This accession contains correspondence, inventories, articles, newspaper clippings, notes, booklets, and publicity documents. These items detail the acquisition of 36 paintings from the State Department by the Art Department at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API, now Auburn University) under the leadership of department head Frank Applebee. These paintings were originally part of a large group of 117 paintings purchased by the State Department’s Office of International Information and Cultural Activities in 1946 as part of its “Advancing American Art” collection of modern artwork produced in the United States. This collection was first displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York before being sent overseas to Europe and South America. American politicians criticized the artwork as subversive, causing Secretary of State George Marshall to recall the traveling displays from Cuba and Czechoslovakia. In light of the political tension they caused, President Truman designated all 117 paintings as war surplus so they could be sold by the War Assets Administration. Applebee quickly learned about the sale of these paintings and acted quickly to place the first bid for this artwork on behalf of the API Art Department in 1948. Thanks to his efforts and the support he received from Acting President Ralph Brown Draughon and state political figures, API received 36 of these paintings at a 95% discount. Unfortunately API had nowhere to store or display the paintings. After being unsuccessfully stored in various offices around campus, the paintings were housed on loan to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. The paintings became a permanent collection of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art with the museum’s opening in 2003.