The Smithsonian Institution has long been one of the most important arenas for archaeological re­search in the United States and around the world. Through the Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology and later through its Department of Anthropology, the science of anthropology and archaeology have made great strides over these many years. However, it seems, the role of the Smithsonian Institution as a leader in the anthropological sciences is now being threatened by a planned reorganization program of Secretary Small, the new Head of the Smithsonian Institution.