Just the facts

Christian Century, Dec 13, 2003

The National Air and Space Museum has placed the B-29 bomber Enola Gay on display at its companion museum at Dulles International Airport. The Enola Gay dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan, August 6, 1945. A group of 150 scholars and writers have petitioned the NASM to use this exhibit as an educational opportunity to talk about the politics of nuclear weapons and to include information on the number of victims of the bombing.

A spokesperson for the museum demurs, saying that the exhibit for the Enola Gay "does not glorify or vilify the role this aircract played in history." In 1995, when just a portion of the plane was on display, the NASM had plans for a more interpretive exhibition, which set off a firestorm from veterans and politicians, leading to a sparse text about the plane.