthy patrons in Bible lands, Egyptian civilization, and Homeric times, had begun to follow the British, French, and Germans on the march to the lands of antiquity for treasure. We have recently found to our delight, however, a small but significant collection of material from Troy, presented to the National Museum by Mrs. Heinrich Schliemann in 1893, a small but lovely collection of Greek glass and materials of Hittite times, as well as a few significant Cycladic and even Egyptian artifacts. Thus, buried treasure can sometimes be unearthed in museums themselves, given the impetus toward new concepts of organizing exhibits and new intellectual syntheses. These halls, into which Dr. Porter Kier and the curators of natural history fields and anthro- pology alike have been delving, reflect great credit on the new modes of interdisciplinary thinking which produce them. They are as powerful in their potential effect as any teaching. Like a splen- did thesis, they evoke correlations and eventually new levels of cognition. [15 ] Few people realize how active the research programs of the Smithsonian are, or how they impinge on university training. This year’s research group at Washington and in Panama numbers forty-seven graduate and postdoctoral students from thirty-seven universities here and abroad, while at Smithsonian/Harvard, at the Center for Astrophysics, another ninety are at work, with pro- grams reaching downward, as in Washington, to the high school level for interns working with some of the fellowship recipients. All of this study is being performed under an equivalent number of Smithsonian staff, curators, and teachers alike. The subjects may be esoteric, or concerned with seemingly re- mote research, but some of it has highly applied by-product use, as in studies on ultraviolet radiation from the sun (skin cancers), and our long-range, important work at Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Center for Environmental Studies on land donated or acquired wholly with grants and private donations, has enjoyed close working relations with local schools and universities as well as such federal bodies as the Environmental Protection Agency. Recently Dr. Correll, the Associate Director of the Center, has concluded, after three years of research, that herbicides, spe- cifically two, atrazine (aatrax) and linuron (lorax) used in vast quantities on corn and soybean crops, are carried into the saline water as runoff, and eventually reach the bottom sediments of mud and clay, from which they are transported at random by storms and wind currents all over the Bay. The result has been a recent sharp decline in aquatic weeds, key plants in shellfish, fin- fish, and waterfowl food. Such plants are also helpful in fighting erosion, a serious problem especially on the windward sides of the Bay. This research, a by-product of our long-range attempt to document the life and succession and turnover of Chesapeake Bay’s environment, shows once more how often pure or basic research blends nowadays into applied uses. It is particularly true in the field of environmental conservation. Ecology is one of the most tedious of sciences from the point of view of planners or administrators or government bureau heads concerned with budgets. Nothing ever can be proven in a hurry. Fifteen years is not a bad average. In today’s world, budgets are just not planned that way, and so some of the more easily quanti- fiable sciences usually get the research grants and funds, while the [ 16 ] ee ee ae ee be ee ecologists, concerned with developing the truth, have to admit that they cannot come-up with quick solutions. They may thus earn the displeasure or disbelief of their sources of support. It will probably still be years before this aspect of environmental understanding is fully comprehended. Meanwhile the environmental-impact firms, anxious for a quick buck or a quick “fix” often do a considerable disservice to the science of ecology by producing answers to the search for rationales in doing things, development especially, with a farrago of half-truths. Suffice it to say that we are proud of our Chesapeake Bay re- search station, part of a network of coastal research sponsored by the Smithsonian almost continuously since the days of the second Secretary, Spencer F. Baird, whose industry while Secretary, helped to found the United States Fish Commission, ancestor of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and also parts of what is now the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the pioneer laboratories at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Do people like Baird exist any more? I sometimes wonder. How is it possible to be interested in so many things, and to be so ef- fective? We seem to live in an era of diminishing horizons in intellectual capacity these days, even when the boundaries of our universe are ever expanding. The common perception of an “ex- pert,” or otherwise an educated person, is that he or she can only possibly know one thing. Of course, special knowledge may re- guire intense training. Why should not specialists be interested in other things? With a little reflection, we all realize that this can be true. The human mind is capable of being endlessly stretched, involved in a way that would overload a computer. It is merely practice that does it. People like Spencer Baird need to be remem- bered as an example that people can be interested in a whole array of things at the same time, can know about the world of art and science in a fashion that is never out of date. It can never be in- appropriate to be what is sometimes called a generalist in the best sense of that word. The distinguished sculptor, Leonard Baskin, has created a statue of Baird, which we hope to erect soon in the garden south of the Smithsonian Building. A statue had been planned in 1896 after Baird’s death in office, but the Congressional bill appropriating the funds for the work failed in the Senate when, somewhere along [17] the line, a pension for Mrs. Baird was tacked on. In spite of this disappointment, Mrs. Baird, who perhaps did not need the pen- sion, left a Spencer Fullerton Baird Fund, one of three such left to the Institution by three of the former Secretaries and their wives. Now, one hundred years after the Centennial exhibitions, which he created for the United States in Philadelphia, and with the triumphant recreation of them in our Arts and Industries Building next door, it seems wholly appropriate to finish the me- morial to the second Secretary. Just as we have a tradition of research, so we have had an equal tradition for dissemination. The Institution has been proud of its role of collating and disseminating information to all the world. In 1878 the Smithsonian advised the Department of State on how to set up a protocol for exchange of research and publications abroad, under the authority of what would be called today a “Free- dom of Information Act.” At that time it was a novelty. Recently, with advances in information exchange, we have been discussing the giving up or transfer of our International Exchange Service, one of the oldest of our bureaux, in favor of a more streamlined method through one of the government agencies. Similarly, after some thirty-three years of pioneering the col- lection of information on current research in progress among the government agencies, scientists in universities and private labora- tories, and scientists abroad, our congressional appropriations committees have decided that our methods of performing this her- culean task are inappropriate. We had been contracting out the work in effect with appropriated funds, and so we hope that some government bureau can take on this important tradition of bank- ing science information for the good of all. On March 31, 1977, the General Accounting Office, (Gao) is- sued a report “Need to Strengthen Financial Accountability to the Congress—Smithsonian Institution.” This report resulted from a request made in June of 1976 by the Chairman and Ranking Mi- nority Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies, the subcommittee that is responsible for the Smithsonian’s appropriations. The Gao was requested to review generally the fiscal policies and practices of the Institution to determine if these appropriated funds were being used effectively and properly. Items of specific interest were cited in [ 18 ] aS ——— - == the request, and particular concern was expressed about the use of the private funds of the Institution to establish facilities that later required appropriated funds support. Following several months’ review of our operation, the GAo recommended the dissolution of two nonprofit corporations estab- lished for specific purposes by the Institution: the Smithsonian Research Foundation (srr) and the Smithsonian Science Informa- tion Exchange (ssie), and the development of alternative proce- dures for the srr to be carried out with the Smithsonian’s regular organization structure, or for the disbandment altogether of the ssic. The report also recommended that the Institution provide the appropriate committees with information concerning the planned use of private funds in conjunction with requests for federal appropriations; that the Smithsonian establish clear poli- cies governing the use of federal and private funds; and that we work with the appropriation subcommittees to develop a syste- matic approach to making necessary adjustments during the year to congressionally approved budget amounts. Subsequent action by the Congress indicated its acceptance of these recommenda- tions. In responding to the Gao and the Congress on these matters, we have become aware of a semantics problem of the Institution’s own creation. For a great many years, the Smithsonian has used the term “private funds” to identify a particular category of funds among its several sources of financial support. Included in this category is income from our endowments (largely restricted to purposes specified by the donors), generous gifts and bequests, and income produced from activities such as the Smithsonian mag- azine and the Museum Shops. Clearly, as we now realize, the word “private” nowadays has the connotation of secret or confi- dential, an intention nowise in keeping with our foundation over a hundred years ago. Consequently, a more appropriate contempo- rary identification is “trust funds” in consonance with the Smith- sonian’s role as a public trust. While the Gao review was underway, the Board of Regents voted at its January 1977 meeting to enlarge its subcommittee structure by creating an Audit and Review Committee, primarily of its membership, to conduct a study of the Smithsonian’s rela- tionship to the federal government. The Chairman of this Com- [19 ] mittee is our Regent, Senator Henry M. Jackson. Mr. Phillip S. Hughes, a consultant with a broad career of senior management service with the Office of Management and Budget and the Gen- eral Accounting Office, was selected by the Audit and Review Committee to conduct the study. Following extensive conversa- tions with members of the Congress, their staffs, and others, Mr. Hughes completed his report which was reviewed and approved by the Board of Regents at its September 27, 1977, meeting. The report concludes that while discussions with concerned persons in and outside of government disclosed a rather over- whelming approbation of the Smithsonian Institution’s programs as a whole and a general feeling that their quality is high, a num- ber of steps should be taken to eliminate congressional concerns. A principal step would be the definition, in as clear terms as pos- sible, of the relationship between the Institution and the Congress. Mr. Hughes concluded that recognition and general acceptance of the Smithsonian as a federal “establishment” (to use the term of the Smithson will and 1846 Act), which was created by Congress to carry out the trust objectives of the Smithson will, spending funds from a variety of sources according to differing statutes and operating practices, would clarify and simplify relationships between the Smithsonian and the Congress without adversely af- fecting the interests of either. The oversight rights and responsi- bilities of the Congress with respect to appropriated as well as nonappropriated funds would be preserved. The Smithsonian’s unique characteristics would also be preserved, including man- agement by the Regents and the Secretary of general endowment and other trust funds. On a more specific basis, Mr. Hughes recommended a number of actions to improve the accountability of the Smithsonian to the Congress and to strengthen its internal management. The report recommended that the Regents and the Secretary adopt the policy of seeking specific authorizations of any significant new programs or projects involving the use of federal funds; the Regents and the Secretary should establish a five-year, forward-planning