The former director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, said on Thursday that he was told to “resign or be fired” from his post after refusing to give the Trump administration a historic sword.
Todd Arrington’s resignation came shortly after Arrington refused to relinquish one of President Eisenhower’s swords from the museum’s collection. President Trump’s administration wanted to give one of the artifacts as a gift to King Charles III on Trump’s most recent state visit to the United Kingdom.
Arrington said his direct superior informed him on Monday evening that he would be asked to resign. The supervisor, who Arrington declined to name, said he was passing down orders from unknown higher-ups.
All Arrington heard is that he “could no longer be trusted with confidential information” due to conduct related to the sword disagreement.
“I was obviously shocked and saddened and heartbroken,” Arrington said in an interview with the Kansas News Service. “I have almost 30 years of government service. I've never had a bad mark against me.”
The National Archives and Records Administration, which operates presidential libraries like Eisenhower’s, replied to a Kansas News Service inquiry with an automated message that said it was closed due to the U.S. government shutdown that began Wednesday. The White House Press Office sent a similar message.
An army veteran and historian, Arrington spent decades at historical sites for the National Park Service, most recently at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Ohio. He took the helm of the Eisenhower Library in August 2024.
Arrington said he had received no indication that anyone at the White House or the U.S. Department of State was displeased with him for withholding an item from the museum.
“They asked for a sword and we said, ‘Well, we do have swords, but we can't give them away because they’re museum artifacts,’” he explained.
Over a dozen presidential museums across the country keep archives of past presidents, including artifacts that, according to the official site of the National Archives, “belong to the American people.”
Arrington worked with officials for two months to help the State Department find a suitable replacement: a replica Eisenhower sword from the United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point.
“We felt very good about the way that everything worked out,” he said. “It was a great feather in our cap to have helped figure out this gift for the president to present to the king.”
The message urging Arrington’s resignation also cited an issue related to the Eisenhower Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helped fund the construction of the Library in Abilene.
“I have had nothing but friendly and cordial and wonderful relations with the Eisenhower Foundation and the Eisenhower family,” Arrington said. He declined to elaborate further on the matter and the Eisenhower foundation did not respond to a request for comment.
In February, the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle reported that President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency had fired four employees at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Cuts also affected the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston.
Arrington said he will have to start looking for a new job. Despite his unexpected ouster, he wants to continue his career in the federal service.
“I would absolutely love to go back to the Eisenhower Library if that is possible,” he said.
Zane Irwin reports on politics, campaigns and elections for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at zaneirwin@kcur.org.
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