Evidence

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima were some of the most tragic days in Japanese history. The bombs affected numerous amounts of people- killing a majority, injuring even more. Many became orphans. Thousands were poisoned and made gravely ill by the bomb's radiation particles. No one could have understood the true horror of what happened, or could have experienced the fear that circulated through every person who saw the American planes, and moments later, the blast of the bomb. The evidence layed here shows what went on during those two fateful days and afterward, and shares the stories of the witnesses and survivors of the cataclysmic bombings.

Recall of the atomic bombs on Japan- survivor's story
The day of the atomic bombs was a day of absolute horror that will not be forgotten by the Japanese. The survivors tell their story of the disastrous event that occured on a seemingly normal sunny day in Japan. The survivors say they want a "Nuclear-free world." These atomic bomb wintnesses tell their stories in hope of opening the eyes of the world so they may see how destructive and horrible nuclear warfare can be, and how deeply it affects the lives of innocents.

Eyewitness account and thoughts of the atomic bomb on Japan
I COULD NOT FORGIVE




by Kiyoko Tanimoto

An eye witness account of the Hiroshima atomic bomb
I lay there buried alive under our house when the bomb hit our city. The bomb started great fires. The fires came nearer and nearer to us as workers tried to reach us. "Hurry!" they cried to one another as the flames came nearer. At last the workers reached us and pulled me and my mother out from under everything, before the flames reached us.


Now later, as I thought of the pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on our city, I cried, "I hate him. I hate him." The people with marked faces from the effects of the bomb made me cry, "I hate him." I saw people suffering a terrible, slow death. Again and again I cried, as I saw these people, "I hate that pilot, I hate him!"
I HATED HIM
Now some time later I was in USA and that pilot appeared in a meeting I attended. As I looked at him, I hated him with a bitter hatred.
But then I listened to what he told us of his experience the day when he dropped the bomb on our city. I heard him say, "When I flew over the city after we dropped the bomb, I cried, 'O God, what have I done'." I realised he found it difficult to speak of that day. He could hardly speak for tears.
As this happened I suddenly realised my hatred of him was wrong. It only made me unhappy also. As I did this, it was as if a heavy load fell off my shoulders. I cried, "God, help me to forgive him. Please God, forgive my wrong feelings towards him. Please give me Your Spirit to control my thoughts."
I also told God, "I am sorry for all my wrong thoughts." I believe Jesus Christ died for my sin. As I did this my life was changed.
I now help people that suffer from hating other people. I seek to help them to love everyone, as I am now able to do.
This survivor account told here reveals more of the feelings the Japanese had about the atomic bomb. The witness shares how he hates the Americans who bombed the cities in Japan and tells of the extensive damage on Japan because of the bomb. The American pilot who dropped the bomb even felt that he has unleashed an abomination on the city.

This piece shows the atomic bomb in a Japanese man's perspective. He reveals his feelings on the dropping of the atomic bomb. He continues to talk about the gruesome horrible effects it had on the people around him. This Japanese man is not the only one thinks the atomic bomb was cruel and terrible. The pilot who dropped the bomb even admits that after dropping the bomb, he realized that he had caused a catastrophic event in Japan, that could not be taken back.

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima
This is a detailed account of the atomic blast and after-effects of the bomb, written by Johannes Siemes, a German priest serving in Hiroshima at the time. As he gets around to the time of the actual dropping of the bomb, he explains every detail about the hell that broke loose when the bomb was dropped on the city. He explains that about 100,000 and more people died after the blast. The mayor and the commander of the city died, as well as the President of the Central Japan District and a prince that was stationed there at the time. He says that the Japanese didn't outburst againts the Americans at all after the bomb. They took the blow, even though so many thousands of people died and their cities were blown to bits.

Harry S. Truman's letter to Richard Russel regarding dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945
This is a letter from President Truman to Richard Russell, where he responds to Russell about his descision to drop the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. It is clear that Truman does feel unconfortable with dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. He claims he has a "humane feeling for the women and children in Japan." However, Truman is fully aware of the consequences at hand for the cities of Japan if he does drop the bomb. He knows, even says, "I certainly regret the necessity of wiping out whole populations because of the 'pigheadedness' of the leaders of a nation...." Truman decides to drop the bomb anyway knowing this fact, and knowing that he is bringing America down to a new low, creating a monster of the U.S. in order to "save as many American lives as possible."

Translation of leaflet dropped on Japanese- warning of second atomic bomb, August 6th, 1945
This is a leaflet written to the Japanese people living in Nagasaki, from the United States. The leaflet states that the people need to evacuate their homes because since their government has not surrendered, the U.S is going to drop the second atomic bomb on their city. It then states the reasons for the U.S. decision to drop the second bomb. The U.S., at this point, knows the full effect of the atomic bomb and what it does to a city and how many people it kills because of the first bomb they dropped on Hiroshima. Now they tell the people of Nagasaki that they are going to drop an atomic bomb on them too, because of their government's descision- something the pedestrians of the city have no control over. The people are basically being told they are being sentenced to a terrible, gruesome death and that their city will be razed to bits, even though the innocent people have nothing to do with the U.S. conflict with the Japanese government.

American navy interview urging Truman not to drop the atomic bomb
This piece exposes the true nature of the descision to drop the atomic bomb. American Navy leaders talk about how the atomic bomb was not a military descision nor did it have any benefit in winning the war. The leaders claim that the Japanese were already about to surrender and that it was highly unecessary to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, destroying thousands of buildings and killing thousands of innocent people. Admiral William D. Leahy, the chief of staff for President Truman even compares our use of the deadly bomb to barbarism used in the Dark Ages. The navy did not wish to use the atomic bomb against Japan or wish to destroy their cities and kill thousands of men, women, and children. However, Truman issued for the atomic bombs to be dropped on each city, and so it was done.