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As a result of our continuing discussions with the officers of the Foundation, and particularly as a result of the findings of Haskins and Sells, the Foundation is now more aware than ever of our financial problem. Indeed, the officers of the Foundation have come to share our feeling that continued annual expenditures on the order of $500,000 simply to maintain Hillwood make very little sense in the absence of any reasonable prospect of opening it as a public museum in the foreseeable future. The Resolution approved above, providing as it does reasonable notice of the Smithsonian's intentions, will provide the Foundation and the Smithsonian adequate time to explore various plans for realizing to the maximum extent the objectives of Mrs. Post. Any such plan that contemplates the reinvolvement of the Smithsonian would, of course, be presented to the Board of Regents in advance for approval.

The Board requested that any future agreement with Hillwood should remove the restrictions in the original gift so as to permit a more relaxed approach in administering the House and property as a museum.