Enola Gay

The Enola Gay exhibit located in the National Air and Space Museum did not receive a warm welcome by many different groups (such as veterans,committees, survivors, etc.).  The first few drafts of the exhibit ended in heated debate between the museum and the AFA.  The AFA claimed that the exhibit was not balanced in depicting the US and the Japanese sides, and shined a questionable light towards the US’s decision to drop the A-bomb.  The AFA fear that the exhibit depicts Japan as only the victim of US vengeance.  This brings into question the moral and political questions associated with the dropping of the A-bomb.  Was it the right thing to do, why did the US do it, was there any other way?  Depicting whether the US was right because there was no other way to end the war as quickly as possible with as few casualties on the American side as possible, or whether Japan was just an innocent victim to this makes us wonder which story is the true “official” and “unofficial story”.  On the other end, showcasing the Enola Gay as just advancements in technology sparked debates between the museum and historians, survivors, and activists.  They claimed that showcasing the Enola Gay without reference to the damage it did is immoral and disrespectful to those involved in the A-bombings.  The museum fought back arguing that the National Air and Space Museum has always just been primarily a technology museum and not suitable for providing adequate explanations to do the A-bombings justice.  I agree with the museum, the museum is only trying to show the achievements in aviation technology throughout the years and that’s all they want viewers to take out from their exhibit.