Pentagon Staff Damages Historic Eisenhower Globe During Office Move
«Ulykker skjer», a Pentagon official told NBC News after staff members damaged a historic globe assigned to US Pete Hegseth during an office relocation in February. The artifact, described in press accounts as one of two surviving large globes in Pentagon ownership used by Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II, sustained a multi-inch hole near Antarctica when it was moved without the supervision of army historians, vg.no reported.
The incident first came to light through reporting by The Washington Post, which secured photographs of the damaged item. Crafted in the 1930s, the globe features an attached plaque verifying its authenticity. According to the plaque’s text, the sphere was used by Eisenhower while he served as head of the War Plans Division from February to March 1942, and subsequently as head of the Operations Division through June of that year.
Dispute Over Artifact Status and Move Protocol
Pentagon officials have characterized the damaged item as a replica rather than a unique historical original. A Pentagon spokesperson defended the relocation by dismissing the media coverage, stating, It is not surprising that the Washington Post is once again spending time on an insignificant issue that is barely worth mentioning.
NBC News disputed the Pentagon’s classification, citing three anonymous officials and photographic evidence indicating the item is one of the originals utilized by Eisenhower. When a similar Eisenhower globe was transported in Alabama in 2022, the moving company Crafters and Freighters employed specialized crating and packaging. At that time, the transport firm issued a press release describing the artifact as invaluable and noting that its intrinsic worth far exceeded its mere economic value.
Pentagon restores globe after Hegseth requested its move
Pete Hegseth had specifically requested the globe for display in his office before the uncoordinated move took place in February. Despite bypassing the standard protocol of utilizing army historians for the transfer, the department confirmed that restoration efforts are underway.
Accidents happen. We are grateful that no one was hurt, and the globe is being repaired,
the Pentagon official told NBC News, emphasizing that personnel safety remained uncompromised during the incident.
Who made the damaged globe and how it broke?
What specific damage did the globe sustain during the move?
The globe suffered a hole measuring several inches wide located near the region representing Antarctica.
Who manufactured the historic globe and when?
The artifact was manufactured during the 1930s and was later utilized by Dwight D. Eisenhower during his tenure in the army general staff in 1942 before he served as US President from 1953 to 1961.
Noting: The Pentagon is downplaying the significance of the broken Eisenhower globe, calling it a "replica" in stories like this. https://t.co/a1l5LjsPDBThat glosses over that the Army considers this globe a historic treasure in its own right. Here was the sign posted with… pic.twitter.com/WzIVqjDZat
Why wasn’t the relocation handled by army historians?
Pete Hegseth’s staff moved the item themselves in February without waiting for the army’s historians, which led to the accidental impact during transit.
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