As I've been looking more closely at the history of Short Circuit, and at Johns' and Rauschenberg's relationship, and at the resonances and dialogues between their work during that time, I can't help wondering if Short Circuit and the flag in it aren't a part of Johns' early career story he doesn't want to emphasize. Actually, it's absolutely the case that Johns doesn't want to emphasize it. The question, then, is the extent to which Short Circuit and its flag--the first one exhibited, if not the first one made--have been neglected, forgotten, or ignored, and the extent to which they've been buried or concealed.