Staff Breaks Historic Eisenhower Globe At Pentagon

(MENAFN- USA Art News) A historic floor globe, once utilized by General Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II, was damaged by Pentagon staff attempting to move it, according to The Washington Post. The incident occurred after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the globe relocated to his office.

Typically, moving historical items within the building is a precise process managed by trained curators. However, Hegseth's team dispatched its own personnel to move the 1930s-era globe. They lost control, causing the artifact to fall and strike its base, which impaled the fragile shell near Antarctica, sources familiar with the event told the Post.

Photographs obtained by the Post, despite the Pentagon not granting direct access to the globe, show significant damage, including a gash described as several inches wide. Pentagon spokesman Christopher Surridge also informed the Post that“the spherical portion of the globe was detached from the metal mounting that allows it to rotate.” Following the report's publication, the Defense Department issued an unattributed statement. As recounted by the Post:“'Accidents happen,' it says, 'we are grateful no one was harmed, and the globe is being repaired.' The statement does not say how much the repairs are expected to cost and when they would be complete.”

Source: ARTnews

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