Another shot fired in the *Enola Gay* battle.  The appended
announcement appeared on the History of Technology list, where
Gabrielle Hecht  had forwarded it from a labor history list.  (Pardon
me if you've seen it before, but I thought it would be of interest to
MUSEUM-L readers.)
 
Are the staff of the National Air and Space Museum such jingoistic
fanatics that they need to be lectured by "peace and justice
organization representatives" about the horrors of hot war and the
unfortunate effects of the Cold War?
 
--
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=========
Date:         Mon, 17 Oct 1994 12:11:36 -0700
Reply-To:     History of Technology Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
X-Sender:       History of Technology Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
From:         Gabrielle Hecht <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Smithsonian and Hiroshima
X-To:           Multiple recipients of list HTECH-L <[log in to unmask]>
 
This item recently appeared on H-Labor, and I thought it might be of
interest to members of this list.
 
Gabrielle Hecht
Program in the History and Philosophy of Science
Department of History
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-2024
tel:  415-723-9461; FAX: 415-725-0597
[log in to unmask]
 
 
>Program & Legislative Action
>October/November 1994
>WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
>United States Section 1213 Race Street Philadelphia,
>PA 19107-1691 215/563-7110 Fax 215/563-5527
>
>Smithsonian Exhibit Distorts Hiroshima Bombing
>
>In May 1995, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will open an
>exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of the end of Word War II and the
>atomic bombing of Japan. A central feature of the exhibit is the B-29
>Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
>which is being restored by the museum. This restoration is the largest
>such project in the museum's history, costing them nearly $1million, and
>requiring more than 350,000 hours of labor since work began in 1984.
>
>The planned exhibit has great potential to educate U.S. citizens about the
>devastation caused by the bomb, and bring us face to face with its victims
>and consequences. 200,000 human beings were immediately killed by the
>Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings; tens of thousands more died from
>radiation poisoning in the following decades.
>
>The bomb dropped by the Enola Gay also marked the beginning of the atomic
>age, which continues today. The United States, as the only country to use
>the bomb, has a special responsibility to recognize the significance of
>that act, and to take the lead in ensuring that it will never happen
>again. We must recognize and educate the public that the future of
>civilization is threatened by our continued possession and development of
>nuclear technology.
>
>The initial script for the Smithsonian exhibit was received favorably by
>the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, in recent months, the
>Smithsonian has been under extreme pressure from military and veteran's
>groups to change the planned exhibit. In August, the Smithsonian announced
>changes and extensive additions to the exhibit, placing greater emphasis
>on Japanese violence and expansionism. These changes create the impression
>that the bombing was a justified response to Japanese aggression.
>
>On September 20, a national delegation of peace and justice organization
>representatives, including WILPF Sponsor Elizabeth McAlister, met with
>Smithsonian officials to register concern about the exhibit as it is now
>planned and to request changes. Their recommendations focused on these
>principles:
>
>The exhibit should not focus on Japanese aggression, but on our own intent
>to use the bomb to end the war, even as the U.S. held total military
>superiority.
>
>Although the violence committed by the Japanese army should not be
>condoned, the current script sends a very strong message justifying the
>use of atomic weapons.
>
>In particular, the exhibit needs to acknowledge the strong evidence of
>Japan's intent to surrender before the bombing.
>
>The exhibit should show the human face of the people of Hiroshima and
>Nagasaki, and let their remains, relics and possessions speak for
>themselves. Currently, the human element is minimized in the exhibit and
>the Japanese are mostly portrayed as the hated enemy.
>
>Instead, the exhibit should portray the victims as individual human
>beings, as has Washington, DC's Holocaust museum.
>
>The display should have a more detailed history of the following fifty
>years in the shadow of the nuclear bomb. It should cover the expansion of
>the U.S. arsenal to well over 20,000 nuclear weapons, and how the world
>has come to the brink of nuclear war some 30 times since 1945. It should
>also point out the effects of U.S. nuclear weapons testing, including
>radiation poisoning, the destruction of the environment, and the violation
>of Native American homes, farms, ranches and sacred areas.
>
>It should present some current efforts to turn the nuclear tide, such as
>negotiations around the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive
>Test Ban Treaty.
>
>The exhibit should explore the effects of the bombings on those most
>closely involved with the Enola Gay. For example, it should include the
>story of Rev. George Zabelka, the chaplain of the bombing crew, who came
>to regret his support of the bombings, and spent the remainder of his life
>teaching and promoting nonviolence. It should also present the fact that
>most of the bomber crew is now against using atomic weapons.
>
>The exhibit should show the cost of the Manhattan project, the bombs
>themselves, the fifty years of the nuclear arms race, and it should raise
>the question of how those billions of dollars could have been spent
>instead on food, housing, jobs, education, healthcare and environmental
>protection.
>
>Most important, the exhibit is an opportunity to acknowledge that the
>atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a grave mistake, and that the
>only way to ensure that it never happens again is to commit ourselves to
>total nuclear disarmament.
>
>Action:
>
>*Write letters to the editor and to members of Congress (who have been
>under pressure from military groups) expressing the need for this exhibit
>to reflect honestly on the bombings and their enormous cost to humanity
>and the planet. Demand that the exhibit be changed along the lines
>explained above and that the final exhibit meet the approval of the
>mayor's of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
>
>*Send copies of the letters to Dr. Martin Harwit, Director of the National
>Air and Space Museum, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW,
>Washington, DC 20560. Ask him to contact his peers in Hiroshima and
>Nagasaki and invite them to help in the preparation of the exhibit.
>
>*Form a delegation (in coalition with others where possible) and meet with
>Smithsonian officials in DC In the past year, officials have met with 40
>different military and veterans' groups, but only one peace and justice
>delegation has requested a meeting. Contact the Office of Public Affairs
>at (202) 357-1663.
>
>*Circulate this information as widely as possible.
>
>WILPF Program Coordinator (taken from an article written by Jo Becker of
>F.O.R.