Thank you for contacting the National Geographic Society. Our position on
the Book of Mormon has not changed, nor have we retracted any statements made
previously.
The National Geographic Society has not examined the historical claims of
the Book of Mormon. We know of no archaeological evidence that corroborates the
ancient history of the Western Hemisphere as presented in the Book of Mormon, nor are we aware of empirical verification of the places named in the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon is clearly a work of great spiritual power; millions have
read and revered its words, first published by Joseph Smith in 1830. Yet
Smith's narration is not generally taken as a scientific source for the history of the Americas. Archaeologists and other scholars have long probed the hemisphere's past, and the Society does not know of anything found so far that has substantiated the Book of Mormon.
In fact, students of prehistoric America by and large conclude that the New
World's earliest inhabitants arrived from Asia via the Bering land bridge.
(Lower sea levels during ice ages exposed the continental shelf beneath
Bering Strait, allowing generations of ancient Siberians to migrate east.)
National Geographic carried "The First Americans" in its September 1979 issue,
perhaps on your library's shelf.
You will want to contact the Smithsonian Institution for a copy of their
1996 statement on the Book of Mormon.
Their address is:
Smithsonian Information
SI Building, Room 153
Washington, DC 20560-0010
Sincerely,
Lisa Walker
Research Correspondence