[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 131 (Monday, September 19, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
      SENATE RESOLUTION 257--RELATING TO THE ``ENOLA GAY'' EXHIBIT

  Mrs. KASSEBAUM submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Rules and Administration:

                              S. Res. 257

       Whereas the role of the Enola Gay during World War II was 
     momentous in helping to bring World War II to a merciful end, 
     which resulted in saving the lives of Americans and Japanese;
       Whereas the current script for the National Air and Space 
     Museum's exhibit on the Enola Gay is revisionist and 
     offensive to many World War II veterans;
       Whereas the Federal law states that ``the Smithsonian 
     Institute shall commemorate and display the contributions 
     made by the military forces of the Nation toward creating, 
     developing, and maintaining a free, peaceful, and independent 
     society and culture in the United States'';
       Whereas the Federal law also states that ``the valor and 
     sacrificial service of the men and women of the Armed Forces 
     shall be portrayed as an inspiration to the present and 
     future generations of America''; and
       Whereas, in memorializing the role of the United States in 
     armed conflict, the National Air and Space Museum has an 
     obligation under the Federal law to portray history in the 
     proper context of the times: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that any 
     exhibit displayed by the National Air and Space Museum with 
     respect to the Enola Gay should reflect appropriate 
     sensitivity toward the men and women who faithfully and 
     selflessly served the United States during World War II and 
     should avoid impugning the memory of those who gave their 
     lives for freedom.

  Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a sense-of-the 
Senate resolution related to the National Air and Space Museum's 
upcoming exhibit involving the Enola Gay.
  As everyone in this Chamber knows, the Enola Gay is the plane that 
carried the atomic bomb to Hiroshima in August 1945. For the past 44 
years, it has been in the possession of the Smithsonian Institute. 
Until 1960, the plane was simply left outside, exposed to elements and 
allowed to deteriorate. However, over the past several years, the plane 
has been restored, and next year it will be displayed at the National 
Air and Space Museum as part of an exhibit on the end of World War II.
  Mr. President, the Enola Gay represents a significant piece of our 
Nation's history, and its exhibition is long overdue. Unfortunately, 
the current script for this important exhibit is seriously flawed and 
should be rewritten.
  The United States Code states that ``the Smithsonian Institution 
shall commemorate and display the contributions made by the military 
forces of the Nation toward creating, developing, and maintaining a 
free, peaceful and independent society and culture in the United 
States.'' It also states that ``the valor and sacrificial service of 
the men and women of the Armed Forces shall be portrayed as an 
inspiration to the present and future generations of America.''
  As it is currently written, the National Air and Space Museum's 
script for the exhibit, ``The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of 
World War II,'' does not meet the standards set forth in the United 
States Code. Instead, it is revisionist and unbalanced. It must be 
changed.
  Early this spring, I was stunned to learn that the National Air and 
Space Museum's script for the exhibit included statements such as: 
``For most Americans this war was fundamentally different than the one 
waged against Germany and Italy--it was a war of vengeance. For most 
Japanese, it was a war to defend their unique culture against Western 
imperialism.'' At that time, I wrote to the director of the Smithsonian 
Institution and informed him that if the National Air and Space Museum 
could not display the Enola Gay in a manner that veterans would not 
find offensive, it should be moved to a museum that could.
  While I am pleased that the museum has worked with veterans groups to 
improve the script since my letter of March 30, serious problems 
remain. The script continues to lack balance and historical context. 
For example, there are still more than twice as many photos of Japanese 
suffering than Americans. I think this is wrong. The role of the Enola 
Gay was momentous in helping bring World War II to a merciful close, 
saving both American and Japanese lives. Any exhibit involving the 
historic plane should respect the men and women who served this country 
so faithfully and selflessly during World War II and should avoid 
impugning the memory of those who gave their lives for freedom.
  The sense-of-the-Senate resolution that I am introducing today 
reminds the National Air and Space Museum of its obligation to portray 
history in the proper context of the times. I hope that my colleagues 
will join with me enacting this important resolution.

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