Tibbets again defended the bombing in 1995, when an outcry erupted over a planned 50th anniversary exhibit of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Institution.
The museum had planned to mount an exhibit that would have examined the context of the bombing, including the discussion within the Truman administration of whether to use the bomb, the rejection of a demonstration bombing and the selection of the target. Veterans groups objected, saying the proposed display paid too much attention to Japan's suffering and too little to Japan's brutality during and before World War II, and that it underestimated the number of Americans who would have perished in an invasion. Tibbets denounced it as 'a damn big insult.' They said the bombing of Japan was an unmitigated blessing for the United States and the exhibit should say so.
The museum changed its plan and agreed to display the fuselage of the Enola Gay without commentary, context or analysis.
