In 1949, the General Assembly established it as a separate agency.
The Department is the central agency for the dissemination of infor-
mation concerning the State. Under law, the agency collects and
assembles data about Maryland and distributes it in the form of
maps, films, photographs, pamphlets, posters, press and radio re-
leases, and by other means to the public in general and to institutions
of learning in particular. It endeavors to promote the interests of
Maryland and its products and to this end serves as a center of in-
formation for the encouragement of tourism and vacation trade in
the State (Code 1951, Art. 41, secs. 198, 199).

Appropriations 1957 1958
General Funds ....................$49,894 $57,677

WAR RECORDS DIVISION
Harold R. Manakee, Director
620 Park Avenue, Baltimore I Telephone: Saratoga 7.0907

Under delegation of authority from the Board of Public Works,
the War Records Division of the Maryland Historical Society was
established in 1946 to assemble and publish data about Maryland's
participation in World War II. The Division maintains and services
a small specialized library of such materials, including a file of the
military service records of each Marylander who served in the armed
forces during World War II. Five books have been published and
one other is in preparation (Acts 1946, chap. 728).

Appropriations 1967 1958

General Funds .....................$14,960 $11,026
Staff: 3

Veteran's Affairs
MARYLAND VETERANS COMMISSION

Chairman: David E. Kaiser

Godfrey E. Child, Jarrett M. Ward, D.D.S., Frank T.
Powers, Vernon H. Randall.
Richard C. Manning, State Service and Executive Officer

8 South Street, Baltimore 2 Telephone Plaza 2-2000

The Maryland Veterans Commission is composed of five members
appointed by the Governor, all of whom must be veterans. The Com-
mission appoints the State Service Officer, who serves as administra-
tive director of the agency. The State Commanders of the American
Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Vet-
erans, and the Spanish-American War Veterans serve as an advisory
committee to the Commission.

The Commission administers a fund, appropriated annually, to pro-
vide the necessities of life to distressed veterans, widows of veterans
and their infant children, to provide medical care for those who are
ill, and funeral expenses for deceased veterans. The agency also
assists veterans and their dependents in securing Federal aid to which
they may be entitled. The Commission maintains a permanent regis-
try of graves of all persons who served in the military or naval
forces of the country in time of war and are buried in Maryland
(Code 1961, Art. 96%, secs. 3-7). In addition to its main office,
it has information centers located in the following cities: