John Hersey’s Hiroshima Introductory & Background Information

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Just over fifty years ago, humans entered the atomic age.

The Atomic Bomb In 1942 the atomic bomb was developed in the USA to combat the threat of Hitler. After the Germans surrendered, research continued in secret. It cost nearly $2 billion and more than 120,000 people were involved. It was named the ‘Manhattan Project.’

Japan & The Atomic Bomb The first Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on the 6th August 1945. It was dropped from the ‘Enola Gay’ and was nicknamed ‘Little Boy.’ On August 9th, a second bomb, nicknamed ‘Fat Man,’was dropped on Nagasaki.

Japan & The Atomic Bomb The strong winds from the blast destroyed all buildings within a 1.5 mile radius and the huge amount of heat emitted burnt everything in its path – including the people of Hiroshima. It is estimated that between 140,000 and 200,000 people have died as a result of the bomb.

In one blinding instant, a thriving, modern city became a man-made hell.

Why was the Atomic Bomb Dropped? It is said…To save American soldiers’ lives and end the war in the Pacific. In a nutshell, options were to invade Japan, wait for the Soviet Union to enter the war, or drop the atomic bomb. The invasion of Japan potentially involved casualty numbers of 500,000 to 1 million Allied soldiers killed/wounded and fierce hand to hand combat. Waiting for the Soviet Union to mobilize and help with the invasion of Japan might take too long with hundreds of thousands of lives being lost in the meantime. Atomic bomb losses were projected by the Manhattan project team and President Harry S. Truman, together with his advisors, made the decision to drop the bomb as the best course of action.

Who Delivered the Atomic Bomb? The Enola Gay, flown by pilot Paul Tibbets, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Map of Hiroshima Blast Radius Distance from Ground Zero Population Killed Injured 0-1.0 km 31,200 86% 10% 1.0-2.5 km 144,800 27% 37% 2.5-5.0 km 80,300 2% 25%

Hiroshima burnt to ashes…

A view from a mountain top…

A primary school near the epicenter…

A child on his way to the hospital…

Japanese soldier walks through ruins of an army base…

A watch that captured the exact time of the blast…

The A Bomb Dome, the former Trade Promotion Hall, is one of the few buildings that still stands today.

Mild Radiation Sickness Signs and symptoms: Nausea and vomiting within 24 to 48 hours Headache Fatigue Weakness

Moderate Radiation Sickness Signs and symptoms: Nausea and vomiting within 12 to 24 hours Fever Hair loss Infections Vomiting blood Bloody stool Poor wound healing Any signs and symptoms associated with a lower absorbed dose Moderate radiation sickness can be fatal to those most sensitive to radiation exposure.

Severe Radiation Sickness Signs and symptoms: Nausea and vomiting less than one hour after exposure to radiation Diarrhea High fever Any signs and symptoms associated with a lower absorbed dose Severe radiation sickness is fatal about half the time.

Very Severe Radiation Sickness Signs and symptoms: Nausea and vomiting less than 30 minutes after exposure to radiation Dizziness Disorientation Low blood pressure Any signs and symptoms associated with a lower absorbed dose Very severe radiation sickness is often fatal.

Long-term Problems Radiation sickness itself wouldn't cause long-term medical problems for those who survive the illness. However, the radiation exposure that caused the immediate radiation sickness would significantly increase a person's risk of developing cancer later in life. Having radiation sickness could also contribute to both short-term and long-term psychological disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

John Hersey’s Hiroshima Hersey tells the story of that terrible day and its aftermath when the atomic bomb was first used in warfare. American journalist who had been born and raised in China to missionary parents Studied at Yale University Wrote for Time Magazine as a writer, editor, and war correspondent Served as a war correspondent from 1937-45 Pulitzer Prize-winning author

On the Author: Between 1945 and 1946, Hersey traveled to Japan to write about the people of Hiroshima and the aftermath of the atomic bomb

On the Publication of Hiroshima: Originally published in the New Yorker magazine in the August 31, 1946 issue (one year after the bombings) Original publication contained only the first four chapters

Hiroshima’s Focus: Six residents of the city who survived the blast Hersey himself said, “I felt I would like to write about what happened not to the buildings but to the human beings.” “On a canvas whose broadbrush scenes were already familiar, Hersey etched several vividly realized foreground figures.”

