6 August 1945

photo: UPI

I'll admit I'd forgotten that today is the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima; Arthur Silber reminded me. If you like to divide history into eras, then in a very real sense we are living in the era that started 66 years ago today. I note that no US president has visited either Hiroshima or Nagasaki while serving. (Carter visited Hiroshima as an ex-president.)

See also Gar Alperovitz, The Decision to Bomb Hiroshima

Ike: "It Wasn't Necessary to Hit Them With That Awful Thing"

Alperovitz:Though most Americans are unaware of the fact, increasing numbers of historians now recognize the United States did not need to use the atomic bomb to end the war against Japan in 1945. Moreover, this essential judgment was expressed by the vast majority of top American military leaders in all three services in the years after the war ended: Army, Navy and Army Air Force. Nor was this the judgment of "liberals," as is sometimes thought today. In fact, leading conservatives were far more outspoken in challenging the decision as unjustified and immoral than American liberals in the years following World War II.

via Arthur Silber, "Not Suicidally Depressed Yet? Try This!"

Article about Tsutomu Yamuguchi by Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail(UK), "The man who survived TWO nuclear bombs: 'Lucky'Yamaguchi tells how he lived through Hiroshima... and fled home to Nagasaki" 30th March 2009

And, "Fukushima: It's much worse than you think" June 2011(via Jack Crow)