proc- ess covering all of the Institution’s activities; and that with regard to various research awards programs, the Institution should adopt the practice of a special review by the Regents or by their Execu- tive Committee of any awards which the Secretary believes might [ 20 ] be perceived by the Congress or the public as self-serving or in- appropriate. Concerning internal management matters, Mr. Hughes recom- mended that the Institution develop and keep current a compre- hensive list of activities which it carries on, and that an organiza- tion chart be maintained accurately and completely reflecting the structure of the Institution; that the Smithsonian develop and set forth in concise written form general policies for the use of its trust funds; that the Institution should fill the permanent position of Under Secretary, presently vacant; and that the internal audit function should be strengthened. Mr. Hughes concluded his report by indicating that the GAo’s recommendations appear generally sound. As the final review event of the year, on September 20, 1977, the General Accounting Office issued its report on the Smithsonian Institution’s trust funds banking practices—which had been re- quested by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee—and con- cluded that over the years the Smithsonian has adopted entirely adequate procedures for the management of cash in its trust funds. Our feeling at the Smithsonian is that these reports and the enhanced communication that they have occasioned with the staff and members of congressional committees have done much to clarify the relationship of the governing Board of Regents to the federal government and the Congress. Those in the service of the Institution are dedicated to strengthening this relationship and to maintaining these enhanced communications. As the fiscal year drew to a close, implementing action was well along on most of the recommendations in the Gao and Audit and Review Com- mittee reports. Our efforts will be continued in the new year, for as I have pointed out before, communications, in a cyclic rhythm of their own, like sunspots, continue to bedevil human enterprise. Meanwhile, other aspects of dissemination flourish. Our present outreach extends all over this country through the Associates, traveling exhibitions, regional meetings, tours, and publications of all kinds. We are currently planning two television programs, to be shown on public broadcasting. Their release, hopefully, should be no more than a year away, given the difficulties that surround our ambitions for excellence. A principal part of this work is a direct outgrowth of the organization of the Associates, under their own [ 21 ] board and committees. The growth of this organization, whose medium of communication has been the Smithsonian magazine, continues well and most fruitfully realizes our tradition of public service. We are currently preparing a background book on the Smithsonian, The Smithsonian Experience, our first since 1965, to bring up to date some of our activities and thoughts for the public. If this volume generates appropriate interest, we may continue with a series of specialist publications on our fields of knowledge— something that we have always hoped to be able to provide for our Associates as an extension of the service of dissemination. Can we do more? We must, for the Smithsonian belongs to all Americans: its public service is a continuing responsibility for those who administer it. In these closing years of this turbulent century, how well are we performing this task? The Institution certainly has a glorious history guided faithfully all these years by its past Secretaries. It is alive and well, its heartbeat mirroring the times. New buildings have risen for public service, new re- search programs suit the tides of events. Solar radiation studies were begun in 1907 when only visionaries like Secretary Abbot would conceive of them as being worthwhile. Studies in ecology and environmental monitoring were thought of by Secretary Wet- more before the word “ecology” had come into scientific parlance. Work had been started in the history of science and medicine and technology under Secretary Carmichael when university depart- ments of history found such specialties remote, away from the “cutting edge” of historical research. Today we are vigorously promoting the study of the history of American art, as well as the archives of artists, a new development of the past few years which the administration of the Smithsonian, under my own direction, has helped to foster. In all these realms of maintaining tradition as well as rounding out bygone ambitions, I am greatly dependent on my Assistant Secretaries and Executive Committee, Messrs. Charles Blitzer, David Challinor, Ames Wheeler, Paul Perrot, Julian Euell, and John Jameson, as well as Messrs. Powers, Ault, Symington, and Mrs. Rosenberg. They manage to assist me, and their work with bureaux directors has been outstand- ing. For it is the center of our organization which must give the drive, the impetus to these programs if they are to succeed, just as over the history of the Institution, the understanding of that history [ 22 ] , eee by each Secretary has maintained the vital momentum of the place. In the same way, because of the tradition established under Secretary Baird with his associate Major Powell, we are vigorously pursuing studies in American Indian history and culture, review- ing as we do so the encyclopedic publications of the Institution on all the tribes of North America in order to bring the classic Handbook of North American Indians into a new, updated edition. Being redone, this material on American Indian culture will benefit from two developments: the great increase in cultural studies on Indian tribal life by Native American anthropologists themselves, and the developments in social anthropology and field techniques and interpretation in recent years. Those same traditions created a kind of paradigm in the fields of the natural sciences as practiced in natural history collections and museum research. Only recently, with new dating techniques derived from geology and paleobiol- ogy, have there been real breakthroughs in the evolutionary field that have prepared us for a scientific revolution (in the sense of Thomas Kuhn), and made the point that collections must be main- tained in order to be reworked to prove or disprove old theories. So we are preserving and documenting and studying objects of nature and their conservation, a task of considerable complexity and increasing priority with every tick of the clock. It is sad that we cannot make more of an impress on the public consciousness about the importance of collections. From a budge- tary point of view, the priority of maintaining collections and cre- ating proper storage facilities lacks glamour or political punch. Who cares about old bones? And yet we must be deeply concerned with the fate of the living (or very recently dead) creatures of this earth. Our museum collections form a kind of national bureau of standards on the health of the planet itself. We can document that state of health as surely as a patient might have a physical checkup, through presence or absence of “marker” species, or through the rates of decline or disappearance of the living ecosystems of this earth. Worthwhile? Why not? A person’s own life seems worthwhile to most people. Why not take out some relatively inexpensive in- surance? And so the opportunities that lie ahead for the Smith- sonian exist not so much in novelties, as in refinements in main- taining our traditional excellence in doing what we do—preserving [ 23 ] and studying collections and the evidence that they contain for the future as well as our understanding of the past—and our obliga- tion to tell people what we have found out, drawing where neces- sary the appropriate conclusions. That is part of my dream for the future of the Smithsonian, to be able to show the past and the present so accurately that the course for the future will be plain. Not for nothing are museums thought to derive from the sacred grove of antiquity—another Delphi. I venture to think that institutions such as ours could only have arisen with a first impetus derived from private philanthropy —Mr. Smithson’s gift in time generated both public confidence and government support, and this combination the Smithsonian has had in full measure. One has only to go into one of our great museum spaces to realize that these buildings, built in large part with public funds appropriated for the purpose, house almost en- tirely private gifts—objects, books, manuscripts, artifacts of every kind, as well as endowments of money as gifts for research. In the case of the new Air and Space Museum, all of this has poured in like a stream since Langley’s experiments on the Potomac River in 1896 with his wobbly gas-engined, heavier-than-air “aero- drome.” All of these extraordinary testaments to man’s creativity in the frontiers of air and space have been donated freely to the Institution—hundreds of millions of dollars worth, free—to be shown in a building costing forty millions given by Congress from government funds appropriated for the purpose, and liberally en- dowed to be kept open for the delight and education of us all. It is a perfect combination and one that well suits Americans, those most generous and enthusiastic of people. This then implies a coming to fruition of an enigmatic plan, in- advertent and unexpected, a whim if you will, of Mr. Smithson’s. We exist then, and, in our ability to distill an essence of thought and interest for every human who enters our doors, we produce a dividend for all those who over the years have nurtured our prog- ress and provided our support. Surely in that success lies our pros- pect for the years ahead. [ 24 ] Harold Phillip Stern, May 3, 1922-April 3, 1977. Dr. Stern’s premature death was a serious loss to specialists in the field of Oriental art as well as to the Freer Gallery of Art of which he had been the Director since 1971. Secretary Ripley and Senator Hubert H. Humphrey respond to enthusiastic applause after presentation of the Smithsonian’s Joseph Henry Medal to Senator Humphrey on June 14, 1977. (Photo by Janet Stratton) Examining a photomosaic of Landsat images are President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt (seated facing camera), Dr. David Challinor (left), the Smithsonian’s Assistant Secre- tary for Science, and Dr. Farouk El-Baz (back to camera), Research Director of the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. Below: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne signs the guest book at the National Museum of History and Technology’s Silver Jubilee exhibit. With her are Secretary Ripley, her husband Captain Mark Phillips, and Museum Director Brooke Hindle. Carlos A. Perez, President of Venezuela, and Michael Collins, Director of the National Air and Space Museum, at the dedication of the sculpture Delta Solar by Alejandro Otero, a Bicentennial gift from the government of Venezuela to the people of the United States. Below: Secretary Ripley and Dr. Eugene I. Knez, Curator of Asian Ethnology, at the presentation of a red canary to His Holiness The Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyupa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, when he visited the Smith- sonian on May 19, 1977. A view of the model of the Villa Trissino, part of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s ex- hibition of the works of Andrea Palladio. Mrs. Joan Mondale and Joshua C. Taylor, Director of the National Collection of Fine Arts, at the opening of the “Robert Rauschenberg” exhibition on October 28, 1976. This popular exhibition continued until January 2, 1977. In 1977 the Smithsonian Institution lost two people whose contri- butions to the Institution and to the world of art were significant and widely respected. Mr. David E. Finley, a member of the Na- tional Portrait Gallery Commission since its inception and the first Director of the National Gallery of Art, died February 1, 1977. Mr. Finley is generally recognized as the one person who, “more than any other, was responsible for the existence of the Portrait Gallery. On April 3, 1977, Dr. Harold P. Stern, Director of the Freer Gallery of Art, died after a long illness. Dr. Stern came to the Freer as a graduate student in 1949. He became Assist- ant Director in 1962, and Director in 1971. He was an interna- tionally noted scholar of Japanese art. After years of planning and development, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design and Decorative Arts opened in New York City on October 7, 1976, to wide media and public acclaim. The open- ing exhibition was ‘“MAN transFORMS, Aspects of Design.” In its first few months, the new Museum’s average attendance was 5,000 a week. The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, installed