"FullText" links provide a connection to electronic or print copies provided by the Lehigh Libraries and other services, such as electronic abstracts and interlibrary loan requesting.

6/1/1995. Air Force Magazine publishes its ninth article.

"Air and Space Museum Director Resigns," by John T. Corrrell, Air Force Magazine, 06/95, 13. [http://www.afa.org/media/enolagay/07-14.html]

6/16/1995. Describes some of the negative effects of the Heyman decision, including self-censorship, head-rolling, and the approval of "Fourth of July historiography": "The argument that has temporarily won the day is clear and explicit: tax supported institutions . . . have no business endorsing criticism of our national experience. Their mission is to praise, exalt, beautify, and glorify all that America has been and has done. This is precisely what we criticize and ridicule when espoused by other nations and other cultures: we would be better off practicing what we preach."

"How a Genuine Democracy Should Celebrate Its Past," by John W. Dower, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16, 1995: B1. [FullText]

6/21/1995. Paint-tossing is the only sign of dissent during a week of sneak previews" of the new exhibit.

"Enola Gay Exhibit Splattered with Red Paint before Opening," by Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times, 06/21/95, A6. [FullText]

6/21/1995. An exhibit at American University ("Constructing a Peaceful World: Beyond Hiroshima and Nagasaki") will display some of the artifacts intended for the Smithsonian exhibit.

"2 Exhibits to Mark A-Bombings," by Eugene L. Meyer, Washington Post, 06/21/95, D1. [FullText]

6/28/1995. Interesting related event, a proposal to paint temporary shadows on the wall of a post office to represent "the deadliest use of force in the history of man and anything that reminds people of their power, and their cost, is a worthwhile endeavor."

"Allow WWII Memorial," Chapel Hill Herald, 06/28/95, 4. [FullText]

6/1995. Sampling of coverage in June before the new exhibit by major media.

"Enola Gay -- Continuing Fallout," Col. Charles D. Cooper, Retired Officer, 06/95, 4. "We trust that in seeking a replacement [for Martin Harwit], the regents will look to the chartering purposes of this gem of America's museums and select someone without the baggage of preconceptions or political correctness." [FullText]

"Just Blame That Blame-America Crowd," by Jim Wright, Dallas Morning News, 06/05/95. "The Blame America First crowd quickly learned it is hard to sell counterfeit history to a generation of Americans that made the real thing." [FullText]

6/28/1995. The "new" Enola Gay exhibit opens, and Heyman says the planned exhibit "provoked intense criticism from World War II veterans and others, who stated that it portrayed the United States as the aggressor and the Japanese as victims and reflected unfavorably on the valor and courage of American veterans. . . . The museum changed its plan substantially, but the criticism persisted and led to my decision to replace that exhibition with a simpler one."

Selections from Heyman's opening remarks: [PDF]

6/28/1995. The text of the Heyman exhibit -- "The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II" -- the exhibit that opened for the public.

Blueprint of the exhibit that opened: [PDF]

Heyman's introduction: [PDF]

Exhibit text: [PDF]

6/28/1995. Articles on the exhibit:

"Historian Calls Exhibit Dispute Between History, Memory," CNN News, Transcript #98-4, 06/27/95. "My fear at this point is that the Smithsonian will not feel like it can ever again . . . put on an exhibit that will be a thoughtful one . . . that will challenge the viewers." [FullText]

"Feud Continues to Rage on 'Enola Gay' Exhibit," by Charles J. Lewis, Times Union, 06/27/95, A5. "A defender of the original Enola Gay exhibit blamed the Air Force Association for sabotoging that version." [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibit Opens without an Agenda," Arthur Hirsch, Baltimore Sun, 06/28/95, 1D. "If you like looking at airplane parts, you'll enjoy [the new exhibit]." [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibit Opens with Debate," by Michael E. Ruane, Philadelphia Inquirer, 06/28/95, A2. "If most of the controversial material has been shuffled into warehouses, the controversy remains center stage." [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibit; Plane and Simple," Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, 06/28/95, A01. "The focus is on the hardware, not the nuances of history. It's about a big shiny plane and its determined crew. It's like a passage from a Tom Clancy novel, converted to three dimensions." [FullText]

"Smithsonian Opens Enola Gay Exhibit Today," Chattanooga Free Press, 06/28/95. "Today's opening of the toned-down exhibit seems unlikely to end months of sometimes-bitter controversy." [FullText]

"Exhibit Shows Enola Gay, But Not Much Else," by Randolph E. Schmid, Chicago Sun-Times, 06/28/95, 32. "Visitors will learn much about the plane and crew that carried the bomb, but little of its consequences." [FullText]

"The Enola Gay's Story, And Just the Basics," by Michael E. Ruane, Houston Chronicle, 06/28/95, A2. "This ghostly, controversial looking-glass [the Enola Gay] will reflect the faces of fresh generations of beholders." [FullText]

"His Piece of History," by Ken Zapinski, Plain Dealer, 06/28/95, 1B. "Too bad Sam Hevener's vintage World War II aircraft radar detector couldn't ferret out Political firestorms." [FullText]

