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(FWD) NCC Washington Update, Vol. 7, #22, June 1, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #22, June 1, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of  the National Coordinating Committee
for the Promotion of History
*****************

1.   Smithsonian Secretary Criticized by Staff
2.   Bush Nominates Scholar to Run NEH
3.   More "Teaching American History" Grants Outreach Meetings Scheduled
4.   President Signs Bill Approving Mall Memorial
5.   News Bits and Bytes: New FRUS Volume; Senate Bibliography Online

1.  SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY CRITICIZED BY STAFF
In a blunt letter to the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, over 70
curators, historians, and other scholars associated with the Museum of
American History have called on the Regents to review a series of recent
decisions made by Secretary Lawrence Small and his staff.  Small is a former
investment and mortgage company executive and the first non-academic to head
the Smithsonian in its 160-year history.

According to the letter, the scholars believe the Secretary's actions
"circumvent established decision-making procedures...breach established
standards of museum practice and professional ethics...[and] commit [the]
museum to unethical relationships with private donors." While the letter
falls just short of calling for the Secretary's dismissal, it does accuse
Small of a series of actions that have caused "irreversible and deserved loss
of public confidence in the Smithsonian."

The series of actions undertaken by the Secretary discussed in the letter
include: renaming the National Museum of American History; committing the
museum to unethical relationships with private donors; creating a "hall of
fame" of individual Americans, and reconfiguring exhibit space in absence of
"deliberative procedures [that are to be] applied to all proposals." In
short, the letter states that the "Secretary's actions create the appearance
of impropriety." Of prime concern to the scholars is the apparent loss of
intellectual control of exhibitions. The letter asks: "Will the Smithsonian
Institution actually allow private funders to rent space in a public museum
for the expression of private interests and personal views?"

The letter comes on the heels of a series of developments - an unsuccessful
attempt by Secretary Small to close the Smithsonian's renown wildlife
conservation center, the abrupt resignation of Robert Fri, Director of the
National Museum of Natural History (Fri is the third Smithsonian Director to
announce his intention to quit the Institution; Fri cited disagreements with
higher level Smithsonian officials who are reorganizing his museum and the
current plans to curtail and consolidate programs at the worlds largest
museum and research complex as reasons for tendering his resignation) and by
the acceptance of a $38 million gift by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation
that will finance a 10,000 square-foot "hall of fame" that will honor
American achievers.

One historian characterized the Reynolds achievers hall concept as
"ahistorical"; a curator noted  that the exhibit probably will break with
Smithsonian tradition of focusing on the display and interpretation of the
Smithsonian's world-class museum collections.  Instead, the exhibit
(tentatively named "The Spirit of America"), will probably be a series of
self-serving stories punctuated by pictures and a smattering of objects
donated by the "achievers."

Concerns raised in the letter by the Smithsonian professional staff were
recently bolstered by the unauthorized release to the press of donor
contracts signed by Smithsonian officials.  According to the contract between
the Smithsonian and Reynolds, Ms. Reynolds will choose 10 of the 15 members
of the advisory committee that will select the achievers to be included in
the exhibition. Reportedly, among Ms. Reynolds' candidates for the achiever
hall are home/garden guru Martha Stewart, the founder of Federal Express
Frederick Smith, newsman Sam Donaldson and movie director Steven Spielberg.
The contract also gives Reynolds some supervisory authority over exhibit
content and construction: "Before construction of the exhibition commences,
the donor and the Smithsonian Institution shall mutually agree on the final
location, the design of the exhibition and construction schedule." Reynolds
will be acknowledged in the hall of achievers through a display of her name
and the logo of her foundation, and mention of the American Academy of
Achievement, a project of the Reynolds Foundation run by her husband.  The
contract also states that the Secretary alone "shall finally determine the
contents of the exhibition."

Reportedly, officials at the Museum of American History were not involved in
negotiations relating to the Reynold's gift, but were simply informed by the
Secretary's staff of the plans for the new museum exhibit.  Apparently,
Reynolds had tried to market her museum concept to at least one other private
museum back in the early 1990s but was turned down.

Smithsonian spokeswoman Mary Combs said Secretary Small had no comment about
the employees letter. Sheila Burke, Under-secretary for American Museums and
National Programs, however, said the complaints were unfounded, that the
public trust had not been compromised and that the Secretary was acting
within his powers. In addition to the issues raised in the letter, curators,
historians and
independent scholars are starting to voice concerns about the leadership and
direction of the Smithsonian.  Members of the advisory Smithsonian Council,
for example, were informed in a recent meeting that support for independent
research will be condensed if not curtailed in order to support a number of
handpicked projects and opportunities.  The hurriedly assembled recent
exhibitions ordered by Small, some of which demonstrate "a remarkable lack of
intellectual depth" (the recent Presidential exhibit is most frequently
cited) also has not gone unnoticed within the scholarly community.

Recent press reports have also zeroed in on Small's reported
"anti-intellectualism" which was most recently evident in a May 6, 2001 CBS
"Sunday Morning" interview. As a consequence of developments, the nation's
press including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post are
now watching developments at the Smithsonian with renewed scrutiny as Small
comes under increasing criticism for what is characterized as his attempt to
transform the Smithsonian into a "theme park" devoted to "attracting crowds
and big private donors." On May 31, for example, the New York Times published
an editorial criticizing the "questionable donation...that can warp an
institution's priorities and professionalism."  The Times also reports that
an "anti-Small sticker campaign" at the Smithsonian museums has been launched
by staff.  Reportedly, small green and orange stickers reading "dump Small"
are finding their way into elevators, have been placed on bulletin boards,
are being worn on employee jacket lapels, and can be seen on automobile
bumpers.