in temporary quarters in the National Museum of History and Technology, was formally opened in October 1976. This great rare-book library contains the classics in the field, and represents a major research resource. As one of its final presentations in its Bicentennial program, the National Collection of Fine Arts offered in October 1976 the most comprehensive exhibition ever held of the works of Robert Rausch- enberg. The exhibition, which included some 200 works, was widely reviewed in the press, and was scheduled to travel to New York, San Francisco, Buffalo, and Chicago. Also in October, the National Collection of Fine Arts opened a major new gallery, the John Gellatly Gallery. It includes many items from the large collection which Mr. Gellatly presented to the Insti- tution in 1929. Among the many exhibitions offered by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the most significant were ‘““Chac-Mool: A Bicentennial Loan from Mexico’”’ (November 1976) and “ Acquisi- tions: 1974-1977” (March 1977). ““Chac-Mool,” one of Mexico’s great national treasures, was seen for the first time outside its per- manent home, the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico [ 29 ] City. “Acquisitions” exhibited the more than one hundred and thirty works of art by ninety-six American and foreign artists acquired by the Museum since its opening in October 1974. In January 1977, eighty-five free concerts were held in seven museums in celebration of the inauguration of President Carter and Vice President Mondale. The concerts were produced by the Division of Performing Arts and supported through the Inaugural Committee. A major conference on Watershed Research in Eastern North America was held in February 1977, under the sponsorship of the Chesapeake Bay Center for Environmental Studies, and the Na- tional Science Foundation. The complete findings of the Center’s Watershed Program through 1976 were a major contribution to the conference, which included some one hundred and twenty scien- tists and agency representatives. The new Education-Administration Building at the National Zoological Park was occupied by the staff in February 1977, in- cluding the executive offices of the Friends of the National Zoo. The building also houses the Zoo’s library, classrooms, and 300- seat theater for public education. In March 1977, the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum opened its major exhibit for that year, ‘““The Anacostia Story: 1608-1930,” after four years of planning and work by the Museum’s staff. The exhibition and its catalogue traced the history of the Anacostia community since its beginning. Present members of the commu- nity contributed memorabilia and their memories of local history which were taped and now are the nucleus of the Museum’s oral- history archives. During 1977, the National Museum of Natural History contin- ued its full-time taxonomic studies on amphipods, the only such study by a major American science institution. By understanding the physiological tolerance of amphipods to oil and sewage, it is possible to determine the level at which pollution will disrupt the entire marine ecosystem. The Museum’s research has so identified the biological characteristics of California amphipods that scientists there have made them an important part of their pollution safe- guard technology. The National Air and Space Museum celebrated the fiftieth an- niversary of Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight with an exhi- [ 30 ] bition of Lindbergh memorabilia in May 1977. As part of the exhi- bition, a symposium was held at the Museum. Also celebrated that month was the contribution to flight of Amelia Earhart. The Lock- heed Vega, in which she became the first woman to complete a transatlantic flight, was exhibited in the Museum together with certain objects associated with her career. _ As another vehicle for informing the public on what the Smith- sonian is all about, a new official film on the Institution was pro- duced in 1977, with the Secretary as narrator. The twenty-five- minute color film attempts to survey both the outside and the non- public inside of the Smithsonian, to capture the wide range of its activities and spirit. In June 1977, Sr. Carlos A. Perez, President of Venezuela, dedi- cated his nation’s Bicentennial gift to the United States, the strik- ing Delta Solar sculpture positioned on the west lawn of the Na- tional Air and Space Museum. The work of Venezuelan sculptor Alejandro Otero, the sculpture reflects light off stainless steel plates which turn in the wind. The National Museum of History and Technology opened in June 1977 a special exhibition to honor the “Silver Jubilee” of Queen Elizabeth II of England. Its theme was the association of Americans with the British royal family from the first English colo- nies in North America. Its center was a collection of materials loaned by the Queen from personal collections in Windsor Castle. The exhibition was honored by the visit of Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips. Also in June, the Smithsonian inaugurated its sixth international symposium, “Kin and Communities: The Peopling of America.” The basic issue addressed by the week-long symposium was posed by Dr. Margaret Mead, the chairperson: “Is there any viable alter- native to the family . . .?’” Fortunately the answer was positive. The more than four hundred portraits added to the collection of the National Portrait Gallery during 1977 included, as the most important, the glorious John Singleton Copley self-portrait, which was received in August. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in August 1977 launched the HEAO-1, an X-ray satellite carrying an experi- ment developed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as the first in a series [ 31 ] of three high-energy X-ray observatories. The HEAO-1 identified a bright X-ray nova in the constellation Ophiuchus, and a rapid X-ray burster at the galactic center. Scientists at the National Museum of Natural History under- took two cruises in 1977 on National Oceanographic and Atmos- pheric Administration vessels to an industrial chemical-waste dump site one hundred miles off the New Jersey coast. Experience gained earlier in project “Ocean Acre,” a massive study of the life histories and vertical distribution of deep-sea fishes in a column of ocean off Bermuda, is making possible a detailed analysis of the effect of wastes on the marine organisms sampled off New Jersey. Planning continued in 1977 for the Museum Support Center, designed to relieve the severe crowding of museums and galleries and to provide for proper care of the national collections. Con- struction of the Center—if Congress approves—on recently ac- guired land adjacent to present activities in Suitland, Maryland, culminated in 1977 in an appropriation from Congress for fiscal year 1978 for design and planning of the facility. In this connection, the Committee on Collections Policy and Management Study under the chairmanship of Philip Leslie has continued its study for the Office of Management and Budget. The recommendations contained in the report seemed to have received favorable reception by that office, and two task forces have been appointed consisting of members of the Committee with Smith- sonian specialists in the area of the task forces’ interest. One task force will conduct a survey of Institutional conservation practices and needs, and a second task force will study museum collections. The first task force will be chaired by Don Lopez of Nasm and the second will be chaired by Nancy Kirkpatrick, HMse. Once again, support rendered to the Smithsonian by its dedi- cated volunteers was of major significance in 1977. There were 2,352 volunteers who contributed more than 216,900 volunteer- hours of invaluable assistance to the Institution and its millions of visitors. Additional appointments to the staff besides Mr. Symington and Mr. Yellin, mentioned in the following Board of Regents section, include Mr. Will Douglas, who has been appointed as Director, Office of Equal Opportunity. Mr. James Wallace has been pro- moted to the position of Director, Office of Printing and Photo- [ 32 ] graphic Services. Mr. Lawrence E. Taylor, who previously worked for the House Judiciary Committee, has assumed the position of Coordinator of Public Information. In this year, we have lost by retirement several important staff members, notably Mrs. Betty Morgan, Assistant Treasurer, who devoted twenty-nine years to the Institution, as well as Mr. Arthur Gaush, Director of Photographic Services, who retired after thirty- five years of government service. Dr. Russell Shank, Director of the Libraries of the Institution, who has performed yeoman service in recognizing the new importance of our science and art libraries, has left us to head the Library of the University of California at Los Angeles. Mr. Archie Grimmett, formerly head of our Office of Equal Opportunity, has transferred to the Department of the Army. A more than passing note of Institutional pride should be the fact that our second staff member of recent years, Mr. William W. Warner, has received a Pultizer Prize as well as other honors for his book on the Chesapeake Bay and its denizens, Beautiful Swimmers. [ 33 ] Board of Regents OCTOBER 1, 1976, MEETING: The first meeting of the Board of Regents in our new fiscal year, 1977, was the autumn meeting, held in New York City, commemorating the impending opening of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. The Chairman of the Executive Committee reported that the matter of Gao audits had been discussed at its meeting on Sep- tember 27, 1976, and a rather comprehensive review of the sub- jects under consideration took place. The usefulness of such a review was considered to be of unusual importance by the Board, and the Secretary and the Institution have been assisting the Gao to the fullest extent. The Regents expressed their strong support for the Secretary in carrying out the proper administration of the Institution’s affairs. The distinguished services of Vice President Nelson A. Rocke- feller and Senator Hugh Scott as Regents of the Institution were acknowledged by the presentation of a citation by the Chancellor upon the termination of their terms as Regents. The financial report of the Institution was presented by the Sec- retary, and a full accounting of the trust funds and federal funds will be found later in this report. A discussion of the Museum Support Center project revealed continued progress on the transfer by the General Services Ad- ministration of excess land which is contiguous to property al- ready in use by the Institution. In pursuance of the expressed interest of the Board of Regents concerning the concept of Mall underground parking, the Secre- tary indicated that he will continue to study all possibilities for future consideration. A small task force began a study of the feasibility of publishing a popular Smithsonian book as another benefit to the Associates membership program. The President had approved legislation providing for the reap- pointment of Mr. James E. Webb as a member of the Board of [ 34 ] Regents on June 21, 1976, for the statutory term of six years. Other legislative enactments provided for an extension of the Na- tional Museum Act authorizing appropriations to the Institution annually through fiscal year 1980; and the President also approved on July 5, 1976, P.L. 94-338, the joint resolution expressing to Queen Elizabeth II the appreciation of the people of the United States for the gift of James Smithson. No action had been taken on measures which would authorize construction of the Museum Support Center or on increasing the authorized level of appropri- ations for Barro Colorado Island at the Smithsonian Tropical Re- search Institute in Panama. The Regents voted to accept the gift of a George III gadrooned, footed, silver salver made in 1765, on which appears the crest of Sir Hugh Smithson, Bart, the father of James Smithson, presented to the Institution by the Duke of Northumberland as a token of his esteem in connection with the Bicentennial events in 1976. The Board of Regents also approved the memorialization of the second Secretary of the Institution, Spencer Fullerton Baird, and authorized the creation of a statue to be placed on Smithsonian grounds. The Board approved the acceptance of a number of honors be- stowed on the Secretary. