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[[preprinted]]
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations
Washington, DC 20515

MAJORITY MEMBERS
JAMIE L. WHITTEN, MISSISSIPPI, CHAIRMAN
WILLIAM H. HATCHER, KENTUCKY
NEAL SMITH, IOWA
SIDNEY R. YATES, ILLINOIS
DAVID R. OBEY, WISCONSIN
EDWARD R. ROYBAL, CALIFORNIA
LOUIS STOKES, OHIO
TOM BEVILL, ALABAMA
BILL ALEXANDER, ARKANSAS
JOHN P. MURTHA, PENNSYLVANIA
BOB TRAXLER, MICHIGAN
JOSEPH D. EARLY, MASSACHUSETTS
CHARLES WILSON, TEXAS
NORMAN O. DICKS, WASHINGTON
MATTHEW F. McHUGH, NEW YORK
WILLIAM LEHMAN, FLORIDA
MARTIN OLAV SABO, MINNESOTA
JULIAN C. DIXON, CALIFORNIA
VIC FAZIO, CALIFORNIA
W.G. (BILL) HEFNER, NORTH CAROLINA
LES AuCOIN, OREGON
WILLIAM H. GRAY III, PENNSYLVANIA
BERNARD J. DWYER, NEW JERSEY
STENY H. HOYER, MARYLAND
BOB CARR, MICHIGAN
ROBERT J. MRAZEK, NEW YORK
RICHARD J. DURBIN, ILLINOIS
RONALD D. COLEMAN, TEXAS
ALAN B. MOLLOHAN, WEST VIRGINIA
LINDSAY THOMAS, GEORGIA
CHESTER G. ATKINS, MASSACHUSETTS
JIM CHAPMAN, TEXAS
MARCY KAPTUR, OHIO
LAWRENCE J. SMITH, FLORIDA
DAVID E. SKAGGS, COLORADO
DAVID E. PRICE, NORTH CAROLINA
NANCY PELOSI, CALIFORNIA

MINORITY MEMBERS
SILVIO O. CONTE, MASSACHUSETTS
JOSEPH M. McDADE, PENNSYLVANIA
JOHN T. MYERS, INDIANA
CLARENCE E. MILLER, OHIO
LAWRENCE COUGHLIN, PENNSYLVANIA
C.W. BILL YOUNG, FLORIDA
RALPH REGULA, OHIO
CARL D. PURSELL, MICHIGAN
MICKEY EDWARDS, OKLAHOMA
BOB LIVINGSTON, LOUISIANA
BILL GREEN, NEW YORK
JERRY LEWIS, CALIFORNIA
JOHN EDWARD PORTER, ILLINOIS
HAROLD ROGERS, KENTUCKY
JOE SKEEN, NEW MEXICO
FRANK R. WOLF, VIRGINIA
BILL LOWERY, CALIFORNIA
VIN WEBER, MINNESOTA
TOM DeLAY, TEXAS
JIM KOLBE, ARIZONA
DEAN A. GALLO, NEW JERSEY
BARBARA F. VUCANOVICH, NEVADA

CLERK AND STAFF DIRECTOR
FREDERICK G. MOHRMAN
TELEPHONE:
(202) 225-2771
[[/preprinted]]

January 22, 1991

Honorable Robert McC. Adams
Secretary 
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D. C. 20560

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I have had a chance to review the proposed hearing scheduled for February 5, 1991, and have come to several conclusions which I thought should be shared with you before that time.

The fundamental question to be reviewed is not whether the extension of the Air and Space Museum should be built at Dulles or at some other location, but whether at this time it should be built at all. This question arises currently because of the budgetary restrictions we face, and it leads into broader issues which we have discussed, in certain aspects, in the past. These include the total construction and operating expenses of the Smithsonian projected over the next decade; how these costs are proposed to be met; and how priorities among all the competing requirements and opportunities facing the Smithsonian are established.

In this regard, the Smithsonian has a long list of new and old construction and rehabilitation projects that are currently estimated to require over $700,000,000 between now and the year 2000. You have testified that the new Indian museum and related facilities, which together are estimated to cost over $200,000,000, are your highest priorities. You have also testified at various times that not only the Air and Space Museum but almost every Smithsonian museum requires expansion. Therefore, I believe that it is appropriate to address these broader issues at the