It's well known that nuclear weapons were used against the human beings for the first time in Hiroshima. We think it is Hiroshima's role to present what that was like, so people all over the world will understand that this must never be repeated. Some Japanese argue that dropping nuclear bombs on civilian populations was a crime comparable to the Holocaust. They say what makes the weapons uniquely cruel is the way they continue to kill and disfigure.
The word “Hiroshima” may bring to mind a black-and-white image of a mushroom cloud. It’s easy to forget that it’s an actual city with a million people and a popular baseball team. In 1995, John Biewen visited the city to speak with survivors and to ask: What did the world’s first atomic bombing mean in the place where it happened?
Hearing Hiroshima is a production of Minnesota Public Radio, from American Public Media.
Photo: Selections from the 1995 tapes. Photo by John Biewen.