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In this interview, author and theater director Susan Southard discusses her bookNagasaki: Life After Nuclear War, an award-winning history of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and its enduring impact over 70 years. Southard talks about the physical and emotional impacts of the bombing on its survivors; the differences between the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings; and the controversy surrounding the American narrative that the bombings were necessary to end the war and save American lives. She emphasizes the importance of survivors’ stories for putting nuclear war in historical context, and for understanding the ongoing risk of an intentional or accidental nuclear explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this interview, legendary activist Frances Crowe looks back on 70 years of protesting against the use of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. She describes the impact that the news of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima had on the American public in 1945—and how she and her husband, a radiologist and physician who had educated her on the effects of radiation poisoning, then decided to take a stand against its use. Among other acts of civil disobedience, she went on to spend a month in federal prison after spray-painting “Thou Shalt Not Kill” on the casings of missile tubes at a nuclear submarine base in Rhode Island. This grandmother of five has been arrested nine times for trespassing at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station and was arrested again on January 14, two months shy of her 95th birthday. On the eve of the publication of her book, Finding My Radical Soul, Crowe tells about growing up in the Midwest during an era of Progressive politics, her evolution as a protestor, the limits of civil disobedience, what drove her and her husband—and what continues to drive her today. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Governments and the nuclear power industry have a strong interest in playing down the harmful effects of radiation from atomic weapons and nuclear power plants. Over the years, some scientists have supported the view that low levels of radiation are not harmful, while other scientists have held that all radiation is harmful. The author examines the radiation effects of nuclear bombs dropped on Japan in 1945; nuclear weapons testing; plutonium plant accidents at Windscale in England and Chelyabinsk in the Soviet Union; nuclear power plant emissions during normal operations; and the power plant accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States, Chernobyl in the Soviet Union, and Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. In each case, he finds a pattern of minimizing the damage to humans and attributing evidence of shortened life spans mostly to stress and social dislocation rather than to radiation. While low-level radiation is now generally accepted as harmful, its effects are deemed to be so small that they cannot be distinguished from the much greater effects of stress and social dislocation. Thus, some scientists declare that there is no point in even studying the populations exposed to the radioactive elements released into the atmosphere during the 2011 accident at Fukushima. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the author's personal recollection of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 when she was a ten year old child. Author's parents; Life in the mountains.

Discusses books that owed their original inspiration to the wartime use of the atomic bomb. 'Hiroshima,' by John Hersey; 'Atomic Diplomacy,' by Gar Alperovitz; 'The Oppenheimer Hearings,' by John Major; Renewal of the concerns that prompted the books' writing; Historical unity of the books; Assumptions leading to the bombing of Hiroshima.

Discusses evidence suggesting that U.S. President Harry Truman made a definite decision to use the atomic bomb and intended its use to intimidate the Soviet Union. American leaders' assumption that the bomb would be used against Japan in the early summer of 1945; Changes in the situation in Japan in the weeks before the bombing of Hiroshima; Bomb's political role vis-a-vis the Soviet Union. INSET: 1945: Events leading to Truman's decision..

The article discusses the dilemma faced by scientists if they devote themselves intensively to public affairs, with special focus on how young U.S. scientists reacted in the months following Hiroshima's bombardment. Led by scientists Leo Szilard and Harold Urey, Manhattan Project scientists opposed a War Department bill that placed domestic atomic energy programs in the hands of a part-time commission which could include military representatives. By January 1946 the coalition of Manhattan Project site groups expanded into the Federation of American Scientists, an organization that brings its members' knowledge and experience to bear on national critical decisions.

The article reports on the documentation made on the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. It is reported that about 97 percent of people who were within 500 meters of the epicenters of the bombs died by the end of 1945 in Hiroshima. The number of people in Hiroshima during the bombings is uncertain but there were at least 40,000 troops present. It is estimated that 350,000 people were involved in the incident. In Nagasaki, there were about 280,000 people present when the bomb exploded. It estimated that 74,000 of them died by the end of 1945.