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark presented Mr. Ripley with the Commander’s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog because of his active and continuing role in cultural relations as well as his role in international con- servation. His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain, during his visit to Washington on June 3, decorated Mr. Ripley with the Great Cross of Civil Merit in recognition of his contribution to Spanish-American cultural relations. His Royal Highness the Prince of the Netherlands conferred on Mr. Ripley, with permis- sion of Her Majesty Queen Juliana, the Order of the Golden Ark with the rank of Commander, for his more than twenty-five years of leadership in the field of international conservation. In accord- ance with procedures, the Chief of Protocol, Department of State, concurred in the retention of these awards by the recipient. The Regents were advised of the receipt by Mr. Michael Collins, Director of the National Air and Space Museum, of the National Civil Service League Award for his superb leadership in opening the Museum. [ 35 ] Two new members of the staff were introduced to the Regents: James McK. Symington, who will be the Director of the Office of Membership and Development, concerned particularly with the National Board of the Associates and general development proj- ects; and Mr. Jon E. Yellin who was appointed Director of the Office of Programming and Budget as the budget officer of the Institution. Following the meeting, the members of the Board of Regents and their wives were given a tour through the Cooper-Hewitt Mu- seum where the first temporary exhibition, “MAN transFORMS, Aspects of Design,” was being prepared for the formal opening on October 5, 6, 7, 1976. At the traditional dinner following, Dr. E. Cuyler Hammond was presented the Hodgkins Medal of the Smithsonian Institution and a citation for his fundamental studies of the relation between the atmosphere about us and the health of humankind. JANUARY 25, 1977, MEETING: At the winter meeting of the Board of Regents, held in the Regents Room, special recognition was given to the election of Vice President Walter F. Mondale and his appointment to the Board ex officio as well as to the new Regents, Senators Barry Goldwater and Claiborne Pell, who replaced Sena- tors Hugh Scott and Frank Moss, Jr., retired. The financial report was summarized and included a complete review of the financial results which appeared in the Statement by the Secretary distrib- uted at the meeting. The Board of Regents approved the objective of increasing the endowment funds in order to strengthen trust fund yield in years to come for our essential services to the public. A comprehensive presentation was made on the Museum Sup- port Center describing its facilities for long-range care and use of the Institution’s collections, provision of associated research and study space, and the incorporation of areas for conservation of the collections, related training, and the dissemination of conservation information. The Institution will continue to seek funds to com- plete planning and, subsequently, construction funds. Other legis- lative measures were approved for submission to the Congress, in- cluding a bill to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for the Barro Colorado Island at the Smithsonian Tropical Re- [ 36 ] search Institute, and to make the film Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, produced by the United States Information Agency, available for use within the United States. The Secretary reported on the problems created by the shortage of convenient parking spaces for the public in and around the Mall, a subject of special interest to the Regents. Experience and ‘past studies clearly established the need for convenient visitor parking, and two previously completed feasibility studies recom- mended the early development of underground parking. Further study being undertaken by the staff on underground parking fa- cilities will provide information to those agencies having an inter- est and responsibility for the Mall. A proposal for the Institution to assume responsibility for the Museum of African Art was to be studied by an ad hoc committee of the Board of Regents. Progress reports on improvements to plant facilities indicated that the Victorian Garden was completed and opened to the pub- lic; the major restoration of the seventy-four-year-old Carnegie Mansion was completed in time for the public opening of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum on October 7, 1976; the construction improvement in the West Court of the Natural History Building was completed as a public service activity and includes a dining room for the Associates and for the Smithsonian staff; and interior restoration of the Arts and Industries Building was completed in time for the public opening of “1876: A Centennial Exhibition,” on May 10, 1976. Construction at the National Zoological Park included the opening of the award-winning William Mann lion- and-tiger exhibit and completion of the renovated elephant-house yards and the bird-house plaza. Currently under construction is the new education and administration building located near the Connecticut Avenue entrance at the Zoo. It was reported that the Office of Telecommunications is devel- oping ideas toward the production of programs and series for public and commercial television and radio, films, and related video and audio material. The Secretary discussed plans for celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II to underline the special bonds that exist be- tween the Institution and Great Britain. The Cooper-Hewitt will open an exhibition including original drawings and plans from the [ 37 ] Museum’s collections for the “Pavilion at Brighton,” as well as objects being loaned by Buckingham Palace and the Trustees of the Pavilion. Also, a commemorative medal bearing the portrait of the Queen will be struck and sold as a benefit for a fellowship fund, in conjunction with the Pilgrims and the English-Speaking Union, under a special committee created for the purpose. The Board of Regents declared its deep appreciation for the outstanding leadership that Secretary Ripley has provided in bring- ing to fruition the valuable and enduring additions to programs of exhibition and research, including the appropriate events through which the Smithsonian Institution contributed so much to the nation’s Bicentennial Celebration. The Board of Regents attended the ceremony of the unveiling of the recently completed bust of former Secretary Leonard Car- michael by the sculptress, Mrs. Una Hanbury, which will be placed in the Carmichael Auditorium in the National Museum of History and Technology. MAY 13, 1977, MEETING: At the spring meeting of the Board of Regents, held in the Regents Room, the Chancellor welcomed the newly appointed first woman Regent, Representative Corinne C. (Lindy) Boggs, who replaced Sidney R. Yates, resigned. This resig- nation and the resignation of Robert F. Goheen on his appointment as Ambassador to India were accepted with regret, and the Chan- cellor was authorized to designate a search committee for Dr. Goheen’s successor. An Audit and Review Committee as suggested by the Executive Committee was appointed by the Chancellor. At its initial meeting, the new Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Henry Jackson voted to undertake an independent study by a competent management consultant. The Institution was also apprised of a separate review to be conducted by the investigation staff of the House Committee on Appropriations. The questions raised in the Congress reflect a growing concern over the relationship of the Smithsonian to the federal government; its relationship to the Congress in particular; the place of the Institution in the federal establishment; the statutory authorities under which it operates; the ownership of its properties; and how all of this bears on Smithsonian financial and management accountability to the Con- gress. It was emphasized that nothing in the first General Account- [ 38 ] ing Office report of March 31, 1977, suggested any wrongdoing or misapplication of federal funds. It was felt that the objective of any audit committee study should be to preserve the unique, flex- ible, and creative qualities of the Smithsonian, to define its proper relationship with the federal government, and to encourage con- tinued independent research by scholars. Results of this undertaking were to be considered by the Board of Regents at its next meeting. The Financial Reports indicated that the Institution received a favorable appropriation markup for fiscal year 1978 and the ten- tative budgets for both federal and trust funds were presented to the full Board. The Trust Fund budget was approved to be pre- sented to the Senate and House Subcommittees for use in conjunc- tion with the pending appropriation request. The Smithsonian In- stitution’s policies governing the use of federally appropriated funds, federally and privately financed contracts and grants, and trust funds, will be developed and provided to the Senate Subcommittee on Appropriations. Study on the desirability of acquiring the Museum of African Art was to be continued. One of the vital provisions necessary in further consideration of this project is the need for authorizing legislation. The development of archaeometry at the Institution clearly indi- cates that for preservation to be effective much more needs to be known about the properties of materials, their origins, and the manner in which they were used in the creation of the artifacts now in our care. Continuing thought will be given to formal utili- zation of this discipline. Legislative measures introduced in the Ninety-fifth Congress concerned the Museum Support Center, a bill to increase the amount of appropriations authorized for Barro Colorado Island, and a bill to make the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden film available in the United States; these measures are still pending. The Secretary reported a 9 percent increase in overall permanent employment between April 1975 and April 1977, and noted there had been a 15 percent increase in minority employment. There is optimism that, with increased emphasis throughout the Institution in attracting minority candidates, its career-development programs will have broadened the opportunities for minority and female em- [ 39 ] ployees. Through upward-mobility programs, an appreciable num- ber of minority and female employees are making the transition from subprofessional to professional positions. A request for a federal appropriation to add a sixth-floor Study Center and Library to the National Museum of History and Tech- nology to house the Museum’s collection of archival and graphic Americana has been denied for the time being. Under an approved master plan, the Zoo continues its construc- tion of the bear exhibits, a necropsy facility, and the beaver-valley project for beavers, otters, seals, sea lions, and wolves. The gen- eral services and parking facility which will provide new housing for the commissary, maintenance shops, and parking for 300 cars on its roof is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 1977. Cur- rently in design are new facilities for the central area to provide for the great apes and monkey island, and at the Front Royal Conservation and Research Center miscellaneous improvements include installation of a new electrical distribution system, the Eld’s deer facility, camel barn repairs, dormitory improvements, and a new shed for the onagers. The Secretary reported that the feasibility study by the Institu- tion Book Publishing Task Force had explored various avenues of book publishing for the Institution and is continuing to develop the program. It was reported that the Smithsonian staff is reviewing the early development of Mall underground garages as the most useful solution to the visitor-parking dilemma. A preliminary concept to finance the plan without the use of federal funds depends on a lease-purchase arrangement for a turn-key project to involve finan- cing, design, and construction using private funds. Discussions are underway with the District of Columbia, National Capital Plan- ning Commission, National Park Service, Council of Governments, and other interested parties. A Fourth of July celebration took place over that holiday week- end and the Festival of American Folklife was moved to the Co- lumbus Day weekend, continuing the Smithsonian’s practice of offering these entertaining and educational programs. The outdoor events, scaled down to pre-Bicentennial size, will involve museum curators in the development of indoor and outdoor simultaneous programs. [ 40 ] The Associates Regional activities have been planned to coincide with the National Associates Board meeting, the last one taking place in Minneapolis. These regional programs have become increas- ingly popular. Through the National Associates, invitations have been extended for membership in the James Smithson Society. The Henry Medal, unanimously voted by the Board of Regents to be awarded to Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, was presented to him at the opening session of the symposium “Kin and Communi- ties: The Peopling of America.” This award commemorated not only his years of active