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A preview of the Federal Budget for fiscal year 1971 was presented by the Secretary, as set forth under Tab 6 in the books before you. The Secretary emphasized that the requested increase of $28,000,000 over our present appropriation of $36,000,000, including construction, represents an assessment of our needs in moderate terms. $7,000,000 were requested for out regular programs including costs of pay increases, managing additional building space, preparing the Hirshhorn collection for exhibition and purchasing equipment for the proposed new building, preparing the Renwick Gallery for opening, and similar traditional services to the public and to the scholarly community.

$3,000,000 were requested for three special programs: American Revolution Bicentennial; an extension of our traditional programs of studies of environment; and research in geoastronomy by the Astrophysical Observatory.

A $2,000,000 increase was requested in the Foreign Currency Program (financed by funds in foreign countries, not in American dollars).

The construction accounts included a requested increase of $15.7 million over the current appropriation of $4.6 million. This increase is primarily to liquidate contract authority for the Hirshhorn Museum, to scale down the size of the proposed Air and Space Museum through redesign of the building, and for engineering planning of the proposed radio-radar telescope.

The Secretary anticipates that our request will be severely reduced by the Bureau of the Budget.

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