Igor Sikorski, a member of the Smithsonian Council, has asked for a
Congressional probe of Small's conduct as Secretary, warning that "the future
and stature of the Smithsonian Institution is at stake." According to a
spokesperson for the Senate Rules Committee, a routine hearing on the
Smithsonian has been tentatively scheduled for later this summer, but plans
to go forward with a special oversight hearing would have to be made by
Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) the incoming Chairman of the committee.
Dodd's office has yet to decide what action (if any) to take.

2.  BUSH NOMINATES SCHOLAR TO RUN NEH
On May 31, 2001, President Bush announced his intention to nominate Bruce
Cole, Professor of Fine Arts and Professor of Comparative Literature at
Indiana University to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Cole was appointed to the National Council on the Humanities by President
George Bush Sr. in 1991 and served until 1999.  If confirmed by the Senate,
Cole will succeed William Ferris who has served at the NEH helm since
November 1997.  Ferris's  five year term is scheduled to end in November this
year.

The 63-year old Cole holds a PhD from Bryn Mawr and is a specialist in the
Italian Renaissance.  He has taught at Indiana since 1973 and has twelve
books credited to his name. Cole has the reputation of being an excellent
scholar and administrator.

3. MORE "TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY" GRANTS OUTREACH MEETINGS SCHEDULED
As announced in last week's NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, the Department of
Education (DOE) is planning a series of outreach meetings designed to
familiarize prospective applicants with the "Teaching American History" grant
program.  The sessions will focus on application procedures, and DOE staff
will be present to answer questions. Since last week's posting two more
information sessions have been scheduled: Chicago, Illinois (June 14; for
information call Scott Jones or Donna Bronson at the North Carolina Regional
Education Laboratory - phone (800) 356-2735) and Atlanta, Georgia (June 19;
for information call Jan Moore at the SERVE Regional Educational Laboratory -
phone (336) 315-7409).  We have also been informed that no session will be
conducted in Providence, Rhode Island.

Other informational meetings have been arranged for Seattle (June 4; for
information, contact Steve Nelson, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
- phone (503) 275-9500), Albuquerque (June 7; for information, contact:
Janice McDonald, Southwest Comprehensive Regional Assistance Center - (505)
891-6111), College Park, Maryland (June 11 - in conjunction with the National
History Day competition; for information, contact Cathy Gorn, National
History Day (301) 314-9739), and in Charleston, West Virginia (June 12; for
information, contact Billie Hauser, Appalachia Educational Laboratory; (304)
347-0400).

4.  PRESIDENT SIGNS BILL APPROVING MALL MEMORIAL
Following up on a series of recent NCC reports on legislative action relating
to the proposed $160 million World War II Memorial planned for construction
on the National Mall in Washington D.C. (see NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7,
#20, May 18, 2001; Vol 7, #21 May 22, 2001), on Memorial Day, President
George W. Bush signed legislation (P.L.107-11) that would create a monument
to World War II veterans that "will stand for the ages."  Construction at the
7.4 acre site is slated to begin in December and the memorial should be
completed by 2004.  While the legislation the President signed nullifies a
current court challenge undertaken by memorial opponents, Judy Scott Feldman,
co-chairman of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, reports that her
organization is considering a new court appeal.

5.  BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1 - New FRUS Volume:  The Department of State has released Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, Volume XX, Arab-Israeli Dispute,
1967-1968. This volume, part of the ongoing official record of American
foreign policy, presents the record of the Johnson Administration's efforts
to cope with the aftermath of the June 1967 War. The volume demonstrates that
while the Johnson Administration was attempting to promote a peace
settlement, it was also trying to reduce tensions in the area, which it saw
as leading to an arms race. The Office of the Historian has prepared a
summary of the volume.  For further information, contact David S. Patterson,
General Editor of the Foreign Relations series, at (202) 663-1127; fax: (202)
663-1289; e-mail: history@state .gov.  The texts of the volume, the summary,
and this press release will soon be available on the Office's Web site:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/johnsonlb/.  Copies of volume XX can be
purchased from the Government Printing Office (http://bookstore.gpo.gov/).
Please reference GPO Stock No. 044-000-02544-2 or ISBN 0-16-050634-4.

Item #2 - Senate Bibliography:  The Senate Historical Office has posted "The
United States Senate: An Institutional Bibliography" - a new scholarly
resource that  contains more than six hundred citations to books, articles,
and government documents printed between 1789 and 2000.  The bibliography is
presented in outline form, and is organized by the following categories:
reference, constitutional structure, constitutional powers, rules and
practice, leadership and parties, administration, external relations,
elections, contemporary accounts, seniority and influence, and archiving the
Senate.  Subcategories include treaties, nominations, impeachments,
filibusters, and investigative committees.  To use the bibliography, go to
<www.senate.gov> and click on "Senate History," or you can access it directly
at this URL:  http://www.senate.gov/learning/bibl_outline.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * *
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