Hiroshima, Nagasaki must never happen again

IT WAS upsetting and disheartening that although I tried I couldn’t find one article in The Star about the “black anniversary” on August 6.

What a shame that after 73 years the world has forgotten already those innocent victims on August 6 1945, and that the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and wiped it from the map.

Thirteen square kilometres of ground turned into an inferno that burned 80 000 civilians in milliseconds. Until December of the same year another 70 000 died from burns and radiation sickness.

Then the mighty US three days later – on August 9 – hit another civilian target in Japan, called Nagasaki with another 70 000 innocent people atomised.

Since then tens of thousand of people have died a slow death, from the radiation effects.

It was estimated that up to 1950 almost 300 000 had died.

These figures don’t even include the people who are still suffering and dying from the after-effects of the explosions.

This demonstration of crude criminal power was shown when Japan was on its knees and they were discussions for its surrender as it has come to light by researchers Mark Selden of Cornell in New York and his team and even Admiral William D Leahy, chief of staff of presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and the de facto Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

In his memoirs he wrote that “the two A-bombs didn’t give much help to the war effort as Japan had been defeated already and was ready to surrender”.

Later in 1963, President Dwight Eisenhower expressed the same views during an interview with Newsweek magazine.

It was a calculated move to show the Soviets that the US had a new super weapon.

We must never forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Not only looking to our past but looking forward to our future that this must never happen again, especially with the proliferation of nuclear weapons and a possible Armageddon at a press of a button. Bryanston, Sandton

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