The author talks about his visit to Hiroshima in April 1962, which is 17 years after the dropping of the first atomic bomb. He went there to study the psychological and social effects of the holocaust. He was confronted with the brutal experiences of human beings who sat before him. He felt profoundly shocked and emotionally drained after each interview that he almost abandoned the study. Psychic numbing or partial emotional desensitization allowed him to distance himself to fulfill his role as investigator.

The article reflects on the use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during World War II. The author reflects that it had not been necessary for the United States to drop nuclear bombs at the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the Japanese government was about to surrender. He opines that US continued with the bombing to exhibit to the world its military might and to warn other superpower nations of its capabilities. He suggests that these objectives have failed and instead resulted to the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The article presents a perspective from Gen. Leslie R. Groves concerning the Manhattan project, which refers to the development of the first nuclear weapons during World War II, and his views on nuclear energy development in the U.S. Groves made the choice of targeting Hiroshima and Kyoto but opted for Nagasaki for the strike of an atom bomb. After the release of the two bomb, he was concerned with the continuation of the two program would jeopardize the project's security and secrecy. He believes that he would prefer to be called as a general who carried out to his assignment to end the war rather than a person who delivered the mass casualties.

The article presents an essay regarding the technological perplexity or an appraisal of man as a species bent on self-destruction. It examines the effects of atomic bombing in Hiroshima-shi, Japan on August 6, 1945, where tens of thousands were killed and more thousands were grievously injured. It also tries to uncover the liability of man as he achieved the capacity to destroy himself as species. The the author contends that the peacetime employment of nuclear energy poses some interesting philosophical implications. On the other hand, international regulations are urgently imperative if the periods of truce are to remain unpoisoned.

The article discusses the behavior of civilians under bombardment to their behavior in a future atomic devastation. The author presented the discussion with the use of an atomic attack chronology which consisted of four phases. The author cites a study on beliefs about the implications of the atomic bomb which found that about 60% of the a sample of Chicagoans believed they would be killed in an atomic attack. He also notes that the responses of the relatively unwounded in the period immediately succeeding the explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki ranged from individual disruption and disorganization to cogent, coherent activity. Reactions of the wounded in the period immediately after the disaster are also discussed by the author.

The article presents an analysis of the hazard associated with radioactive fallout. The first Atomic bomb which destroyed the city of Hiroshima struck out at its victims over about 7 square miles. Compared with its predecessor, the TNT, this primitive nuclear weapon resulted in the rapid development of arsenals in the different countries. Indeed, most people have scarcely begun to comprehend the meaning of Hiroshima, let alone an event which dwarfs it in significance. However, it cannot be denied that fallout adds a new dimension to the weapons of war.

The author cites his personal account of the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. The author described the condition of people after the explosion in Hiroshima. He described how he helped those who were injured. The author noted that thousands of wounded could have been rescued if they received proper treatment and care but rescue work had not been envisioned. Many of the wounded also died because they had been weakened by undernourishment and consequently lacked in strength to recover. The ethics of the use of bombs was discussed by the author.

Focuses on the building of a replica of the Little Boy atomic bomb that was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan during World War II by historian John Coster-Mullen in October 2004. Claim of Coster-Mullen that he was able to transport the bomb replica without being apprehended by police officers across the U.S.; Details of the replica's construction; Explanation that the replica is intended to be displayed at the Historic Wendover Airfield Museum in Utah, the training facility for the 509th Composite Group who was responsible for dropping the bombs in Japan.

The article focuses on the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima-shi, Japan and Nagasaki-shi, Japan in August 1945. The Little Boy atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima-shi on August 6, 1945. The uranium-235 projectile for the bomb was delivered on July 26, 1945. The bomb was loaded on its transporting trailer on August 5, 1945. A B-29 bomber was used to drop it. The Fat Man bomb was dropped in Nagasaki-shi on August 9, 1945. It destroyed many factories and buildings. According to official records, almost 44 percent of the city was destroyed by it.

The presents the report of the Natural Science Group on the after-effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in 1945. 78,000 persons are reported to have been killed by the bombings in Hiroshima, according to the United Nations report. Japanese sources, however, have always claimed that there were more claiming there were 260,000 casualties. Total casualties in Nagasaki is reported by the U.N. report to be 27,000. Japanese sources claims that there were about 74,000 being killed. Diseases that proliferated after the bombings are discussed.