service on the Board of Regents and his chairmanship of the Woodrow Wilson Center Board, but also his exemplary career in improving the quality of life for all people. SEPTEMBER 27, 1977, MEETING: The last meeting of the fiscal year, convened in the Regents Room, covered in complete detail the report prepared by Mr. Phillip S. Hughes for the Audit and Review Com- mittee of the Board of Regents under the chairmanship of Senator Henry M. Jackson, as discussed above. It was reported that a testamentary trust benefiting the Smith- sonian Institution was now to be transferred to the Smithsonian for the purpose of “making the published results of scientific research more widely available to those able to use them for the advancement of science.” It was also reported that the Chase Manhattan Bank money collection, one of the finest in the United States, was offered to the Institution and accepted by the Board of Regents. An exhibit of the most important items from the collection will be mounted in the near future. The feasibility study for producing a popular Smithsonian publi- cation proved favorable, and the first book was to be The Smith- sonian Experience. Legislation to make the film produced by the United States Infor- mation Agency about the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden available in the United States was approved by the President on August 17, 1977. The award of the Hodgkins Medal to Professor Alexander Dal- garno, Associate Director for Theoretical Astrophysics at the Smith- sonian Astrophysical Observatory, was approved by the Board of Regents in recognition of his important contributions in the field of atmospheric physics. { 41 ] Pi nae ae £2 Important research into insect behavior and evolution continued at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Here, two workers “dance” near a Metapolybia aztecoides queen (left) while another queen (right) performs an aggressive threat display. (Drawing by Gerardo Ravassa) Smithsonian Institution - 1977 FINANCIAL REPORT T. AMES WHEELER, TREASURER THE INSTITUTION’S FINANCIAL results this year were generally favor- able, as shown in the following tables and explanations. Increased federal appropriations were received, primarily to cover a large share of inflationary cost increases and to restore the Foreign Currency Program to previous appropriated levels. Congressional authorizations for operating purposes other than the Foreign Cur- rency Program totaled $87.2 million, up 4 percent from the pre- ceding year. Appropriations for construction added $9,530,000. Research grants and contracts received from federal agencies con- tinued at $10.6 million. During fiscal year 1977 also, income from the Institution’s trust fund activities, particularly from the Associates program, rose im- pressively, reflecting enthusiastic and widespread acceptance of the Smithsonian magazine and its related programs and benefits. Aux- iliary activities, such as the museum shops and restaurant and parking concessions, also contributed to improvement in trust fund financial results. Total net trust fund income, after deducting related costs of the auxiliary activities (see Table 1), was $15.7 million, or 14 percent of total operating income, compared to 77 percent for federal appropriations, and 9 percent for grant and contract monies. While expenditures also rose, a favorable balance for unrestricted general purpose funds for this year permitted a further step forward in the program of making necessary additions to the Institution’s unrestricted endowment funds to provide for future needs. [ 43 ] TABLE 1. Overall Sources of Financial Support [In $1,000’s] Sources FY 1975 OPERATING FUNDS Federal Appropriation: Salaries and expenses ......... $ 70,706 Smithsonian Science Information Exchange >. 3 50a accabes. eed 1,805 Special Foreign Currency Preeram |... «2.0 «ses. eae 2,000 Subtotal. .... «228s gene $ 74,511 Research grants and contracts .... 12,292 Nonfederal funds: Gifts (excluding gifts to endow- ments and Plant Funds) Restricted purpose ........... 4,177 Unrestricted purpose ........ 25a" Income from endowment and current funds investment** Restricted purpose ........... 1,724 Unrestricted purpose ......... 953 Auxiliary activities—Gross ..... 19,017 Less related expenses ........ (16,494) Net income nisi se oe ao bere 2,523 Miscellaneous Restricted purpose 636 Unrestricted purpose ......... 554 Total Nonfederal Funds —Gross ...... 27,314 —Net ........ 10,820 Total Operating Support —Gross ...... 124,137 INCE cs ermine de $ 97,623 CONSTRUCTION FUNDS Federal Construction Funds: National Zoological Park ....... $ 9,420 National Air & Space Museum .. 7,000 Restoration & Renovation of BT ig i a ac ec i a 1,490 Total Federal Construction DAS eo ois eo ee $ 17,910 Nonfederal Plant & Land Acquisition Funds Cooper-Hewitt Museum ........ $ 162 Chesapeake Bay Center ........ 15 Anacostia Neighborhood Museum 10 National Zoological Park ....... —0- Total Nonfederal Plant and Land Acquisition Funds .... $ 187 ENDOWMENT FUNDS eet oes oe re coment aale ed lakers $ —O- Total Endowment Funds ... $ -0O- Transition FY 1976 quarter $ 81,564 $22,629 1,940 521 500 —f- $ 84,004 $23,150 11,525 3,987 4,307 658 354* 66* 1,634 503 1,110 264 26,939 8,718 (22,892) (7,054) 4,047 1,664 474 212 693 452 35,511 10,873 12,619 3,819 131,040 38,010 $108,148 $30,956 $ 8390 $ 1,440 2,500 —— 1,192 400 $ 12,082 $ 1,840 $ 425 $ 30 5 = Se i 100 == $ 530 $ 30 $ 45 $ 24 $ 45 $ 24 * Excluding gifts to Associates (included under Auxiliary Activities). ** Includes portion of investment gain appropriated to income under Total Return Policy. FY 1977 $ 85,236 1,972 3,481 $ 90,689 10,571 1,724 103* 1,690 1,157 40,202 (32,221) 7,981 993 2,098 47,967 15,746 149,227 $117,006 Efforts have been underway for the past two years to strengthen the Institution’s accounting capability to cope with the expansion and growing complexity of Smithsonian activities. Fiscal year 1977 witnessed a shakedown period of modernization of our entire ac- counting system, coupled with the installation and programming of new, enlarged computer equipment—a truly difficult experience which called for and received heroic measures of effort from dedi- cated staff. Fiscal Year 1978 and future years will thus acquire measurable benefits and levels of efficiency from this new program. Federal Appropriations Federal operating funds received by the Institution in fiscal year 1977, exclusive of funds for the Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, Inc., and the Special Foreign Currency Program, totaled $85,236,000, an increase of $3,672,000 over fiscal year 1976. Since the fiscal year 1976 appropriation included $4,427,000 of non- recurring costs (largely Bicentennial-related) which were redirected in fiscal year 1977 for other purposes, the fiscal year 1977 appro- priation actually provided some $8,000,000 of additional funds for normal operations. Of this amount, however, over $6,500,000 was required to meet uncontrollable cost increases (higher pay and health benefits, and utilities’ charges and postage rate increases). The balance allowed modest research program improvements, im- plementation of a collections management study, increased collec- tions purchase funds, and continued improvement of various tech- nical and support services, including increments for guard services at the newly opened National Air and Space Museum. In consider- ing the Institution’s fiscal year 1977 federal budget request, the Congress directed the Institution to discontinue the previous prac- tice of establishing a contingency fund to meet unexpected ex- penses and imposed a related 2 percent reduction, totaling some $1,700,000 upon the otherwise approved appropriations for Smith- sonian bureaux and activities. New reprogramming guidelines is- sued during fiscal year 1977 by the Interior Appropriations Sub- committees now provide the Institution the means for meeting such emergency expenses in a timely and efficient manner. [ 45 ] TaBLeE 2. Source and Application of Operating Funds Year Ended September 30, 1977 (Excludes Special Foreign Currency Funds, Plant Funds and Endowments) [In $1,000’s] Funds FUND BALANCES— 1 October 1976". ..2 6.5, FUNDS PROVIDED Federal Appropriations ..... Investment Income ........ Oh) rE ke ete ie deed aly Relinily linia FUNDS APPLIED Science: Total non- Nonfederal funds Unrestricted Restricted Aux- Spe- Grants iliary _ cial and activi- pur- Gen- con- Federal federal Gen- funds $ -—O— $10,245 $4,074 $ $87,208 $87,208 $87,208 Natl. Museum of Nat. History $11,411 Astrophysical Observatory .. Tropical Research Inst. ..... Radiation Biology Lab. ..... Chesapeake Bay Center .... Natl. Air and Space Museum Natl. Zoological Park ...... Center for Study of Man... Science Info. Exchange ** . Fort Pierce Bureau ......... Interdisciplinary Communi- cations ‘Propramy ......<¢ COE oii ti eit ails means areal 9 ‘Lotal Sciences .s. J 0820 History and Art: Natl. Museum of History and Technology ......... Natl. Collections of Fine Arts Natl. Portrait Gallery ...... Hirshhorn Museum ........ Freer Gallery of Art ........ Archives of American Art .. Cooper-Hewitt Museum .... Academic Studies .......... Bicentennial %;...; des). Pecusan One 5 eee tee Total History and Art .... 3,837 1,477 1,872 613 6,091 7,067 399 1,972 1,260 5,944 2,939 1,921 1,892 492 349 415 474 419 339 14,784 funds eral ties $ 2,847 $1,154 $ == 10,515 48 376 39,826 pose eral _ tracts —0— $2,417 $3,658 $ 96 $¢ 3$1699$ — _— — 10,515 55 1,724 — 1,594 — _— 459 993 — ees iT > $ 91 $ 269$ 987 38 369 6,940 47 24 10 6 22 72 a 17 512 502 20 289 38 37 65 —_ 52 66 ae 423 =a — 9 301 81 373 * 97 55 85 27 13 71 10 2 a —_ 960 13 — 288 — — 1,399 21 x 12 — 1 6 67 TaBLe 2. Source and Application of Operating Funds Year Ended September 30, 1977—continued [In $1,000’s] Nonfederal funds Unrestricted Restricted Total Aux- Spe- Grants non- iliary _ cial and Federal federal Gen- activi- pur- Gen-_ con- Funds funds funds _ eral ties pose eral _ tracts Public Service: Anacostia Museum ........ 527 193 19 — 3 171 as Smithsonian Press ......... 650 394 — 349 — — 45 ferrormunge Arts ........... 320°. ‘Wyot7 a 736 19 18 244 EE 532 448 113 189 Bg A BA 11 Total Public Service ...... 2,029 2,052 132 1,274 23 323 300 Museum Programs: Conservation Analytical Lab. 538 = ao ~ — co — DE oe ee eee 2,033 132 132 _ —_— _— _ 0 1,037 —_ —_ —_ —_ —_ —_— Traveling Exhibition Service 101 752 —- 518 -- — 234 Natl. Museum Act ......... 788 — — — — — — Ee 1,941 73 18 — 55 2 (2) Total Museum Programs .. 6,438 957 150 518 55 2 232 Other Activities: Associates Programs ....... — 23,679 — 23,668 11 —_ — Business Management ...... — 6,502 — 6,502 a — — ea —_— i Be of —_— 131 —_ _— —_— Total Other Activities .... — 30,312 — 30,301 11 a =~ Support Activities ......... 22,314 353 259 128 (34) — — Administration ............ 5,A94 5,420 1,083 1,205 146 609 2,377 Overhead Recovered ..... — (4,592) (562) (1,205) (75) (476) (2,274) Transfers for Designated Purposes—Out or (in) ... 150# 6,246 (551) 7,981 (828) (354) (2) Total Funds Applied ... $87,208 $56,793 $1,239 $40,202 $ 236 $4,547 $10,569 FUND BALANCES 30 September 1977 ....... $ -O— $11,934 $4,082 $ -O- $4,292 $3,518 $ 42 * Exclusive of funds of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ($70,655 Special Purpose Unrestricted, $326,414 General Restricted, $4,152 Grants & Contracts) reclassified as Agency Funds. ** Figures do not include revenues to SSIE from other sources of approximately $1,250,000. # Unobligated funds returned to Treasury. [ 47 ] TABLE 3. Special Foreign Currency Program Fiscal Year 1977—Obligations System- atic & Astro- environ- physics Grant mental G&earth Museum adminis- Country Archeology biology sciences programs tration Total Barma. « ..s% S — §$ 1,000 $ — $ — §$ — §$ 1,000 POE 65 cas 1,638,705 100,689 199,213 (59) Meo | 1,942,299 Wate na ae 489,148 27,082 17,510 152,626 11,120 697,486 Pakistan ... 24,556 56,607 2,829 — 325 84,317 Poland ...: 55,434 53,950 79,841 70,927 54,360 314,512 Tunisia * . 3. 383,000 360,418 —_ 2,415 168 746,001 a Total $2,590,843 $599,746 $299,393 $225,909 $69,724 $3,785,615* * An additional $181,000 was obligated through the National Science Foundation for the translation and printing of scientific publications in India requested by the Smithsonian Institution. For the Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, $1,972,000 was provided for fiscal year 1977. The Smithsonian’s Special For- eign Currency Program, which provides grants to United States institutions for field research in those countries where “excess” foreign currencies are available, received a fiscal year 1977 federal appropriation of $3,481,000 restoring this program to more normal levels compared to the $500,000 provided in fiscal year 1976. The increased funding included allowance for the payment of the third of four $1,000,000 annual contributions to the campaign to save the monuments of Nubia. For general categories and geographical areas of spending under the Foreign Currency Program, see Table 3. Federal funds appropriated to the Institution for construction purposes in fiscal year 1977 totaled $9,530,000. Of this amount approximately $6,600,000 was provided for continuation of the approved master plan for renovation of the National Zoological Park. This includes exhibits for beavers, otters, seals, sea lions, bears, and wolves. An additional amount of almost $3,000,000 was designated for needed repairs and renovation of other Smithsonian buildings, including installation of fire detection and control systems [ 48 ] TABLE 4. Grants and Contracts [In $1,000’s] Transition Federal agencies FY 1975 FY1976 quarter FY1977 Atomic Energy Commission ........ $ 84 §$ Be, 45. § viazZ Department of Commerce .......... 242 218 90 82 Department of Defense ............ 799 800 212 998 Department of Health, Education Ee eee eee ee 219 255 79 282 Department of Interior ............ 246 272 48 155 Peeeument OF Labor .............. 87 162 177 33 Seearemmenic OF State ......;..-...-- 1,549 1,252 242 282 National Aeronautics and Space MeeIStraAtiOn >. 210. 2.2 bes 7,670 6,222 1,845 6,346 National Endowment for the Arts DEMME EMEMATINTICS .......502 000-00 420 451 174 356 National Science Foundation ....... 502 432 128 315 cs once wince 6 474 1,376 944 1,565 Se eee le $12,292 $11,525 $3,987 $10,571 and repairs to the Arts and Industries Building roof, the Renwick Gallery exterior, and the History and Technology Building terrace. Grants and Contracts Federal agencies in fiscal year 1977 again provided substantial grant and contract support for the Institution’s research programs. Such funds are sought to finance specific research and educational projects that are related to the Institution’s trust mandate where such work can be accommodated within the performing bureau’s total program responsibilities. Projects are also requested of Smith- sonian scientists by the funding agencies because of the Institu- tion’s expertise in given areas. Amounts received from major granting agencies are listed in Table 4. Representative projects included a Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory development of masers and a helium-cooled infrared telescope for Space Lab II; continued analysis by the National Air and Space Museum of geological features of the lunar surface; four touring exhibits [ 49 ] entitled ‘It’s Your Coast’ to promote a wider public understand- ing of the Coastal Zone Management Program; and an exhibit during the latest Festival of American Folklife of the many uses of energy. Smithsonian Trust Funds The trust funds of the Institution, established with the original Smithson bequest and increased over the years by many subse- quent bequests and gifts, have recently grown more rapidly. Total gross operating revenues rose to $48,000,000, compared with $35,500,000 for fiscal year 1976; net income after deduction of related expenses was $15,746,000 in 1977 against $12,619,000 in 1976. Included therein, income from endowment fund and cur- rent investments rose modestly to $2,847,000, while gifts for cur- rent operations declined to $1,827,000 from the extraordinarily high level experienced during the prior two years in which wide support for Bicentennial-related activities was received. Total trust fund income for fiscal year 1977 is summarized in Table 5. The major increase was derived from auxiliary activities, as detailed below. UNRESTRICTED PURPOSE TRUST FUNDS Unrestricted purpose trust fund income continued to increase this year, as shown in Table 6. For this, the growth of auxiliary activi- ties (see Table 7) was primarily responsible. National Associate Members now total more than 1,600,000, while Resident Associ- ates, those living in the Washington metropolitan area and par- ticipating in a variety of cultural, educational, and entertainment programs, now number 43,000. Income from restaurant and park- ing concessions rose with the opening of the West Court in the Natural History Building and the National Air and Space Museum, along with admissions to the nasM film theater and spacearium shows. Reduced income from the Product Development program was Offset by increased Museum Shops revenues. Sales from our third annual mail order Christmas catalogue, although not con- tributing to any large extent to fiscal year 1977 results, have also [ 50 ] TABLE 5. Total Trust Funds Income Fiscal Year 1977 [In $1,000’s] Unrestricted purposes General & auxiliary Special Restricted Revenue sources activities purpose * purposes*** Total FOR OPERATING PURPOSES: PEMETIEGS co . . . . cleleis bac ee $1,154 $ 3 $1,690 $ 2,847 EE 48** 55 1,724 1,827 Auxiliary activities (net) ... 7,981 — — 7,981 DCIRMICOUIS. ....:.-52...-. 45 2,053 993 3,091 Total Operating Funds $9,228 $2,111 $4,407 $15,746 FOR PLANT: Gifts— Cooper-Hewitt Museum .. $ — $ - a $ 3 Chesapeake Bay Center .. — —- 1 1 RAN ESEEES Sater. ss. — — 4 4 Pesscellaneous ~............. — — a 1 meee Plant ...0..... ¢ — $ — a 5 s 5 FOR ENDOWMENT: EE ee $ — $ — $ 234 $ 234 Total Endowment .... $ — $ — $ 234 $ 234 foe, Lotal’........ $9,228 $2,111 $4,646 $15,985 * Represents unrestricted income designated by management to be used only for specific purposes. ** Excluding gifts to Associates (included under Auxiliary Activities). *** Excluding Grants and Contracts shown in Table 4. expanded; this effort and a new venture in publishing, The Smith- sonian Experience, should mean a continuation of the improve- ment in trust fund revenues in fiscal year 1978. Smithsonian administrative costs rose with the growth of the Institution and increased salary scales commensurate with those mandated for federal employees. Distribution of portions of the income of museum shops, product development, and concessions to various bureaux also rose along with operating allotments for a great variety of urgent special programmatic needs. Funds were also transferred from the operating accounts to complete final pay- ments on the construction of West Court facilities in the Natural [ 51 ] TaBLe 6. Unrestricted Trust Funds General and Auxiliary Activities (Excluding Special Purpose Funds and Gifts to Endowment) [In $1,000’s] FY FY Transition FY Item 1975 1976 quarter 1977 INCOME General Income: Invebbuentss ss oo. sin eand Sass $ 950 $1,107 $ 263 $1,154 SMES on nc Pe a's wd eee cee 46 66 16 48 RetscellanGGee. . ss ccbe sis oeaee kena ce 13 54 13 45 Total General Income .......... 1,009 1,227 292 1,247 Auxiliary Activities (net): OA eae 2 a: SR eS SD 9 Ope eae 1,968 3,256 1,011 6,416 Shops and Product Development .... 635 Bae 261 828 Pees: O25) hogs s veges OFS EE ee (96) (146) (46) (108) Performine:Adts. 6.6% 6\ cainninm toes (79) (110) (9) (343) CONFESSIONS OS se 6 ass SE cee ee 215 657 547 1,651 GChther Activites 2000. os eee (120) (131) (70) (463) Total Activitees Sere hy eo 2525 4,047 1,664 7,981 Total Teome =") 2 >... Goyohe to as foe 3,502 5,274 1,956 9,228 EXPENDITURES AND TRANSFERS Administrative and Program Expense .. 4,780 5,024 1,530 6,382 Less Administrative Recovery ......... 3,644 4,558 1,201 4,592 Wet ‘Exwense” .= i out clets a ctene 1,136 466 329 1,790 Less Transfers: To Special Purpose and Restricted Funds for Program Purposes ...... 546 1,151 499 1,350 To) Plant’ Fess snc a, So ee 97 2,495 207 559 Toe Endowment “Punids os... oc oath 1,463 1,021 755 5,521 NEE (GAIN: (POSS) 6 oe ii bias aan et 290 141 166 8 ENDING: BALANGE. 3.2ie 22 8ehe Se $3,767 $3,908 $4,074 $4,082 History Building, for additional renovation costs at the Cooper- Hewitt Museum, and for building program costs at the Chesa- peake Bay Center. It was possible also to transfer $5,500,000 to the Institution’s unrestricted purpose endowment funds, a high- priority goal set by the Regents to increase the present relatively small amount of such funds available to deal with possible future emergencies. At the end of fiscal year 1977 such funds totaled about $12,600,000. [ 52 ] TaBLeE 7. Auxiliary Activities for Fiscal Year 1977 [In $1,000’s] Smith- _ Per- Smith- sonian form- Con- Museum sonian Asso- ing ces- Other Item Total Shops*Press** ciates Arts sions *** Sales and Revenues .... $39,689 $6,848 $ 241 $29,683 $ 393 $1,717 $ 807 ‘Less Cost of Sales...... 18,129 3,516 131 14,394 88 — — Gross Income .... 21,560 352 110 15,289 305 5 eg 807 ee are — — 352 —_ —_— 25 Sumer Income ......<.. 136 87 — 49 — — — Total Income .... 22,073 3,419 110 15,690 305 i Pp Wg 832 re 12,887 2,249 206 8,616 581 ae ee Administrative Costs ... 1,205 342 12 658 57 5 121 Income (Loss) | Before Transfers . 7,981 828 (108) 6,416 (343) 1,651 (463) Transfers In/(Out) ..... (424) (254)*# — — 14 (184)* — Net Income (Loss) $ 7,557 $ 574 $(108) $ 6,416 $(329) $1,467 $(463) * Includes Product Development and Mail Order Programs. ** The privately funded activities of the Press as opposed to the federally supported publication of research papers. *** Includes Traveling Exhibitions, Belmont Conference Center, Photo Sales, Telecommunica- tions, Business Management Office, and Publishing Task Force. # Allocations to the Smithsonian bureaux participating in this program. SPECIAL PURPOSE TRUST FUNDS Special purpose trust funds include income received directly by individual bureaux for their general use and income set aside from Unrestricted General Purpose funds for bureau programs or other specific uses. Additional detail on special purpose funds is set forth this year in Table 8, as well as being included in Tables 2 and 5. Total income in fiscal year 1977 amounted to $2,111,000, com- pared with $1,420,000 in the preceding 15 months. Admission fees of $1,249,000 to the nasm film theater and spacearium shows are responsible for most of the jump in income. Increased revenue sharing transfers to the bureaux from concession fees and museum shop income also added to this type of support which enabled bureaux to add to their purchases for collections, exhibit improve- ments, and other educational programs. In the case of NAsM, net [ 53 ] Taste 8. Unrestricted Special Purpose Funds Fiscal Years 1975-1977 Item FY 3975: Tatar ;.-- FY 1976 and Transition Quarter: Total ... FY 1977: Museum of Natural History .. Astrophysical Observatory ..... Tropical Research WASTIINCE 5. \ . Sel —Other ..... National Zoological Park .. Museum of History & Technology ... National Collection of Fine Arts ..... Hirshhorn Museum . Support Activities Liability Reserves .. Exhibits Central ... Other.) ape oe FY 1977 Total . [In $1,000’s] Income Transfers In/(Out) Netin- Fund Bureau From crease balance activ- Total unre- Deduc- (de- endof Gifts ities Other income stricted Other tions crease) year $207 $ 339 $205°$ 751. $ 323 §$ 42% SOS @ Gil ae $338 $ 630 $452 $1,420 $1,202 $ 43 $1,248 $1,417 $2,488 $ 1 $ 20 $15 $ “36 $ 90 § — "S991 SY eee =. 7a” tease 7 Fin: > 2 38 (17) 20 = Se 33 8 2 47 (4) 17 a" 249 ra eek = (S00) 3ae 14 236 ite 101 (98 199 151 900 168 1,082 1,335 za gs 16 95 ipoottica 38 75 443 4 38 6 48 prq vre 81 143 437 5 106 «77 188 i 97 106 183 1 4 3 8 ces 10 21 68 ue a ode 17 a (34) 59 87 a Bae) ee a cy as = 270 900 a i] 6 7 a0 VAL as 9 49 44 74 106 224 69 (18) 194 81 380 * Exclusive of funds of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ($70,655 as of 9/30/76) re- classified as Agency Funds. income from admission fees has been set aside to finance future film replacements, while other amounts there are being designated for a future Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History for an appointed scholar. Also included in special purpose funds are Zoo parking receipts reserved for future expansion of parking facilities and a reserve for possible additional costs relating to the Smithsonian magazine. [ 54 ] TaBLe 9. Restricted Operating Trust Funds Fiscal Years 1975-1977 [In $1,000’s] Income Net in- Fund Trans- crease balance Invest- Miscel- Total Deduc- fers- (de- end of Item ment Gifts laneous income tions in(out) crease) year Baeaersr otal. .\..... $1,724 $4,177 $636 $6,537 $5,027 $ 62 $1,572 $4,374 FY 1976 and Transition Quarter: SS ee $2,137 $4,965 $686 $7,788 $8,357 $179 $ (390) $3,984 EY 1977; Museum of Natural History .... $ 71 275 14 360 269 39 130 479 Astrophysical Observatory ....... 52 249 4 305 369 28 (36) (48) National Air & Space Museum .... 28 11 3 42 20 48 70 976 Fort Pierce Bureau ... 594 — — 594 423 (138) 33 121 Museum of History & Technology —Person to Person . oe 1 — 1 159 —- (158) 40 —Marine Hall ..... — 130 —_ 130 76 19 73 312 Meevier +s. esse. 7 65 26 98 138 7 (33) 194 National Collection bine Arts. ois... 13 57. 2 72 55 2 19 64 Freer Gallery of Art .. 746 20 207 973 960 6 19 213 Archives of American Art ...... —_— 122 123 245 288 11 (32) ava Cooper-Hewitt —Operating ....... 6 87 475 568 917 349 = = =—Other «........