Facing a White House ultimatum to turn over records regarding its content, plans and operations, the Smithsonian’s secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, said in an email to staff members on Tuesday that the institution had submitted additional materials as part of an effort to be “transparent and open.”
Mr. Bunch has previously said the Smithsonian, long viewed as an independent cultural organization outside the purview of the executive branch, would not be able to turn over all materials about its internal operations demanded by the White House. But in the email, which was diplomatic in tone, he said that the institution would nevertheless continue to turn over documents on a rolling basis.
“Today we transmitted more information in response to that request, which included digital photographs of labels, placards, and other text on public display in several galleries,” the email said, adding, “the Smithsonian will continue to engage with the White House, Congress, and government stakeholders to provide relevant and appropriate materials about our mission, organization, exhibitions, programs, and public offerings.”
The Trump administration had demanded full compliance by Tuesday with an August directive that the Smithsonian turn over a lengthy list of documents or face potential cuts to its budget, which is heavily dependent on federal funds.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment on whether the Smithsonian’s document transfer had done enough to satisfy that demand.
The letter is the latest development in tensions between the Trump administration and the Smithsonian that have been building since last March, when the President issued Executive Order 14253, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
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In that order, President Trump argued that the Smithsonian had failed to present a sufficiently positive view of America and was instead emphasizing its flaws and struggles — particularly as it relates to racism.
The executive order accused the institution of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
Mr. Trump then upped the ante by announcing last May that he was firing Kim Sajet, the director of the institution’s National Portrait Gallery, calling her “a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of D.E.I.”
The Smithsonian — which oversees 21 museums and the National Zoo — insisted that it retained the right to make personnel decisions. But Ms. Sajet resigned anyway, saying in a statement that she considered her departure to be best for the institution.
Then last summer, the White House demanded that the Smithsonian begin turning over records about operations at eight of its museums.
The administration’s efforts prompted an outcry from historians and others who saw the wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian as an attempt to dictate a distorted version of history.
For a time, the White House seemed to turn its attention elsewhere, in part perhaps because of the reassignment of Lindsey Halligan — the White House aide responsible for scrutinizing the Smithsonian for “improper ideology.” She was named to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
But the pressure returned last month when, in a strongly worded letter to Mr. Bunch, White House officials said the Smithsonian had fallen far short of meeting their deadlines or fulfilling their requests for internal records.
The museums — including the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture — were asked to hand over all gallery wall text, inventories of permanent holdings and exhibition plans, including those for the country’s 250th anniversary this year, in which Mr. Trump has expressed particular interest.
The letter demanded all of those outstanding materials by Jan. 13, with a pointed reference to the fact that a large proportion of the Smithsonian’s $1 billion budget — 62 percent — is dependent on federal funds.
“As you may know,” the letter said, “funds apportioned for the Smithsonian Institution are only available for use in a manner consistent with” the executive order and the fulfillment of the document request.
In a letter to staff members after the White House demand, Mr. Bunch said the institution had sent over documents in September and would submit a second set in December, but that it would be impossible to turn over all the records being sought within the specified time frame. He also reiterated that the institution is autonomous.
“As we all know, all content, programming, and curatorial decisions are made by the Smithsonian,” Mr. Bunch’s letter said. “With this mission and commitment in mind, we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all our government stakeholders.”
The transfer of documents on Tuesday was in addition to the two prior submissions of records.
The president has also directed Vice President JD Vance, a member of the Smithsonian’s governing Board of Regents, to ensure that new appointees to the 17-member panel have views in line with the Trump agenda.
The current board, which includes Democratic and Republican elected officials as well as nine citizen members, has supported Mr. Bunch’s push to assert the institution’s independence.
But as many as six seats could open this year, and nominees must be approved by the Republican-led Congress and signed off on by the president.
Robin Pogrebin, who has been a reporter for The Times for 30 years, covers arts and culture.
The post Smithsonian Turns Over More Records in the Face of a Trump Deadline appeared first on New York Times.
