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They decided to exhibit the Enola Gay at the annex, with an accompanying message about the dangers of strategic bombing and escalation. The Enola Gay had recently finished being renovated and the museum had been concerned about transportation and reassemble fees therefore, the proposed annex appeared to be a fitting location. This proposed annex would solve the hassle of disassemble and reassemble larger aircrafts. In 1977, NASM had begun discussing the need for bigger buildings to house larger modern aircrafts, and in 1980, the museum had surveyed candidates for the future annex and decided upon the Dulles Airport. This vision included his conscious decision to display the Enola Gay.Īt first, the Enola Gay was planned to be displayed at an annex NASM facility near Washington Dulles International Airport. He wanted the museum to be a “public conscience” that would discuss topics “under public debate,” Linenthal described. His vision for the museum diverged from previous directors. In 1987, NASM hired Martin Harwit as their new director. Linenthal, who was on the advisory board of the Enola Gay exhibit. However, the museum felt “ambivalence about the plane’s eventual display,” described historian Edward T. Restoration efforts by the Smithsonian started on December 5, 1984.
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The veterans formed “the Committee for the Restoration and Proud Display of the Enola Gay” to raise funds. Their motivations, at this time, stemmed primarily from the poor condition of the aircraft. In the 1980s, members of the 509 th Composite Group asked for a proper restoration of the aircraft. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage facility for NASM. In 1961, the Enola Gay was fully disassembled and moved to the Paul E. There its wings began to rust and vandals even damaged the plane. Notably, from 1953 to 1960, its home was Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. A fiery controversy ensued that demonstrated the competing historical narratives regarding the decision to drop the bomb.įollowing World War II, the Enola Gay had been moved around from location to location. "To present this as a technological marvel with no reference to the number of people killed ignores what happened when the bomb hit the earth.For the 50 th anniversary of the end of World War II, the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) proposed an exhibition that would include displaying the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that was used to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. This is a "lie of omission," said the writer E.L. He said there was much more public discussion between 19 about the wisdom of the bombing, "there was a lot more openness, and a lot more doubt." "We've just broken ground in our history with a pre-emptive war," said Jean-Christophe Agnew, a cultural historian at Yale University. They want the bomber to serve as a catalyst for national debate on nuclear weapons. The intellectuals and activists who are lining up to oppose this "celebratory treatment," say it is particularly dangerous at a time when the United States is displaying its military might. The Smithsonian, which is heavily supported by federal money, increased the estimate to 1 million, which then drew historians' complaints of "historical cleansing." A compromise was reached for a pared-down exhibit in 1995.Īs it was before, the argument is as much about politics as history. Truman's decision to approve use of the bomb. The groups also took issue with the number of Americans - 30,000 to 50, 000 - military officials anticipated would have been killed in an invasion of Japan and which has been cited as the crucial factor in President Harry S.