Basic HTML Version
equipment. But Kokura tbat morning was obscured
by smoke and haze.
Since his orders were to make a visual drop,
Major Sweeney made three bombing runs, looking
for a break in the murk. But Kokura remained
hidden, and thus was spared the agony of becoming
the world's second city to suffer atomic attack.
With fuel now critically low, the bomber headed
for the secondary target- Nagasaki.
lt
was ironic
that Nagasaki should have been selected as an
alternate. Jt was a historie seaport, and during the
years of Japan's self-imposed isolation in the 17th
and 18th centuries, it was the only gateway through
which Western technology was able to be introduced
Left to rigbt: Peace Founta in commemora tes
suffering of Nagasaki's atomic bomb victims.
Nagasaki today: The bomb exploded directly
over the point where lines intersect. Devastation
after the August 1945 explosion. The message:
Later investigation showed that this second bomb
was potentially even more destructive than the
uranium bomb that pulverized Hi roshima. Only the
hilly topography of Nagasaki and the fact that the
bomb was dropped away from the center saved the
city from greater destruction.
Japan now knew that America bad indeed produced
the doomsday weapon. To make matters worse, the
Soviet Union, once the fighting in Europe was over,
brought its forces east and declared war on Japan.
Although sorne in the Japanese War Cabinet
wanted to fight on, realists realized that their
position was hopeless. Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
summed it up: " Our total effort is not enough. We
have reached the end of our resources, both physical
and spiritual.
It
is out of the question to continue."
Five days later, J apan accepted the Allied terms of
surrender and the war was over.
The scientists who investigated the ruins thought
that it might be as much as 75 years before people
could live safely again in Nagasaki. But today, just
40 years later, Nagasaki is a thriving city of 450,000
and once again a busy port and industrial center.
T he area that was directly under the atomic blast
has been established as a peace park. At precisely
11:02 every morning soft chimes ring out, but you
have to be close to hear tbem. They are nearly
drowned out by the roar of tbe noise of the
city.
Just up the hill from the Peace Park is a
museum with relics of the blast and
photograpbs of the destruction.
lt
is an
impressive, if predictable display: shadows
etched into wood and tiles, photographs of
horribly burned human beings, congealed
bottles, balf melted coins, and clocks and
watches stopped at the moment of
detonation. But then, there really is not
mucb left to sbow after a nuclear attack.
Particularly ironic are the remnants of
,..
~
, - - _
the Roman Catholic cathedral.
lt
had been
~'l\~;i.-
•
~
... •
the largest and most ornate Christian
Man must never do this again.
tÓ Japan. Nagasaki bad also
·~~
.J-
..A
building in Japan. I t was close to the center
become Japan's chief center of
~
.
~ ~
•
~ ·-t~~
·
of the explosion, and was almost totally
Christianity. In 1945 its
-
· - • '
.·~
destroyed. When the roof collapsed, it
population numbered 200,000. Until this morning it
buried 10 Japanese Cbristians and a priest who bad
had escaped major bombing, in spite of the
been hear ing their confessions.
important harbor and shipbuilding industry.
However, tbere is a notable lack of self-pity in
Bock's Car arrived in the skies over the city just
Nagasaki. The message that comes across is not,
before 11 o'clock. Like Kokura, Nagasaki was
"Look what they d id to us," but rather , "Look what
overcast that day. With fue! running Jow, Major
we, the human race, can do to ourselves.
We must
Sweeney knew that be had time for only one
never do this to anyone, anywhere ever again. "
bombing run. The instructions had been to drop the
After the war the Japanese, like the Germans,
bomb over the city center, but this target remained
carne surging back. Within a decade they were once
totally obscured. Then at the last minute a hole in
again an economic power. lt is hard to believe that
the clouds opened up about
llf2
miles to the
this highly developed, energetic, friendly and
northwest, over the heavily industrialized Urakami
immensely powerful nation that floods the world
Val ley. The bomb was released and Bock's Car
with electronic marvels was laíd waste and its
headed for borne.
industry smashed just a generation and a half ago.
Seconds later, a large part of Nagasaki ceased to
Thís comeback is a testimony to the resilience and
exist. Eighty thousand people were killed or badly
resolution of the Japanese people. Since the war ,
injured, and 47 percent of the city was destroyed.
they have played a significant role in developing the
July
1
August 1985
29