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November 6, 2005
The Cold War Museum
Nine years ago, Francis Gary Powers Jr dedicated himself to building a museum about the Cold War. The son of famed U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers(since deceased), he has an obvious personal interest in seeing that people do not forget the sacrifices and heroism of the Americans who fought it.
The museum is still in the planning stages. Powers is in the finalizing with local government authorities a site, on an old Nike missile base in Lorton Virginia, just a few miles south of Washington DC. Many artifacts have been acquired and are in storage awaiting construction of the museum building. However, Powers has put together an exibit on his father's U-2 as a kind of "traveling museum", which today can be seen at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver, Colorado, through November 2005. It has been on display on other museums across the United States as well.
Recently, the Commonwealth of Virginia allocated a $125,000 matching grant to the Cold War Museum. "Matching", of course, means that in order to receive the money they need to match it with money of their own. To donate you can go here or here. Federal and Military personnel can donate though Combined Federal Campaign number 7475.
On a personal note, I had the pleasure of meeting Francis Gary Powers Jr some years ago. We live in the same general suburban area of our nation's capitol, and I attended some events to to help him promote his cause.
Every month, from spring through fall, Mr Powers hosts the Spies of Washington Tour, which I went on a few years ago. The tour starts at the Pentagon City Mall, where everyone boards a charter bus. The bus drives around the northern Virginia and Washington DC area while Mr Powers and another guide point out places of interest relating to espionage activities. The tour includes a stop at the International Spy Museum, which I would encourage everyone to visit if you are in the area.
While there is of now no physical museum, they do have a website where you can find many articles, personal stories, and on-line "exibits" about the Cold War.
In addition, Powers publishes an on-line magazine about the Cold War, titled, appropriately enough, The Cold War Times.
From the Cold War Museum website:
Mission Statement and Goals
The Cold War Museum is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to education, preservation, and research on the global, ideological, and political confrontations between East and West from the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.Goals
The three main goals of the Museum are to:
* Develop permanent Cold War Museums to preserve local and regional Cold War history with the headquarters and National Museum facility located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
* Erect Cold War Memorials with the National Cold War Memorial located near Arlington National Cemetery to honor the men and women who were killed as part of Cold War events and activities.
* Establish a reference library and research center to help maintain the historical accuracy of the Cold
From Powers' most recent email to subscribers:
Please consider making a year-end donation to the Cold War Museum. Your gift will help us plan for the new year and the new physical location. Tax-deductible contributions and artifact donations to the Museum will ensure that future generations will remember Cold War events and personalities that forever altered our understanding of national security, international relations, and personal sacrifice for one's country. Please help spread the word about the Museum. Together we can make this vision a reality. If you should have any questions, want additional information, or would like to subscribe to our Cold War Times email newsletter distribution list, send an email to editor@coldwar.org
Posted by Tom at November 6, 2005 7:46 PM
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Comments
A very worthy cause. Thanks for bringing my attention to it!
Kind regards,
Bill Rice
Posted by: Bill Rice at November 7, 2005 1:48 AM
