A historic globe once owned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower was damaged by Pentagon staff during an unauthorized move. According to reports, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset sought to relocate the globe to his office earlier this year, but the transfer did not go as planned.
Typically, historical artifacts at the Pentagon are moved by a qualified team. The military management responsible for the globe intended to consult with experts from the U.S. Army Center of Military History regarding its safe transport. However, due to a government shutdown, the historians were on leave and unavailable for consultation.
In their attempts to relocate the globe without expert guidance, Hegset’s staff allegedly lost control of the fragile artifact, resulting in it falling and sustaining a hole a few inches wide in the Antarctic region. The globe’s spherical portion detached from its mount, rendering it immobile, as confirmed by Pentagon officials in response to inquiries.
While journalists requested to inspect and photograph the damaged globe, official access was denied. Nevertheless, unnamed sources managed to provide images of the artifact to the media.
According to Dan Lamothe, the author of the report, reactions within the Pentagon varied, with some expressing shock and others making light of the incident. Interestingly, the historians’ leave ended on the same day the globe was damaged. When asked why the staff did not wait for the specialists, a source suggested it was due to a “lack of patience.” The globe is currently undergoing repairs and was not delivered to Hegset’s office as planned.
