Enola Gay Controversy

In 1994 and 1995, a stream of invective was directed against the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum (NASM). The museum had planned, under the guidance of director Martin Harwit, to exhibit the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. The exhibit, organized primarily by curators Tom Crouch and Michael Neufeld, intended to examine the historical context of the airplane and its mission. Foremost among opponents of the exhibit was the Air Force Association (AFA); however, critics also included veterans, journalists, and politicians, who viewed the exhibit as a leftist, anti-American attack on history intended to make Americans feel ashamed of their role in World War II. At its core, the controversy pitted the research of historians against the memories and experiences of veterans.

From its opening in 1976, critics had accused NASM of divorcing its artifacts from their context, resulting in sterile exhibits that appeared to glorify the objects and extol the benefits of technological progress without providing historical perspective. When Harwit was named director of the NASM in 1987, he moved to change the museum's approach. For example, he altered the V-2 rocket display, a long-term exhibit, to include details of the slave labor that built the rockets and the death and destruction these rockets had inflicted on their targets. When the museum refurbished the World War I gallery, the new exhibit examined the myth of chivalrous conduct and clean battles of the “Great War in the Air.” Reviewers welcomed the new approach as a needed change.

Soon after his arrival at NASM, Harwit began thinking about exhibiting the Enola Gay in a similar social context. Conservators told Harwit that they could restore the plane in time for the 50th anniversary of its mission in 1995—perfect timing for the exhibit. Discussion among the staff uncovered the importance of having any display of the Enola Gay avoid a celebratory approach. Harwit chose Crouch and Neufeld as lead curators on the exhibit planning team.

Crouch and Neufeld received approval for their planned exhibit in early 1993 and had the first complete draft of the exhibit script written by the end of the year. [Page 252]Their script presented an introduction to the wartime events leading up to the use of atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the development of the bombs and the B-29, Pres. Harry S. Truman's decision to use the bombs, the effects of the bombs, and the subsequent proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Crouch and Neufeld wanted to educate the public about debates among historians over the alternatives to using the bombs. The planning team also hoped to borrow items from Japanese museums to show the devastation caused on the ground.

Recognizing that they were dealing with a sensitive subject, Harwit took steps to identify contentious issues and prevent controversy. The museum hosted a symposium on strategic bombing that included talks and discussions by many notable and distinguished panelists, including historians, military men, and government advisers. Public reaction to the symposium guided the exhibit development. Once the first draft of the script was complete, an outside exhibit advisory committee reviewed it for accuracy and other problems. While recognizing that the script was a first draft and needed more work, the committee members were very positive about it.

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