This exhibn, cidg wh the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, told the story of the role of the Enola Gay securg Japane surrenr.
Contents:
- CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN
- EXHIBG THE ENOLA GAY
- THE SMHSONIAN’S DECISN TO EXHIB THE ‘ENOLA GAY’
- THE ENOLA GAY: A NATION'S, AND A MUSEUM'S, DILEMMA
- TOURG THE SMHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MM’S ENOLA GAY EXHIB
- ENOLA GAY REASSEMBLED FOR REVISED MM SHOW
- THE NEW ENOLA GAY CONTROVERSY: PRO AND CON
- THE EXHIB THAT BOMBED: THE ENOLA GAY CONTROVERSY AND CONTTED MEMORY
- WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN
* should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
While this exhib is now closed, Mm specialists ntued to rtore the remag ponents of the airplane, and after an addnal ne years the fully assembled Enola Gay went on permanent display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm’s Steven F. This past exhibn, cidg wh the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, told the story of the role of the Enola Gay securg Japane surrenr.
It ntaed several major ponents of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber ed the atomic missn that stroyed Hiroshima, Japan. A vio prentatn about the Enola Gay's missn clud terviews wh the crew before and after the missn cludg missn pilot Col.
EXHIBG THE ENOLA GAY
For the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Natnal Air and Space Mm proposed a ntroversial exhibn that displayed the Enola Gay. * should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
Another portn of the exhib tailed the pastakg efforts of Smhsonian aircraft rtoratn specialists who had spent more than a rtorg parts of the Enola Gay for this exhibn. For the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Natnal Air and Space Mm (NASM) proposed an exhibn that would clu displayg the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortrs that was ed to drop the bomb on Hiroshima.
The veterans formed “the Commtee for the Rtoratn and Proud Display of the Enola Gay” to raise funds. At first, the Enola Gay was planned to be displayed at an annex NASM facily near Washgton Dull Internatnal Airport.
The Enola Gay had recently fished beg renovated and the mm had been ncerned about transportatn and reassemble fe; therefore, the proposed annex appeared to be a ftg lotn. They cid to exhib the Enola Gay at the annex, wh an acpanyg msage about the dangers of strategic bombg and latn.
THE SMHSONIAN’S DECISN TO EXHIB THE ‘ENOLA GAY’
At the 50th anniversary of the atomic bomb, ntroversy surround the ntext which the Enola Gay was to be displayed. * should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
Commtee member Admiral Noel Gayler believed that any exhibn of the Enola Gay would imply “that we are celebratg the first and so far the only e of nuclear weapons agast human begs. While they were “unanimo agreeg that the Enola Gay is an artifact of pivotal signifince and that should be exhibed, ” they asked the mm to avoid discsg the cisn to drop the bomb and to nsir an alternative se, such as an armed servic mm.
THE ENOLA GAY: A NATION'S, AND A MUSEUM'S, DILEMMA
What harbgers of the future of public history the US rid the mid-1990s fight over the meang of the Enola Gay? * should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
The planned exhibn was replaced by a simple display of the felage of Enola Gay wh ltle historil ntext.
Officials om the Universy stated was not tend as a replacement for the Enola Gay exhibn at the Smhsonian. The 2003 exhibn of Enola Gay, followg s trend of ntroversy, also raised a new round of protts, om Japane survivors and others. Many veterans had advoted for the display of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortrs ed to drop the bombs, as a celebratn of Amerin triumph over Japan, but there were already ncerns that the Smhsonian was creatg a polilly rrect, revisnist terpretatn of the events.
TOURG THE SMHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MM’S ENOLA GAY EXHIB
Photos of the Enola Gay airplane, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima 75 years ago. It's one of the centerpiec of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the annex of the Smhsonian Air and Space Mm Chantilly, Virgia. * should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
Harw rigned on May 2, 1995, jt days before he was schled to ttify Senate June 28, 1995, an exhibn, simply tled "Enola Gay, " opened at the Natnal Air and Space Mm. Unlike the ncelled exhibn, "Enola Gay" ntaed no terpretatn, no graphic imag, and no melted objects. Only the felage was on display, acpanied by basic facts and rmatn about the plane's entire Enola Gay bomber is currently on display the "World War II Aviatn" exhibn at the Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F.
Related RourcCollectns related to the Enola Gay, Smhsonian Instutn ArchivThe Enola Gay: A Natn's, and a Mm's, Dilemma, Edorial by Mart Harw, The Washgton Post, Augt 7, 1994Special Report: The Smhsonian and the Enola Gay, Air Force Associatn, March 15, 1994Smhsonian Cancels Exhib on Atomic Bomb, The Baltimore Sun, January 31, 1995Recent Acquisn - Rerds om Mart Harw, Director, NASM, 1986-1995, The Bigger Picture, Smhsonian Instutn Archiv. Tibbets, Jr., mand of the Superfortrs Enola Gay, dropped a highly enriched uranium, explosn-type, "gun-fired, " atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The airplane's last flight end on December 2 when the Enola Gay touched down at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.
The Smhsonian’s Decisn to Exhib the 'Enola Gay' - Public History Weekly - The Open Peer Review Journal.
ENOLA GAY REASSEMBLED FOR REVISED MM SHOW
Smhsonian Instutn, skirtg ntroversy that 1995 enveloped s display of Enola Gay at Natnal Air and Space Mm, adopts mimalist approach displayg plane new settg at Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center Chantilly, Va; B-29 bomber is for first time reassembled origal state which flew missn over Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945, to drop atomic bomb; photo (M) * should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
What harbgers of the future of public history the US rid the mid-1990s fight over the meang of the Enola Gay? When the Smhsonian cid to exhib the “Enola Gay, ” the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the director and curators of the Natnal Air & Space Mm (NASM) hardly anticipated the firtorm of ntroversy that would rult.
THE NEW ENOLA GAY CONTROVERSY: PRO AND CON
On Augt 6, 1945, the crew of a modified Boeg B-29 Superfortrs named Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ed warfare, lled “Ltle Boy,” on the cy of Hiroshima, Japan. * should the enola gay be displayed in museums *
While the “Enola Gay fias, ” as some at the mm me to ll , was not the first skirmish Ameri’s ongog culture wars, was an omo warng of the battl to e.
THE EXHIB THAT BOMBED: THE ENOLA GAY CONTROVERSY AND CONTTED MEMORY
As a NASM curator volved the early planng of the exhib, who was also prent at the bacle, the followg is a first-person acunt of the origs, evolutn, and fate of the “Enola Gay” exhib, tled “The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II. One project was to brg the “Enola Gay” out of the Garber llectns and rtoratn facily, and fish the plane’s rtoratn time for a major exhib on the Capol Mall to ci wh the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
Sce I had wrten a doctoral dissertatn on the aftermath of the atomic bombg, later published as The Wng Weapon: The Atomic Bomb the Cold War, 1945-1950, Mart asked me to take the ial lead planng the “Enola Gay” exhib, until Tom arrived at NASM.
To my amazement, he was entirely supportive of our plans to tell the story of the atomic bombg, and even offered to loan any of the artifacts his mm had s llectn, for as long as the “Enola Gay” remaed on display at NASM.