%. —_ 185 66 251 482 69 (162) 395 Anacostia Neighbor- | hood Museum ..... — 97 — 97 171 2 (72) (8) Ee PE ee 173 425 73 671 574 (88) 9 603 Total FY 1977 ... $1,690 $1,724 $993 $4,407 $4,901 $354 $ (140) $3,518* _ * Exclusive of funds of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ($326,414 as of 9/30/76) re- classified as Agency Funds. [55 ] RESTRICTED PURPOSE TRUST FUNDS As indicated in Table 5, a major portion of Smithsonian trust fund income each year is received for specific purposes designated by donors. In fiscal year 1977, total restricted purpose income amounted to $4,407,000, of which $1,690,000 was derived from restricted purpose endowment fund investment income, $1,724,000 was in the form of gifts, and $993,000 represented bureau income from their membership activities, sales desks, and special fund raising events. The Freer Gallery, Fort Pierce Bureau in Florida, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the Archives of American Art are among the major recipients of this form of income. Detailed in- formation on both income and uses of these restricted funds may be seen in Table 9. Endowment and Similar Funds The Endowment Funds of the Smithsonian had a market value on September 30, 1977, of $47,583,000, which included $46,511,000 in the Consolidated Endowment Fund, $1,000,000 on permanent deposit in the United States Treasury, and $72,000 of miscel- laneous securities (See Table 10). The majority of these funds, 67 percent, at September 30, 1977, are restricted, with income to be used only for the purposes originally specified by the donor. The Consolidated Endowment Fund (detailed in Table 13) consists of the Freer Fund, which supports the operation of the Freer Gallery of Art; Endowment Fund No. 3 used for oceanographic research at the Fort Pierce Bureau; and a number of smaller restricted and unrestricted funds which support a variety of research and mu- seum programs. In order to facilitate their management, these endowments have been pooled for investment purposes since July 1, 1974; separate accounting and administration continues, how- ever, for each fund. Table 11 shows the market values of the Consolidated Endowment Fund since June 30, 1973, while Table 12 shows the changes over the past year due to transfers, reinvest- ment of income, gifts, and values in the securities markets. The decline in market value during this period was less than for the major stock market indexes. Income paid out under the total return [ 56 ] TABLE 10. Endowment and Similar Funds* Summary of Investments September 30, 1977 Accounts Book value Market value INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS Consolidated Endowment Funds: Seem aiid Equivalents 2.02.1... we ele eee $ 4,111,447 $ 4,111,447 EG ANT. aA. tol. Dee « Sateen cane 7,141,220 7,179,344 Peeeeiie bores. o% ... 5% bo. oe Gs de we 2,408,186 2,270,717 BL re 7. MPT A. « HS wu ly kw ene oe 33,259,348 33,314,316 re ee a AEN Sa wi ate $46,920,201 $46,878,828 Miscellaneous: TE A rat ec oh Gwe aha vid Mic» vwa wk ee $ —0- $ —0- se A rey ae een eee: 9,769 10,000 IER SHERINES oe go acpaie Cle s & o 6b e's oe ow wee 3,572 13,411 | s+ yeep ee lc ae ele ah dl A LS al Rl A $ 13,341 S 23,411 Total Investment Accounts ........... $46,933,542 $46,902,239 Other Accounts: CEREUS es wc oe ue cn eke wanes cane S 44,323 8 44,323 Loan to U.S. Treasury in Perpetuity ......... 1,000,000 1,000,000 Teraroiner Accounts Goris... sk $ 1,044,323 $ 1,044,323 Total Endowment and Similar Fund Ca ge ly So ee ee ee $47,977,865 $47,946,562 * Includes both true endowment, whose income only may be expended, and quasi endowments, whose principal as well as income may be used for current purposes on approval of the Board of Regents. Taste 11. Market Values of Consolidated Endowment Funds* [In $1,000’s] Fund 6/30/73 6/30/74 6/30/75 9/30/76 9/30/77 Se $ 4,759 $3,906 $ 5,654 $7,477 $11,694 oo AS ee ie 18,279 14,250 15,744 16,035 15,410 Endowment No. 3 ........ 13,196 11,128 12,321 12,701 12,343 OS 7,634 6,266 7,148 7,420 7,431 a $43,868 $35,550 $40,867 $43,633 $46,879 a a a * Not including Endowment Funds of $1,000,000 held in the United States Treasury, carrying 6 percent interest, nor minor amount of miscellaneous securities treated separately. [ 57 ] TABLE 12. Changes in Consolidated Endowment Funds for Fiscal Year 1977 [In $1,000’s] Gifts Interest Decrease Market and and Income in Market value _trans-_— divi- paid Sub- market value Fund 9/30/76 fers dends* out total value 9/30/77 Unrestricted funds .. $ 7,477 $5,500 $ 356 $ 417 $12,902 $1,207 $11,695 Freer Fund ...:..... 16,035 —O- 630 746 15,901 491 15,410 Endowment No. 3 .. 12,701 138 499 592 12,732 389 12,343 Restricted funds .... 7,420 287 301 335 7718 288 7,431 Feta e a ecciee $43,633 $5,925 $1,786 $2,090 $49,254 $2,375 $46,879 * Income earned less managers fees. ** Not including Endowment Funds of $1,000,000 held in the United States Treasury, carrying 6 percent interest, nor minor amount of miscellaneous securities treated separately. policy, net of managers’ and custodial fees, was $2,090,000, which included $304,000 from accumulated capital gains. The investment management of the Consolidated Endowment Fund is conducted by three professional advisory firms under the close supervision of the Investment Policy Committee and the Treasurer, subject to the policy guidelines set by the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents. The Institution follows the total return policy, adopted by the Board of Regents in 1972, under which income is paid by each individual endowment fund at the annual rate of 41/2 percent of the running five-year average of market values, adjusted for additions or withdrawals of capital. A listing of the individual investments held in the Consolidated Endowment Fund as of September 30, 1977, may be obtained upon request to the Treasurer of the Institution. Related Organizations Not included in the preceding financial data are results of opera- tions of several organizations affiliated in varying degrees with the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, Inc., a nonprofit [ 58 ] entity incorporated in 1971, serves to facilitate the prompt ex- change of information of ongoing research activities among Gov- ernment agencies and the scientific community. While funded in large measure by the federal appropriation made to the Smith- sonian Institution for the Exchange, it also receives substantial revenues from users of its services. Unaudited figures for 1977 show that in addition to the $1,972,000 federal appropriation, SSIE received approximately $1,250,000 from contract fees and charges to customers; preliminary estimates indicate that expendi- tures during the year exceeded total income. During the year, an audit of the Institution by the General Accounting Office recom- mended that the Exchange be dissolved as an independent corpo- ration and that its operations be carried on as part of the Smith- sonian’s regular organizational structure or as a part of a federal government agency. At year’s end, discussions were being held with the Office of Management and Budget regarding the resolu- tion of this problem. The Smithsonian Research Foundation was incorporated in 1966 in order to administer the Research Awards Program; these activities were paid for by federal appropriations to replace grants formerly received from the National Science Foundation in support of special research projects of Smithsonian scientists. In its audit, the General Accounting Office also recommended dissolution of the Research Foundation, and it is being phased out in fiscal year 1978. Its activities will thereafter be directly administered by the Institution. Reading is Fundamental, Inc., an organization dedicated to the improvement of reading abilities in children, has been associated with the Smithsonian since 1968, but now operates as an inde- pendent, separately incorporated entity for which the Institution, on a contract basis, provides certain administrative services. Although established by Congress “in the Smithsonian Institu- tion,” the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is separately administered under its own Board of Trustees; office space and support services are provided by the Institution. In order to reflect more properly the Center’s independent status, the nonfederal funds of the Center, previously included within the Smithsonian’s financial. reports, have been reclassified to agency status and do not appear in preceding figures of this report. [59 ] TABLE 13. Consolidated Endowment Fund September 30, 1977 Funds participating in pool RESTRICTED FUNDS: Abbott. Wiltam Li ook. +. uae es Armstrong, Edwin James ...... Arthas lanes <5 G46 Re «ey Bacon, Virginia Purdy ......... Baird, Spencer Fullerton ....... Barriey, Gace’ Pike’. ..ch ss ee ces Barstow; Frederic’D; ! 43;2. Jeo Batenelor,’ Emma Es. 205/44. 23 Beauregard, Catherine Memorial Fund. o.6 Auxiliary enterprises expenditures »«.2.0 a5... a). 5 RSE. - Expended for real estate and equipment Retirement of indebtedness Interest on indebtedness Sis ae © 6 we Se» 6 2 ee 8 BC Se oe “ee ee ee eee eer eee eee ee eee e eee eevee ad Mes ew ee © s Se wee pe ee Ree, ee ee me eee ee Total expenditures and other deductions TRANSFERS AMONG FUNDS—ADDITIONS (DEDUCTIONS) : Mandatory—principal and interest on notes Portion of investment gain appropriated For plam®, pemmisttioni ai eee. ck cs ck eeakeoee anemone oes Income added to endowment principal Appropriated as quasi-endowment For designated purposes Endowment released ia ws eines alee SS he ee ee OBEN Cle w C0 Me se wee ae ae eee) fe ee arse ce eee et Se Mlelle 6 6. wiele ose Bs 8) eee ate ee ee a ee ee a Total transfers among funds—additions (deductions) .. Net increase (decrease) for the year Reclassiscation. (note J). 4 oid cvncedeca ddw aces Beer ene Fund balance at September 30, 1976 Fund balance at September 30, 1977 a6 32 OS Se BRM S) DD wo Hie eC Oe ae See accompanying notes to financial statements. [ 66 ] Total Current funds $41,419,793 10,514,916 2,543,532 2,203,189 723,120 1,335,305 58,739,855 14,588,574 4,932,340 31,582,560 6,566 51,110,040 (94,414) 304,053 (464,220) (196,609) (5,521,053) 5,000 26,347 (5,940,896) 1,688,919 (401,221) 10,646,524 $11,934,222 Total unrestricted funds 41,419,793 1,096,596 479,619 723,120 342,231 44,061,359 1,873,387 2,182,826 31,582,560 35,638,773 (94,414) 60,969 (464,220) (5,521,053) _ (521,871) (6,540,589) 1,881,997 (70,655) 6,562,339 8,373,681 ——— Current funds Unrestricted Plant funds Endowment General Auxiliary Special and similar Investment purpose activities purpose Restricted funds Acquisition in plant — 39,825,302 1,594,491 Ld slee = =n -». = — 10,514,916 = a — 1,093,768 — 2,828 1,446,936 — — — = — a — 23,253 — — 47,764 376,293 55 562 1,723,570 233,686 4,000 — — — ae a — — 542,804 562,409 — 160,711 — — — —_— 44,568 — 297,663 993,074 — 950 ae 1,748,509 40,201,595 218 t 255 14,678,496 256,939 4,950 542,804 1,450,776 — 422,611 12,715,187 a — — 903,236 1,205,200 74,390 2,749,514 — — os — 31,015,277 567,283 wee a ae a oe — — 6,566 — 469,188 — pies “ _ = == pe 95022 = aad ai vile — =r bn 19,252 a 2,354,012 32,220,477 1,064,284 15,471,267 oa 563,602 — (94,414) aL it = LNs Jal aad _ 60,969 — — 243,084 (304,053) -—— — (464,220) a jue ue — 464,220 aes oo — as (196,609) 196,609 — — (5,521,053) au a — 5,521,053 i os (925,570) (424,000) 827,699 526,871 woe (5,000) — — —_ a 26,347 (26,347) = as 7,557,118 (7,557,118) — — a —~ —_— 612,830 (7,981,118) 827,699 599,693 5,387,262 553,634 = 7,327 — 1,874,670 (193,078) 5,644,201 (5,018) 542,804 a sti (70,655) (330,566) a gen — 4,074,326 —_— 2,488,013 4,084,185 42,333,664 38,184 9,670,740 4,081,653 — 4,292,028 3,560,541 47,977,865 33,166 10,213,544 [ 67 ] SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION—TRUST FUNDS Notes to Financial Statements September 30, 1977 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and General Information a. Accrual Basis—The financial statements of Smithsonian Institution—Trust Funds have been prepared on the accrual basis, except for depreciation of plant fund assets as explained in note 1(h) below, and are in substantial conformity with generally accepted accounting principles included in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Audit Guide, “Audits of Colleges and Universities.” Current funds include capitalized improvements and equipment used in income-producing activities having a net carrying value of $1,283,604 and $1,069,862 at September 30, 1977 and September 30, 1976, respectively. Current funds used to finance the acquisition of plant assets and for pro- visions for debt amortization and interest are accounted for as transfers to the plant fund. Separate sub-fund groups of current unrestricted funds have been reflected in the statement of changes in fund balances for auxiliary activities (repre- senting primarily the revenues and expenditures of the Smithsonian Asso- ciates program, including the Smithsonian Magazine, and museum shop sales) and Special Purposes (representing internally segregated funds for certain designated purposes). Fund Accounting—In order to ensure observance of