The petition protests the “celebratory exhibit,” saying it “both legitimizes what happened in 1945 and helps build support for the Bush administration’s dangerous new nuclear policies.” Although a New York Times report widely published in the media this week said the exhibit text glorifies the airplane “without mentioning that it dropped the bomb on Hiroshima,” the text in fact states: “On August 6, 1945, this Martin-built B-29-45-MO dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan.” The petition, online at the Web site of Peace Action, does not in fact claim that Hiroshima is not mentioned, but says the exhibit emphasizes the airplane’s technological achievement and is “devoid of historical context.” The Smithsonian’s explanatory placard text reads in full: 15 at Washington Dulles International Airport.

A coalition of activists is circulating a petition to protest (again) the exhibit of the Enola Gay bomber, on display at the Smithsonian’s new Udvar-Hazy Center, which will open Dec.