The director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library has resigned following a dispute over a historic artifact requested for President Trump’s recent state visit to the United Kingdom.
Todd Arrington, a historian who previously worked with the National Park Service and the National Archives, said he was pressured to step down after refusing to release an original Eisenhower sword from the library’s collection. The sword had been requested so President Trump could present it as a gift to King Charles III during last month’s visit. According to Arrington, he was told to resign or face termination.
In the end, King Charles received a West Point Cadet Saber instead.
Officials had been searching for an Eisenhower-related artifact to symbolize the former general’s leadership as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. However, Arrington objected to removing an item that had been donated to the Abilene, Kansas, library, noting that such artifacts are legally considered property of the American people. He suggested presenting a replica instead.
Arrington said his communications were limited to the State Department’s Foreign Gift Office and the National Archives, and that he never dealt directly with the White House.
Leadership decisions for presidential libraries fall under the authority of the archivist of the United States, a position currently held on an acting basis by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Arrington, who became director in August 2024, also cited a separate dispute over a proposed new building for the nonprofit Eisenhower Foundation as a factor in his ouster.
According to the New York Times, officials at the National Archives and Records Administration had also grown dissatisfied with him. Buckingham Palace did not confirm which sword was ultimately presented, but stated it serves as “a reminder of the historical partnership that was critical to winning World War II.”