The article highlights the annual ceremony celebrated in the Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1970. A record of 48,000 people gathered in the Peace Park, which included different peace movements as well as students. The most memorable time in the ceremony is 8:15 a.m., the time when the bomb exploded over the city. People bow their heads for 60 seconds of silence, and the silence is broken by the tolling of the Peace Bell. The Hiroshima's annual ceremony suggests to the people to continue their lives, despite the dreadful memory.

Discusses various surveys carried out by governments, agencies and joint U.S.-Japanese commissions to determine accurately the number of dead and injured in the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Reasons for conflicting numbers for dead and missing; Importance of the data provided by the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Difficulty in measuring scientifically the many physical, mental, and genetic effects of the first-ever atomic bomb exposure of a general population.

Presents a letter to the editor of the journal 'Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,' about the morality of U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

The author asserts that the explosion of atomic bomb was followed by a firestorm in Hiroshima-shi, Japan. He states that the nature of the fire showed characteristics of firestorm that killed large numbers of people who were in underground shelters. German cities have faced such carbon monoxide death situations during World War II. However, a report presented by U.S. civil defense officials identifies nuclear weapons as the reason behind the Hiroshima fire.

The article reports on the announcement of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct radiation studies, and the official statements made by Dr. Robert H. Holmes regarding the effect of radiation among the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the U.S. With the financial support from the Rockfeller Foundation, NAS will undertake a study about the effects of atomic radiation on living organisms. In addition, the Atomic Energy Commission promises to cooperate on the study. Meanwhile, Holmes informs that no genetic effect from radiation had been found up to the present time among the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and that the observable physical damage found are an increased susceptibility to leukemia and minor eye cataracts.

The article presents a letter from describing the great devastation caused by the atomic bomb which fell in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. The A-bomb left about 6,000 children orphan. Most of them were taken by relatives but due to the worse economic condition of Japan, the relatives could no longer support them, trading the children as servants, waiters or waitresses of cafes or saloons. During this period, the systems and institutions of social welfare were not established yet. The author and other concerned citizens then engaged in supporting the orphanage for the children.

Reveals the views of the late Eugene Rabinowitch on issues related to nuclear warfare. Rumor regarding the Alamogordo Trinity test; Secrecy on the atomic bomb development; Comments on the bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II.

Reports that a plan to have a model airplane reenact the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan in Yorkshire, England was dropped after local protests and a query from the Japanese embassy.

Opinion. Comments on the display of the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum. Portrayal of Americans as defenders of Western imperialism; Ending of World War II following the bombing; Supercedence of political correctness over historical accuracy.

Presents a letter to the editor commenting on Alvin Weinberg's article 'The Sanctification of Hiroshima.'

Presents a letter to the editor commenting on Alvin Weinberg's article about Hiroshima bombing.

Discusses how the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, has strengthened the author's belief that the action was necessary. Resemblance between the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima and the observance of major religious holidays; Sanctification of Hiroshima; View of those who died at Hiroshima as martyrs.

The article presents information about "The Threat of Nuclear War," a set of three booklets related to nuclear warfare. The set has been produced by Adam Suddaby. Each of the 30-page booklets is accompanied by a set of 30 35mm slides. The first set of a booklet and slide describes functions of nuclear weapons and effects of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The second set focuses on nuclear weapons systems and nuclear arms race. The third set describes how a nuclear war could be waged and discusses nuclear disarmament. The booklets provide background information for the slides.

The article discusses the author's experiences during the bombing of Hiroshima. He states that he was trapped under the wreckage of the school building and breathing was becoming harder and harder for him. He and other classmates went to the swimming pool and saw one of his classmates who had died and whose body had been burned and tattered.

The article discusses the surrender of Japan to the U.S. even without an actual invasion of its home islands. The issue remains as to whether the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was decisive in causing Japan to surrender. According to the concluding statement of the pamphlet "Japan's Struggle to End the War," which was prepared by the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, the surrender of Japan without actual intrusion was assured by the effects of blockade and aerial bombing. Such attacks might have been influenced by the strategic concepts of the Navy or the Air Force. The conclusion was based on extensive studies and interrogations with Japanese leaders.