(In 2003, the Smithsonian began displayingthe Enola Gay in its entirety in aVirginia annex, based on the airplane's status as a "magnificenttechnological achievement.") Under sustained criticism byveterans groups (led by the Air Force Association), the Smithsonian revised theexhibit under a new title: "The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End ofWorld War II." After a new round of criticism by historians, theSmithsonian ultimately canceled the planned exhibit and displayed only thefuselage of the Enola Gay airplanethat dropped the first atomic bomb. The original exhibit was called "The Crossroads: The End of World War II,the Atomic Bomb, and the Origins of the Cold War." Curators at the Air and Space Museum planned an exhibit to commemorate thefiftieth anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing of Japan by the United States. In the mid-1990s, theNational Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution found itself atthe center of the "culture wars" over history, politics, and memory. Overview of theSmithsonian/ Enola Gay Controversy In addition, provide a brief introductionfor your exhibit as a whole, about one paragraph in length and not to exceedone single-spaced typed page.
For each image, provide a typed caption of 1-2sentences, written as if you were a museum curator explaining the historicalcontext and the specific meaning(s) of the images for the text panels of anexhibit aimed at the general viewing public. The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II (Proposed exhibition)Īn Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay (Monograph).History261 Section 10B: Case Studies of Atomic Bomb/Smithsonian Controversy(Discussion Project #5)ĭiscussion Project(due at the end of Section 10B): Bring to class a museum-style exhibit based onthe twelve images found below. The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War (Proposed exhibition) Office of the DirectorĮnola Gay (Exhibition) (1995-1998: Washington, D.C.) Keywords Keywords table of terms and types.
ENOLA GAY EXHIBIT CONTROVERSY PROFESSIONAL
Some materials document projects and professional activities undertaken by Harwit after his resignation. In 1996, Harwit published the book "An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay." Materials include correspondence, exhibition floor plans, Congressional hearing statement, articles, clippings, notes, brochures, and related materials. After his resignation, Harwit continued to collect clippings and journal articles related to the "Enola Gay" and its exhibition. On June 28, 1995, "Enola Gay" was presented as a fact-based exhibition with little interpretation and significant emphasis on the aircraft's restoration. On January 30, the exhibition was cancelled and Harwit resigned as Director on May 2, 1995. Each version of the script was met with controversy, particularly from veterans groups. The exhibition was retitled "The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II" and the script underwent several major revisions through January 1995. A script for "The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War" was released for comment in January 1994. This accession consists of records created and maintained by Martin Harwit, Director of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), 1987-1995, documenting plans to exhibit the "Enola Gay" and the resulting controversy.