Japanese Join American Nay-Sayers in Protesting Enola Gay Exhibit

CNSNews.com ^ | Dec 11, 2003 | Susan Jones

[microgood]

CNSNews.com) - Survivors of the U.S. atomic bomb attack on Japan plan to protest the Smithsonian Institution's new aircraft museum in suburban Virginia, because the exhibit includes the Enola Gay -- the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.

The Japanese will be joined by Americans who strongly oppose the Bush administration's nuclear policies.

The Smithsonian Institution's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - an annex of the Air and Space Museum -- is scheduled to open on Monday in a huge new building near Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va.

In anticipation of that event, several delegations of atomic bomb survivors were arriving in the Washington area on Thursday.

The survivors say they strongly object to the way the Enola Gay is being exhibited -- "without mention of the human suffering caused by the bomb it dropped in the city of Hiroshima," as they said in a press release.

They plan to present a petition of grievance to Smithsonian officials.

The survivors said they "are also hoping to generate a discussion of the Bush administration's below-the-radar drive to put the U.S. back in the nuclear bomb-making business."

Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb aren't the only ones urging the Smithsonian to rethink its exhibit.

Another group, The Committee for a National Discussion of Nuclear History and Current Policy," headed by an American University professor, said it has collected over 400 signatures, including those of Nobel laureates, urging the Smithsonian to present a "balanced discussion" of the atomic bombings in 1945 and of current U.S. nuclear policy.

The anti-nuke committee said the Air and Space Museum's exhibition of the Enola Gay "dishonors the museum and the nation and serves the purposes of those who seek to normalize nuclear weapons and facilitate their future use."

"The celebration of a weapon that delivered an atomic attack, in the context of the administration's pursuit of new nukes and its 'do as we say, not as we do' non-proliferation policy, sends the world the wrong message," said Kevin Martin, a member of the anti-nuke committee.

"America's credibility in the international community, particularly on the issue of weapons of mass destruction, is low enough already," Martin added. "We must have an honest conversation about what it means to have used nuclear weapons and the implications of designing new nuclear weapons while maintaining a stockpile of over 10,000 nuclear warheads."

On Monday, Dec. 15, the Japanese survivors and American protestors plan to hold what they call a "solemn, dignified demonstration" in front of the Enola Gay, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

Protesters said they will carry full-size photos of the damage and suffering inflicted by the atomic bombs.

History speaks for itself, veterans say

On the other side of the argument stands the pilot of the Enola Gay -- retired Brig.-Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, now 88 years old.

Tibbets recently visited the Smithsonian's new aircraft museum annex, and he was quoted as saying that the protestors are ignoring the reason the atomic bomb was dropped. "Casualties are part of war ... but this is not the ground on which you argue those facts," Tibbets was quoted as telling a Japanese television crew.

He and other American veterans note that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced a quicker end to World War II, saving many American -- and Japanese -- lives.

The Smithsonian exhibit includes about 80 planes and more than 2,000 artifacts.

It is expected to be one of the Washington area's major tourist attractions.

[microgood]

Hopefully they mention the human suffering caused by the Japanese during the 1930s and 1940s. They deserved every molecule of radioactivity they got and much more.

[GreyFriar]

Of course we should have masses of information on how bad the US was for dropping the A-bombs on Japan. Didn't the US Navy attack the Japanese tourist submarine outside of Pearl Harbor around 6am on 7 Dec 41? The attack 2 hours later was a just retaliation by the Japanese for the wanton murder of their tourists on the novel cruise-line submarine.

[martin_fierro]

They're really not gonna like the coming Bataan Death March exhibit.

[camle]

japanese ought to thank the Enola Gay AND BOcks Car for helping their leadership capitulate - an island invasion would have destroyed far more of their culture than they lost. There wouldn't have been much left of Japan had we been forced to invade - they ought to be grateful.

[csvset]

The Japanese started it, we finished it. They should get over it.

[Tacis]

If the weather is nice, this event may be a good one to attend with your autograph book. Many of the traitorous, hate-America, blame America first delegation from Hollywood may be there and, if the TV cameras are running, some might smile and give autographs. There is also some current thinking that these ultra-left wingers also receive "gifts" for attending such events. If you see a neocommunists celebrity, ask.

[Slings and Arrows]

We should discuss this with the Japanese like reasonable people. The conference can be held in Nanking, China.

[Sacajaweau]

Tell the objectors that we'll send them a before and after picture of Pearl Harbor and remnants of THEIR planes.

[antiRepublicrat]

What is it about the idiot's need to politicize everything? Hello, it's an historical exhibit! I'd welcome some academic-style discussion of the issues surrounding the Enola Gay's most famous mission, but using it as a lever to protest against current policies? Get a life.

[Mr. Bird]

You beat me to it. Pinging China....

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

If I was a kook, I'd hang a model of the Enola Gay from my basement ceiling.........

right over my mushroom farm!!

[Puppage]

Japanese Join American Nay-Sayers in Protesting Enola Gay Exhibit

Gee, I wonder how they'd feel about a Rape of Nan King Exhibit? A little Japanese tid bit lost to history. They made the Nazis look like amateurs.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I just finished James Bradley's latest book, "Flyboys," which tells the story of a half dozen Navy flyers assigned to hit a Japanese radio station on Chichi Jima while the Marines were hitting Iwo.
Several passages discuss the fire bombing campaign Gen Curtis LeMay was conducting every night beginning in early 1945. Every city in Japan would have been totally destroyed if the Japanese had not surrendered in August.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Another group, The Committee for a National Discussion of Nuclear History and Current Policy," headed by an American University professor, said it has collected over 400 signatures, including those of Nobel laureates, urging the Smithsonian to present a "balanced discussion" of the atomic bombings in 1945 and of current U.S. nuclear policy.

Don't these anti-nuke puke pointy heads have a monopoly in the classroom already?

[joesnuffy]

The Smithsonian should have an exhibit of The Rape of Nangkin

[Puppage]

Read all about the lovely, protesting japanese.

http://www.tribo.org/nanking/

[FreedomPoster]

Besides the firebombing campaign, go look into the civilian casualties during our conquest of Okinawa. It wasn't pretty, and an invasion of the primary Japanese home islands would have been worse.

After reading the background on Okinama, there is no doubt in my mind that the nuclear bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki *saved* hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more, Japanese lives.

[Puppage]

http://www.rotten.com/library/history/war-crimes/rape-of-nanking/

[pabianice]

When are we gonna get out of Japan and let it defend itself?
It costs us something like $ 300 billion a year to defend these ingrates.