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American Morning
Smithsonian Needs Repair
Aired August 16, 2001 - 09:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: It Takes a lot longer to walk through the museums and galleries that make up the Smithsonian. They're among the most popular tourist attractions in Washington, D.C.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And that's just the stuff you get to see. There's lots of other stuff, too. This morning we're getting an in-depth look at the Smithsonian from our Jeanne Meserve, who is in Washington.
Jeanne, good morning. Good to see you.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. I am at the Air and Space Museum, one of the most popular museums in the world, and just part of the sprawling Smithsonian Institution, which includes 16 museums and galleries and the National Zoo and research facilities.
With 142 million objects and artifacts, the Smithsonian is indisputably a national treasure. But many will tell you this is an institution at a crossroads.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): A torrent of tourists floods through the Smithsonian every day, most of them oblivious to the cross-currents the institution is caught in. Most basic: keeping the aging facilities in repair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had enough rust on the cages out at the National Zoo for the bears that one of the bears managed to lean against this thing and break open the door. The bearkeeper showed up and the bear was staring him in the face.
MESERVE: A report from the National Academy of Public Administration reviewed it all, peeling paint at Arts and Industries, a leaky roof at Natural History. The estimated repair bill: $1.5 billion over 10 years. The report criticizes the Smithsonian for not making its case for more money more clearly to Congress, from whom it gets 70 percent of its funding.
But for many people, the bigger concern is the increasing reliance on corporate and private money, and whether sponsors compromise and commercialize exhibits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're very clear in our gift agreements and in our...
(AUDIO GAP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: .. that the driving force is really one that is mission driven by the Smithsonian.
LAWRENCE SMALL, SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY: What is certainly true of the Smithsonian is that it is a large, complex, multidivisional organization.
MESERVE: Smack in the center of the controversy, Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small. A banker, not a scientist, he believes a corporate sensibility and efficiency could help the institution. But some fear his quest for money and his moves to curb the autonomy of the individual Smithsonian museums and research centers could be costing the Smithsonian it's soul and compromising it's science.
MAXINE SINGER, CARNEGIE INSTITUTION: I believe it's simply impossible for some central office to be giving direction to each of the individual museums, because they have such different purposes, such different needs, and such different reasons for being.
MESERVE: Officials acknowledge the morale of many employees has been sapped, but most who visit see only what is on display, not the turmoil behind it. And for them, the Smithsonian remains a feast to eye, mind and spirit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: And with me now is David Umansky, who is director of communications for the Smithsonian. Thanks a lot for joining us.
DAVID UMANSKY, SMITHSONIAN SPOKESPERSON: Good morning, Jeanne.
MESERVE: First, this repair bill, $1.5 billion. Could it go even higher?
UMANSKY: Well, we are looking in depth at the 400-plus buildings that make up the Smithsonian Institution, for the first time, taking an accurate survey of the conditions in all those buildings. The 1.5 billion figure includes inflation over the next 10 years. It probably could reach that amount, it could go higher. We don't know yet.
MESERVE: Was somebody not paying attention? How did you reach a point where all of a sudden you realized it's 1.5 billion?
UMANSKY: Well, in the past, there had not been an aggregate survey of the institution. Each problem was looked at individually. As the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) report said, we didn't have the systems in place. Secretary Small has directed that those systems be put in place and that we know in the very short future exactly what needs to be done and how much it's going to cost.
MESERVE: How serious are these infrastructure problems? Have they jeopardized the collections? Have they put visitors in danger?
UMANSKY: No, the collections have not been in danger. Neither have people. We've taken steps in advance to prevent that.
MESERVE: Corporate money, private money, of course you can't get all the money you want from Capitol Hill, that's never been the case. And so Mr. Small has had tremendous success raising money from private and corporate sources. But you know there are critics who say it's led to some loss of autonomy for the Smithsonian Institution. What's your response to that?
UMANSKY: Well, the loss of autonomy is absolutely wrong. No donor ever has the final word on what goes in an exhibit or what an exhibit is about. The Smithsonian staff always makes those decisions.
When we have very generous donors we ask them for their advice, but it's advice, not direction.
MESERVE: And you were pointing out that where we're standing, some of these items here in Air and Space were bought with private donations.
UMANSKY: Ross Perot, his foundation made it possible for us to collect these objects of Soviet space history so that this is a complete presentation.
MESERVE: And quickly, any thought to charging admission?
UMANSKY: No.
MESERVE: OK. David Umansky, thanks so much for joining us. And next hour, we're going to be taking a look at dinosaurs, one of the big draws here at the Smithsonian. Stay with us next hour.
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