THE ENOLA GAY DEBATE

The venerable Smithsonian Institution is the repository of America's history. Its displays are visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year, people who thirst for a glimpse of the past up close and in three dimensions. The awe and wonder of visitors to the Smithsonian's galleries can be emotionally overwhelming on occasion.

Now the museum is mounting an exhibit of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb to end World War II. The display is intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. So far, it has caused quite an uproar.

In particular, veterans groups are upset that the exhibit originally made it look like the suffering of the Japanese people was the only historic perspective. Never mind that the bombing no doubt saved thousands of lives by putting an end to the war. The Smithsonian tried to rework the display, but it is still tilted toward the Japanese, thinks Sen. Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, who introduced a nonbinding resolution urging the museum to try again.

Yes, try again. There is no reason for an exhibit at the nation's historical storehouse to cause such consternation. The Enola Gay is an important artifact, no matter how anyone feels about the dropping of the bomb. For guidance in its exhibit, the Smithsonian need look no further than the Truman presidential museum in Independence.