limitations and restric- tions placed on the use of the resources available to the Institution, the accounts of the Institution are maintained in accordance with the princi- ples of “fund accounting.” This is the procedure by which resources for various purposes are classified for accounting and reporting purposes into funds that are in accordance with activities or objectives specified. Separate accounts are maintained for each fund; however, in the accompanying financial statements, funds that have similar characteristics have been com- bined into fund groups. Accordingly, all financial transactions have been recorded and reported by fund group. Within each fund group, fund balances restricted by outside sources are so indicated and are distinguished from unrestricted funds allocated to spe- cific purposes by action of the governing board. Externally restricted funds may only be utilized in accordance with the purposes established by the source of such funds and are in contrast with unrestricted funds over which the governing board retains full control to use in achieving any of its institutional purposes. Endowment funds are subject to the restrictions of gift instruments requir- ing in perpetuity that the principal be invested and income only be utilized. Also classified as endowment funds are gifts which will allow the expendi- ture of principal but only under certain specified conditions. While quasi-endowment funds have been established by the governing board for the same purposes as endowment funds, any portion of such [ 68 ] funds may be expended. Restricted quasi-endowment funds represent gifts for restricted purposes where there is no stipulation that the principal be maintained in perpetuity or for a period of time, but the governing board has elected to invest the principal and expend only the income for the purpose stipulated by the donor. All gains and losses arising from the sale, collection, or other disposition of investments and other noncash assets are accounted for in the fund which owned such assets. Ordinary income derived from investments, re- - ceivables, and the like, is accounted for in the fund owning such assets, except for income derived from investments of endowment and similar funds, which income is accounted for in the fund to which it is restricted or, if unrestricted, as revenues in unrestricted current funds. All other unrestricted revenue is accounted for in the unrestricted current fund. Restricted gifts, grants, endowment income, and other restricted resources are accounted for in the appropriate restricted funds. Investments are recorded at cost or fair market value at date of acquisition when acquired by gift. Inventories are carried at lower of average cost or net realizable value. Income and expenses with respect to the Institution’s magazine and asso- ciates’ activities are deferred and taken into income and expense over the applicable periods and are reported in the activities section of the current unrestricted funds. The Institution utilizes the “total return” approach to investment manage- ment of endowment funds and quasi-endowment funds. Under this ap- proach, the total investment return is considered to include realized and unrealized gains and losses in addition to interest and dividends. In apply- ing this approach, it is the Institution’s policy to provide 442% of the five year average of the market value of each fund (adjusted for gifts and transfers during this period) as being available for current expenditures; however, where the market value of the assets of any endowment fund is less than 110% of the historic dollar value (value of gifts at date of dona- tion) the amount provided is limited to only interest and dividends received. Capitalized improvements and equipment used in income-producing activi- ties purchased with Trust Funds are capitalized in the current unrestricted fund at cost (see note 1(b)), and are depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of five to ten years. Depreciation expense of $165,667 for 1977 is reflected in expenditures of the current funds. Real estate (land and buildings) are recorded in the plant fund at cost, to the extent that restricted or unrestricted funds were expended therefor, or appraised value at date of gift, except for gifts of certain islands in Chesa- peake Bay and the Carnegie Mansion, which have been recorded at nominal values. Depreciation on buildings is not recorded. All other land, buildings, fixtures and equipment (principally acquired with Federal funds), works of art, living or other specimens are not reflected in the accompanying financial statements. The agency funds group consists of funds held by the Institution as cus- todian or fiscal agent for others. [ 69 ] 2. Pension costs are funded as accrued. The Institution has a number of contracts with the U.S. Government, which primarily provide for cost reimbursement to the Institution. Contract reve- nues are recognized as expenditures are incurred. Related Activities The Trust Funds reflect the receipt and expenditure of funds obtained from private sources, from Federal grants and contracts and from certain busi- ness activities related to the operations of the Institution. Federal appropriations, which are not reflected in the accompanying finan- cial statements, provide major support for the operations and administra- tion of the educational and research programs of the Institution’s many museums, art galleries and other bureaus, as well as for the maintenance and construction of related buildings and facilities. In addition, land, build- ings and other assets acquired with Federal funds are not reflected in the accompanying financial statements. The following Federal appropriations were received by the Institution for the year ended September 30, 1977 and the fifteen months ended September 30, 1976. 1977 1976 Operating “fangs ef tee ee aes $ 87,208,000 106,654,000 Special foreign currency program .... 3,481,000 500,000 Construction: fmds: 6 e215 ei. aw: 9,530,000 13,922,000 $100,219,000 121,076,000 The Institution provides fiscal and administrative services to certain sepa- rately incorporated organizations on which certain officials of the Institu- tion serve on the governing boards. The amounts paid to the Institution by these organizations for the aforementioned services, together with rent for Institution facilities occupied, etc., totaled approximately $427,000 for the year ended September 30, 1977. The following summarizes the approxi- mate expenditures of these organizations for the year ended September 30, 1977, and fifteen months ended September 30, 1976 as reflected in their individual financial statements and which are not included in the accom- panying financial statements of the Institution: 1977 1976 Smithsonian Research Foundation ........... $2,100,000 2,500,000 Smithsonian Science Information Exchange ... 3,300,000 3,900,000 Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. .............+- 1,100,000 650,000 Certter for Natural Areds Inc: |. yt. sen Oo: — 420,000 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Schotars: (note; 7). |... .\ccuks -auve. hewn. oabelh 1,500,000 a [ 70 ] 3. Investments Quoted market values and carrying values of investments (all marketable securities) of the funds indicated were as follows: September 30,1977 September 30,1976 Carrying Market Carrying Market value value value value Srremt funds ...0.. 2. seu $11,689,366 11,538,378 8,149,723 8,093,625 Endowment and similar funds 46,339,719 46,237,339 40,296,458 42,667,967 Total investments .... $58,029,085 57,775,717 48,446,181 50,761,592 Total investment performance is summarized below: Net gains (losses) Endowment Current and similar funds funds Total Unrealized gains (losses): September 30, 1977 .............. $(150,988) (103,381) (254,369) September 30, 1976 ............-. (56,098) 2,371,509 2,315,411 Unrealized net losses for period (94,890) (2,474,890) (2,569,780) Realized net gains for period ........ — 23,253 23,253 Total net losses for period .... $ (94,890) (2,451,637) (2,546,527) Substantially all of the investments of the endowment and similar funds are pooled on a market value basis (consolidated fund) with each indivi- dual fund subscribing to or disposing of units on the basis of the value per unit at market value at the beginning of the calendar quarter within which the transaction takes place. Of the total units each having a market value of $100.24 ($103.69 in 1976), 338,743 units were owned by endowment, and 124,478 units by quasi-endowment at September 30, 1977. The following tabulation summarizes the changes in the pooled investments during the year ended September 30, 1977: Carrying Market value value Market per unit DeeeEET SO, 1977 ows cw ene $46,546,759 46,433,309 100.24 September 30, 1976 ......... 40,720,429 43,079,172 103.69 Increase (decrease) .... $ 5,826,330 3,354,137 (3.45) 4. Mortgage Notes Payable The mortgage notes payable are secured by first deeds of trust on property acquired in connection with the Chesapeake Bay Center. The details of the mortgage notes payable are as follows: [ 71 ] 3. 6. Z: 1977 1976 Mortgage note, payable in semiannual installments of $13,300, plus interest at the prevailing prime rate at the due date of the installment payment but not less thal Bo, CxvOUars Mi 2y CORT os es dvs prin ost ets $ 79,800 106,400 6% mortgage, note payable, due in monthly installments of $451 Including tuterest’ . bias ssid caswereneees — 28,422 6% mortgage note, payable in semiannual installments of $10,000, plus interest, through November 7, 1979 . 50,000 70,000 $129,800 204,822 Pension Plan The Institution has a contributory pension plan providing for the purchase of retirement annuity contracts for those employees meeting certain age and length of service requirements who elect to be covered under the plan. Under terms of the plan, the Institution contributes the amount necessary to bring the total contribution to 12% of the participants’ compensation subject to social security taxes and to 17% of the participants’ compensa- tion in excess of that amount. The total pension expense for the year ended September 30, 1977 was $1,134,312 and $1,404,788 for the fifteen months ended September 30, 1976. Income Taxes The Institution has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as exempt from income taxation as an organization described in Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) are subject to income taxation only on their unrelated business income as defined under Code Sections 522 et. seq. It is the opinion of the Institution that it is also exempt from taxation as an instrumentality of the United States as described in Section 501(c)(1) of the Code. Recognition of this dual status will be sought from the Internal Revenue Service. Should the Institution’s position not prevail, income taxes in a substantial amount might be imposed on certain unrelated business income. Reclassification The Institution has classified all trust fund financial activities of the Wood- row Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) in the agency fund during the year. Previously, WWICS’s trust fund financial activities were shown as part of the Institution’s current funds. During the year WWICS’s financial activities were processed by the Institution, but such financial activities are not reflected in the Institution’s current funds balance sheet or statement of changes in fund balances. The following summarizes the trust fund financial activities of WWICS as reflected in its individual finan- cial statement and which is not included in the accompanying financial statement of the Institution: Fund balance, September 30, 1976 .............. $ 401,220 Revenues and other additions .................. 1,880,463 Expenditures and other deductions ............. 1,509,384 Fund balance, September 30, 1977 .............. $ 772,299 The Institution will continue to provide financial and administrative serv- ices to WWICS for which the Institution will charge a fee. [ 72 ] en be 1 tea er a) L000 ey ONO iNET lean dint ve OP Hantnitoh i ag Pe | Lele Wren ne Cid tay on hy iit co se “Ay ‘ i i ¥ -_ wh) Ty “4” bay sf Yay Saie taal (08 6 (IE Ah A we: ty shhue re i pe yeu Lf lybeah aebhags ugig tag iviy il pewioabnel pr RN. ee Ripe «Nol ened ah, . Ba ON NG ae Ae a, tlh ey idee raed phew fear Vee andi ¢ aaah ad \ keine: peaploge deb hee hae +, boxer aeibo ella yt toa Se |g ee er Ci i inicio COMTI END Ye Chet Rg i te oS © ae (et sole “eu § Vpscwrg: pte Ch Tt iW We ‘ At) ie HO el “foe pe “ye “ae ead, GUAR ton ne | tess : eh ee Pah a) en ys iP) Cree hen Lay yi live ye eae Mite eure hewitt 11} hapa Lage Ae Dita ied et ete: wei ae Seavyesa: Be: ae fine, Bk wba t. Snery ae | as col Seeelie 6e A aa cin } Lene CR Aa ae POLAR | Bary ‘ture sot) wu nmelly edi en ry : He Oe Oe BO a ao sa) fees Ae ial ie ak wth am. hd Pio) Fret tat ay AAR: Li ot ): wk ad " A ce & vt ‘ -~ 7 y ' _ (27 > ar Sie - a