![Transcription Center logo](/themes/custom/tc_theme/assets/image/logo.png)
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
-15- six months. He does not wish to preempt any of the considerations of the committees, but had prepared a suggested agenda in the form of a memorandum which he then handed out to the Regents (copy attached) and which could be considered by Mr. Hughes. Mr. Hughes, who was present at the meeting in order to gain insights into the thinking of the Regents, was invited to comment and stated that he would be very much interested in assuming an assignment which would cover essentially the question of the relationship between the Smithsonian Institution and the Federal Government, and most notably the Congress. He said that he was not sure that other questions of a more narrow management nature needed to be addressed, but if the did he would prefer that they be addressed by other consultants or the GAO. The question of political science is the vital and central question that Mr. Hughes would like to focus on. Based on the discussion, Senator Jackson suggested that Mr. Hughes' study should focus principally on the concerns being expressed in the Congress, the Smithsonian's history, the philosophy or rationale involved in incorporating a trust entity as part of the Federal structure and insuring its accountability to the public; organizational problems; the Smithsonian's present statutory authorities; and its overall relationship to the Federal Government. The Senator stated