Last September, the Eisenhower presidential museum received an unusual email. The president was looking for a gift to present to King Charles. The email said they were looking for an artifact, perhaps a sword, that was connected to Eisenhower’s role as supreme commander of the Allied forces in World War II.
The director of the museum refused, pointing out that the museum’s artifacts are government property and must by law be preserved for the American public. He offered to find a replica of a sword given to Eisenhower in 1947 by the queen of the Netherlands. The offer was accepted and the president presented the replica to the king.
End of story, right? Not quite. In October, the museum director was pressured to resign. No reason was given by the National Archives or the White House.
In March, we traveled to Abilene, Kansas, to visit the museum. One of the few presidential museums we had not been to, it had long been on our bucket list. But I confess, I wanted to see the sword and I wondered whether there would be any signs of the controversy.
Prominent at the museum entrance were framed photos of the current president and vice-president. That was a first.
The sword was displayed in a glass case with two other swords. It was lavish and beautiful.
I stopped by the desk to see if the attendant would talk about the controversy. She said employees were not permitted to speak about it.
I’m Deborah Booth and that’s my perspective.
