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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION      1306

The Congress in enacting the Federal Property and Administrative Act of 1949, approved June 30, 1949, which created the General Services Administration, omitted the Commission's recommendation outlined above relative to change in relationship of the Smithsonian Institution.

LEGAL AUTHORIZATION FOR CERTAIN SMITHSONIAN ACTIVITIES

The following statement was presented by the Secretary:

The Congress recently requested the Bureau of the Budget to contact all federal agencies that were carrying on activities with the aid of federal appropriations without having clear cut basic authority therefor, to advise them to submit drafts of bills proposing the requisite authorizations. In accordance with this, the Smithsonian Institution, with the assistance of the Bureau of the Budget, prepared a draft of legislation to cover the activities of the Bureau of American Ethnology, the Astrophysical Observatory, and certain miscellaneous housekeeping functions which had been carried on for many years but had not been clearly authorized by basic legislation.

The Bureau of American Ethnology was established in 1879 "for the purpose of continuing ethnological researches among the North American Indians under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution," with annual appropriation for this purpose, but without formal authorization other than that of the appropriation acts. The Astrophysical Observatory was founded, in similar manner, in 1890, for the measurement and analysis of solar radiation, and since 1891 has received annual appropriations. Further, Congress has appropriated funds since 1886 for the maintenance of Smithsonian buildings and grounds, and since 1896 for the preparation of manuscripts, drawings and illustrations for publication.

The Honorable Clarence Cannon, Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, in accordance with this necessity, introduced H. R. 3417 on March 10, 1949, which, thanks to Mr. Cannon's interest, duly passed the House of Representatives. In the Senate, this matter received the attention of Senator Clinton P. Anderson, Regent of the Smithsonian.

A.W.