Preview Event: WWII & NYC

This past Tuesday, I indulged myself and did something not "pre-med"! Did I feel guilty, sure...I mean I have homework and exams coming up, but did that stop me...NO! 

Over the summer I received a mailing from the New York Historical Society (NYHS) informing me that as a member, I was invited to a preview party for their new "WWII & NYC" exhibit on October 2nd. Whereas I would normally throw a flyer like this out, the date and info went directly into my calendar and so the countdown began...

First off, let me step a few steps back and explain why I was and am so excited about this new exhibit. Back in early 2010, as a junior in college, I was thinking about what I should do over my summer break. I looked for various internships, and the NYHS caught my eye. They were advertising that they needed research assistants for a WWII exhibit that they were working on. As a WWII historian, I was DESPERATE for this position, so I applied. Unfortunately, I never learned whether I got the job or not because I lucked out and received a very generous research grant from Bryn Mawr. (I had to withdraw my application from the NYHS). 

Although I am really pleased that I received the research grant and I really had an amazing experience conducting primary research in Washington DC, London, and Arnhem, I still wonder to this day, "what if I had gone with the NYHS..." As you can imagine, since 2010, I have been eagerly waiting for this exhibit to come to fruition...and now it is finally here! 

The exhibit, entitled "WWII & NYC" is an intimate examination of WWII and the war's relationship with New York City. Be it industry, soldiers, ports...this exhibit is extensive and so well done. Being there and seeing the amazing work and detail really made me wish that I had worked on it!

This was a really fancy and "legit" event. There were people in suits, dressed, military uniforms...I felt so underdressed...did I mention there were waiters with canapes and two full bars?! 

A display talking about nightlife and popular culture during the war in NYC

I love this painting of GI's getting ready to ship out

Towards the end of the exhibit, there are several biographies of various Americans who served in the Armed Forces. The variety is wonderful. Black, White, Asian, men, women, nurses, soldiers, photographers...truly astounding to see how many people were involved in the war and the different places they came from! Of the many individuals highlighted, Masako Mary Yamada really stood out to me. She was a Japanese-American who escaped California. Whilst her family was detained in a camp, like many Californian Japanese, Masako came to New York and became an army nurse! How inspiring is that? I know that this is super corny, but I was drawn to her also because I am half Japanese and I am truly proud of my Japanese heritage/culture. Contemplating her story, I began to think about the irony of her life during the Second World War. Masako served her country by tending to the wounded and fulfilled her role as a patriot and AMERICAN CITIZEN, yet the government persecuted her family, labeling them as potential enemy sympathizers and detained them in camp. I wonder how that made her feel. Perhaps I am being overly critical...

For me, the overall highlight of the exhibit was the replica of the German ENIGMA machine. This is what my research grant went to. I spent a whole summer researching ENIGMA, Bletchley Park, ULTRA, code breaking, etc... This is like my baby. I love this machine and it never ceases to fascinate me. I could literally spend hours if not days talking about the significance of ENIGMA and Bletchley. For anyone reading who is not familiar with what I am talking about, here is a brief explanation. 

During the war, the German armed forced communicated with one another using radio frequencies, however, since the Allies were listening and constantly intercepting, they had to encipher their messages with a code. That's where ENIGMA fits in. Physically resembling a typewriter, this advanced machine took German messages and transformed them into gibberish.  Depending on how the the three internal rotors were set and the plug board was arranged, the machine had the ability to created thousands, if not millions, of possible ways of enciphering a message. Even if you pressed the same key several times, the machine would always produce a different letter when enciphering. A truly genius machine and very troublesome for the Allies! When German troops wanted to communicate with one another, "ENIGMA operator A" and "B" would have to have the same rotor settings in order to communicate. (Note: the naval ENIGMA had 4 rotors, making it even harder to break). It was Bletchley Park's (HQ for British code breaking) task to break ENIGMA and read German messages. Here is a really great clip from my favorite movie, "ENIGMA," that does a fabulous job explaining the significance of this machine: Enigma Machine Explained

When thinking about Civil Rights during the 1940s, WWII poses an interesting paradox (in my opinion). Overseas, the United States was fighting a fascist leader who believed in a superior Aryan race. Basically, in Hitler's opinion, anyone not of Aryan descent was inferior and should be eliminated. (Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, handicapped, etc...) The United States could not tolerate such cruelty and was on a mission to stop Hitler. (I will confess, this is an extreme generalization and the reasons for entering the war was much more complex, but bare with me). While "Uncle Sam" fought intolerance in Europe, what of his own shores? In the United States, racism and segregation was still an issue. While many associate Civil Rights with the 1960s, I believe that the roots of the Civil Rights movement begin during WWII. For this reason, I absolutely love this cartoon. It really questions the moral hypocrisy of 1940s America. 

Leaving, I noticed this cutout of General Ike. See you later! 

Can you tell that I absolutely love this exhibit? In my opinion, this is the best exhibit that I have seen at the NYHS. Sure, maybe I am biased because this is my favorite topic, but seriously, the NYHS did a fabulous job! The exhibit is really well done and wonderfully designed. I learned a lot of cool facts, like that the NYHS was used as a hospital during the war! If I wasn't so busy with school, I would definitely love to volunteer as a guide in this exhibit and chat with people! If you have time and are in the area, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you check this exhibit out! I guess this proves that you can take the girl out of the history department, but you can't take the historian out of the girl!