The Smhsonian’s Decisn to Exhib the 'Enola Gay' - Public History Weekly - The Open Peer Review Journal

enola gay smithsonian exhibit planned for 1995

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.

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THE SMHSONIAN’S DECISN TO EXHIB THE ‘ENOLA GAY’

What harbgers of the future of public history the US rid the mid-1990s fight over the meang of the Enola Gay? * enola gay smithsonian exhibit planned for 1995 *

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. 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.

The Smhsonian’s Decisn to Exhib the 'Enola Gay' - Public History Weekly - The Open Peer Review Journal.

HISTORY AND THE CULTURE WARS: THE CASE OF THE SMHSONIAN INSTUTN'S ENOLA GAY EXHIBN

* enola gay smithsonian exhibit planned for 1995 *

The Smhsonian’s Decisn to Exhib the ‘Enola Gay’. What harbgers of the future of public history the US rid the mid-1990s fight over the meang of the Enola Gay?

CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN

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.

ENOLA GAY EXHIBN RERDS, 1995

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. 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.

FIRST SCRIPT OF THE ENOLA GAY EXHIB COMPLETED

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* ENOLA GAY SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT PLANNED FOR 1995

History and the Culture Wars: The Case of the Smhsonian Instutn's Enola Gay Exhibn | Smhsonian Instutn Archiv .

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