The Enola Gay exhibit is planned for the Air and Space Museum, easily the most popular of the 15 museums in the Smithsonian complex. The truth of the matter is, though, that the Smithsonian has been backtracking for months under pressure by Congress, the American Legion, the Air Force Association and some 2,000 angry letter-writers. Michael Bilirakis of Palm Harbor.īilirakis joined 80 colleagues in sending a letter seeking the resignation of the Air and Space Museum director, Michael Harwit, because of his "continuing defiance and disregard for needed improvements to the exhibit." "Those brave men and women who laid down their lives for our country should be honored, not sacrificed at the altar of political correctness," said Rep. 7, 1941, air and naval forces of Japan attacked the United States without provocation." "No politically correct, revisionist historian can change the fact that on Dec. "We are particularly concerned that the exhibit portrays the Japanese as victims, fighting to preserve their culture, while characterizing American motivations as vengeful and racist," complained Senate Republican Leader Robert Dole and his colleague John Warner of Virginia. In the dispute over the Enola Gay, though, the clout of the 3.1-million member American Legion and other veterans groups fuels the political rhetoric. The controversy comes as Gingrich and other Republicans are questioning the influence of elites in the media, Public Broadcasting, the arts and other entities that deal with the public or receive taxpayer money. The betting among some Capitol Hill leaders, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich, is that the regents will significantly scale back the presentation to focus simply on the Enola Gay. On Monday, the Smithsonian Board of Regents will meet to decide whether to go ahead with opening of the exhibit in May. For most Japanese, it was a war to defend their unique culture against Western imperialism." "For most Americans," the early Smithsonian script said, "this war was fundamentally different from the one waged against Germany and Italy _ it was a war of vengeance.