However, the lobbyists for the military and the veteran's organizations and their supporters in Congress insisted on closing down the display, which they considered a challenge to their special and limited interests. The Organization of American Historians and the Society for Military History pleaded that the exhibit be permitted to open as scheduled. Ostensibly, their fear of losing public and political enthusiasm for the Air Force fueled their crusade. Special interest groups, primarily the Air Force Association went public with their criticism insisting the Smithsonian show only their heroic version of the bombing - as reiterated at their conventions and meetings for the past 50 years. However, at this juncture, the normal, prudent practices to prepare the exhibit went beyond the pale. The intent being to revise the exhibit and its script to provide an accurate and balanced presentation of events surrounding the first and to date, only use of atomic weapons.
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Statement from pilot of enola gay professional#
As is the practice in any prudent professional organization, the Air and Space Museum Director issued for review a draft “script” of the exhibit to cognizant parties such as Colonel Paul Tibbets, Enola Gay's pilot, as well as other members of Enola Gay's crew, and a blue-ribbon panel of university and military historians. Harwit described the exhibit as including a collection of wartime newspaper articles, letters to families, Albert Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt alerting him to the possibility of an atomic bomb, and Secretary of War Stimson's briefing paper to President Truman telling him of the existence of “the most terrible weapon ever known.” The centerpiece of the exhibit was to be the shiny 56 foot long front fuselage of Enola Gay, with a replica of the atomic bomb, “Little Boy,” suspended beneath her open bomb bay doors. Harwit resigned.Īt the heart of the issue was the proposed exhibit itself.
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As one might expect, the money threat won out and the Smithsonian's chief executive cancelled the exhibit and Mr. Further, 81 members of Congress demanded the dismissal of the museum director, Mr. Solomon, who promised to “zero out” the Smithsonian's congressional appropriation unless the museum accommodated the wishes of the American Legion concerning the Enola Gay exhibit and the museum “could count on that.” It was not clear whether Representative Solomon ever reviewed the content or context of the proposed exhibit before issuing his edict. One of the more telling arguments came from Republican New York Congressman Gerald B.
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In 1995, a planned exhibition of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum was cancelled before ever opening due to pressures from congressional lobbyists, including the American Legion and the Air Force Association.
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The title of his talk was, “An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay.” The speaker for the 2085th meeting was Martin Harwit, the former Director of the National Air and Space Museum. The Recording Secretary read the minutes of the 2084th meeting and they were approved. President-Elect Garavelli called the 2085th meeting to order at 8:26 p.m.