The Santa Fe Review

I don’t know what Stewart Udall thought about the All Indian Pueblo Council’s secretive and almost surely illegal decision to demolish (in collusion with sympathetic officials at the Bureau of Indian Affairs) the historically significant campus of the Santa Fe Indian School. (Here is the background for those new to the tale.) Throughout his career, the elder Mr. Udall focused less on preserving buildings than on preserving land. Fair enough. But I fear that his son Tom, New Mexico’s newest United States Senator, may treasure political expediency and political correctness over investigating substantial allegations of federal misconduct.

On March 5, I sent him this fax:

	Senator Tom Udall
	110 Hart Senate Office Building
	Washington D.C.  20510

	Dear Tom,

	On October 8, 2009, I received a phone call from a member of your
	Washington staff, Raven Murray, who was following up on a letter I
	sent you on June 8 regarding my request for an Interior Department
	investigation of what appear to be clear and deliberate violations of
	the National Historic Preservation Act in the demolition of the
	historic Santa Fe Indian School campus. (The details are described in
	the enclosed copy of my letter to the department dated September 25,
	2008.)  Ms. Murray said she had been in contact with Interior and had
	been assured that a legal opinion from the Inspector General's office
	was forthcoming. I've heard nothing since.

	It has now been a year and a half since I first contacted Interior
	about this matter. I am asking that you again inquire about the status
	of the case.

	Thank you very much.

There has been no response.

George Johnson
The Santa Fe Review