Much of the anti-American speculation has been removed. It does not, however, add up to an acceptable salvage job, largely because the curators, retreating word by word and line by line, have managed to preserve the gist of their biases. US actions and policies inspire them to doubt, probe, and hint. The speculation is one-sided, of course. There is no compulsion to dig deeper into such issues as Japan's dramatized quest for peace in 1945, the Emperor's actual role in wartime policy and planning, or why Japan did not move to end the war sooner when it was evident that the cause was lost.
Imbalances persist as well.
More than a single exhibit is at issue here. It is difficult, apparently, for these fellows to accept that people come to the Air and Space Museum to see historic aircraft, professionally restored and cleanly presented. They are not interested in counterculture morality pageants put on by academic activists. In remarks to the National Aviation Club September 21, Dr. Martin O. Harwit, director of the Air and Space Museum, talked about the annex to be built at Dulles Airport in suburban Virginia to display aircraft from the Smithsonian's collection that are too large to show at the main museum downtown. He spoke about airplanes for four sentences.