Arlington, VA, October 20, 1994 -- After a careful review of the National Air and Space Museum's interim script of "The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II," the Air Force Association commended the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution for making substantive script changes, but concluded that significant work remains to be done.
In a 3-hour meeting with officials from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Air and Space Museum, representatives from AFA and the Retired Officers Association were assured that further revisions would be made.
AFA Executive Director Monroe W. Hatch, Jr., said he was encouraged by the willingness of the Smithsonian leadership to address seriously AFA's latest comments. "We still must wait to see the next version of the script, but progress has clearly been made."
While the October 3 script contained definite improvements, the association pointed out the continuing structural and ideological bias in the exhibit plans. "Unfortunately, the built-in structural bias of the exhibit plan remains," the association wrote. "It leads the visitor, step by step, to the 'Ground Zero' section where the curators pull their planned emotional trigger." Previously, AFA recommended that section 400 be subdivided in order to address this problem. The association further suggested balancing a video of the "testimony" of Hiroshima survivors with a similar treatment of the suffering of disabled American veterans.
AFA's latest critique also describes the script's ideological bias, citing a number of examples of one-sided speculation. In both sections 200, "The Decision to Drop the Bomb," and 500, "Japan Surrenders," the curators seem to take Japanese motives at face value while simultaneously casting doubt on American intentions. This is especially true with respect to the issue of Japan's surrender. "The curators simply will not let go of the notion that the policy of demanding Japan's unconditional surrender was (a) unreasonable, (b) prolonged the war needlessly, and (c) foiled Japan's earnest desire to make peace," the analysis states.
Unfortunately, from the start, the scholarly probing, doubting and digging for the deeper truth of history has all been directed at American actions and motives, with little attention paid to the unalterable record of Japanese aggression in World War II.
According to AFA's findings, "Deeper consultation of the historical evidence would support a more critical treatment than seen in this exhibit thus far in regard to (1) Japan's dramatized quest for peace in 1945, (2) the Emperor's role in wartime policy and planning, (3) why Japan did not move to end the war sooner, when it became evident that the cause was lost, and (4) popular Japanese support, before the war turned sour, for military aggression to establish the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."
The analysis also highlights some entries in the current script that can only be termed as "bizarre." For instance, in section 100, the curators artificially connect Army Air Corps plans for bombing Japan to Pearl Harbor. In section 300, they select a quotation that has American survivors of the torpedoed cruiser Indianapolis drawing knives on each other. How that relates to the decision to drop the bomb is totally unclear.
####
The Air Force Association is an independent non-profit aerospace organization whose objective is to promote greater understanding of aerospace and national defense issues. AFA is a grass-roots organization with a membership of nearly 180,000. The Air Force Association was incorporated in the District of Columbia on February 6, 1946.
You may contact the Air Force Association at 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Virginia, 22209-1198, or by email: com@afa.org
This page is owned and operated by the The Air Force Association at 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Virginia, 22209-1198. Copyright 1995, 1996 Air Force Association