"Reopening the Book on the Bomb," by Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, 06/28/95, E2. "Give the conservative activists credit for unwitting irony in this episode. They gave all-American proof to a point familiar to citizens of former Communist regimes: Ambiguity cannot be tolerated, especially where the historical record is concerned." [FullText]

"Sparer Enola Gay Exhibit Opens," by David Dahl, St. Petersburg Times, 06/28/95, 1A. "You can view the bomber's front fuselage, buffed to a shiny silver . . . but you'll see little hand-wringing about the dawn of the nuclear age." [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibition Bombs Out," by Patrick Harden, Toronto Sun, 06/28/95, 12. "What's left is a bowdlerized story of one aircraft, where it came from, what it did. That's all -- no guts, no glory, no raison d'etre. It may be a good museum piece, but it doesn't get to the heart of an event which reshaped history." [FullText]

"Controversial Enola Gay Exhibit Opens," by Andrea Stone, USA Today, 06/28/95, 3A. Heyman says, "I don't believe this is a glorification of nuclear weapons. It doesn't take a position on the morality of using atomic weapons. It simply reports what happened." [FullText]

"Book Offers Glimpse of the Aftermath of Atomic Bombings," by Noah Adams, NPR: All Things Considered, Transcript #1892-9, 06/28/95. "I think it's the biggest propaganda lie of the war [estimated invasion casualty numbers]. I saw the cannons on the beach. . . . Every few hundred yards, there was a cannon, almost the entire route, and then when I landed with a Marine pilot and got out and looked at them and photographed them, they weren't cannons. They were light poles. They fooled us." [FullText]

"Smithsonian Shows Off Scaled-Down Enola Gay Exhibit," by Dean Olsher, NPR: All Things Considered, Transcript #1892-9, 06/28/95. [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibit Brings Protests and Support," by Carl Rochelle, CNN: News, Transcript #1163-8, 06/28/95. [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibit Opens to Protest," Lonnae O'Neal Parker, Washington Post, 06/29/95, C03. "We wanted the exhibit to show more of the . . . devastation to the innocent women and children that got bombed." [FullText]

"Japanese Media Decry Enola Gay Exhibition," by T. R. Reid, Washington Post, 06/29/95, 32. "The atomic bomb is viewed in the United States as a 'holy relic,' something politicians dare not criticize." [FullText]

"U.S. Group May Retrace Route Enola Gay Took," by Yomiuri Shimbun, Daily Yomiuri, 06/29/95, 2. Japanese officials not thrilled. [FullText]

"Protest Disrupts Enola Gay Opening," by Brian Witte, Commerical Appeal, 06/29/95, 2A. "Anti-bomb pamphlets rained on people waiting to enter the museum." [FullText]

"Somber Enola Gay Exhibit Opens, Disappoints Thousands," Denver Rocky Mountain News, 06/29/95, 50A. "Some called it somber; some were disappointed by its blandness; and some were sickened by the reminder that war is horrible." [FullText]

"Anger and Dismay Greet Unveiling of the Enola Gay," Irish Times, 06/29/95, 11. "The exhibition reflects the ascendant political culture of the Republican controlled Congress." [FullText]

"The Enola Gay: Smithsonian Puts on an Airplane Exhibit," by Charles J. Lewis, Omaha World Herald, 06/29/95, 21. "When it finally got around to doing what it does best, the Smithsonian Institution put together a fascinating exhibit." [FullText]

"Toned-Down Atomic Bomber Exhibit Opens," Plain Dealer, 06/29/95, 2A. "You'll see little hand-wringing about the dawn of the nuclear age. It is not a place for self-doubts about whether the bombing was morally proper." [FullText]

"Japanese Media Decry Enola Gay Exhibition," by T. R. Reid, Washington Post, 06/29/95, A32. "The Enola Gay is presented here not as a warning against the great horror of nuclear war, but as a national hero that brought World War II to an end." [FullText]

"Crowds Flock to See Enola Gay as Police Arrest 20 Protesters," by Gerald Mizejewski, Washington Times, 06/29/95, C3. "Police arrested 20 anti-nuclear protestors outside the Smithsonian's Enola Gay exhibit yesterday." [FullText]

"Enola Gay Exhibit Shows Half of Truth," by Sandy Grady, The Ledger, 06/30/95, 7A. (Course Documents) "Call this the Airbrush Exhibit." [FullText]

"Memories Deaden Enola Gay's Lustre," by Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian, 06/30/95, 16. "The Enola Gay is not radioactive. The sign said so. . . . Even so, there was something toxic in the room: the anger of forgotten pain." [FullText]

"Displaying the Tools -- But Not the Consequences -- of War," by Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe, 07/02/95, 63. "In the end, the Enola Gay has become just another museum piece. The Smithsonian's exhibit of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan has been reduced to this: A huge fuselage of the B-29 stuck into the wall as if it had just landed. . . . But in a retreat, the Smithsonian has chosen a much too comfortable territory, displaying the tools of war, not the consequences. In forcing this retreat, we've proven how difficult and essential it is to talk about the atomic age, the past 50 years and the next." [FullText]

6/28/1995. Visitor comments on the exhibit: see a selection of responses on 3x5 "comment cards" available in the Smithsonian Archives that visitors made as they left the exhibit.

[PDF]