Miss Toshiko Sasaki

Dr. Masakuzu Fujii

Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura

Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge

Dr. Terufumi Sasaki

Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto

Map of Hiroshima Relative to Hersey’s Survivors

A City Remembers… Hiroshima’s three guiding principles--to forgive but not to forget; Never again (to nuclear war); and Transformation from a military city to a city of peace.

Medical Affects of the Bomb The injuries inflicted by the atomic bomb resulted from the combined effect of blast wind, heat rays (radiant heat) and radiation and surfaced in an extremely complex pattern of symptoms. The death toll within a distance of one kilometer from the hypocenter was 96.7% among people who suffered burns, 96.9% among people who suffered other external injuries, and 94.1% among people who suffered no apparent injuries. This data shows that the deaths occurring immediately after the atomic bombing were due not only to burns and external injuries but also to severe radiation-induced injuries Acute phase of atomic bomb disease Phase I: Early acute phase, acute phase : up to 14 days after the bombing Phase IIa: Mid-acute phase, sub-acute phase : 15 to 35 days after the bombing Phase IIb: Mid-acute phase, sub-chronic phase : 36 to 60 days after the bombing Phase III: Late acute phase, chronic phase : 61 to 120 days after the bombing Late effects: * Early 1946 to the present Malignancies, which are cancer, appeared for decades after the blast. In addition, birth defects caused by exposure to radiation and second and third generation malignancies appeared as well. Mental /Emotional Scars: Ongoing

Hibakusha (explosion-affected people) The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called hibakusha,a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people". The Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Law defines hibakusha as people who fall into one of the following categories: within a few kilometers of the hypocenters of the bombs; within 2 km of the hypocenters within two weeks of the bombings; exposed to radiation from fallout; or not yet born but was carried by pregnant women in any of these categories. As of March 31, 2009, 235,569 hibakusha were recognized by the Japanese government. Hibakusha are entitled to government support. They receive a certain amount of allowance per month. About 1%, certified as suffering from bomb-related diseases, receive a special medical allowance.

Hibakusha and their children were (and still are) victims of severe discrimination due to lack of knowledge about the consequences of radiation sickness, which people believed to be hereditary or even contagious. Studs Terkel's book (famous oral historian) The Good War includes a conversation with two hibakusha. The postscript observes: “There is considerable discrimination in Japan against the hibakusha. It is frequently extended toward their children as well: socially as well as economically.” "Not only hibakusha, but their children, are refused employment," says Mr. Kito. "There are many among them who do not want it known that they are hibakusha." —Studs Terkel (1984), The Good War

Heat Rays Burned the Clothing Pattern Onto the Skin and a Woman's Back Burned by Strong Heat The photograph on the left shows the dark portion of the pattern of the clothing imprinted on the skin by the powerful heat rays. This is also called secondary burns, in which the skin under the clothing received burns through the clothes scorched by the heat rays. The photo above is an example of the type of severe burns people who were very close to the epicenter received on the majority of their body. http://www.gensuikin.org/english/photo.html 38

Keloids Of a Person 1.6 Km Away From the Hypocenter Although the portion covered by the shoulder strap of a bag was left unburned, traces of burns on the patient's back can be seen since the patient had light clothes on at the time of the blast. Heavy keloids started to show on both arms. The cause of keloids is not very clear, but it is thought to be caused by a combination of powerful heat rays and radiation. The keloids change color over time from red to bluish purple. The skin attempts to heal but can’t so fat pads appear throughout the burn and the skin wrinkles and shrinks.

Thermal Rays Leave Human Shadow On Stone Steps / Shadow Of Handrail Left: stone steps of the main entrance of Sumitomo Bank which was only 250 meters from the blast. It is believed that a person sat down on the steps facing the direction of the blast, possibly waiting for the bank to open. By a flash of the heat rays with temperatures well over a 1,000 degrees or possibly 2,000 degrees centigrade, that person was incinerated on the stone steps. Right: shows the shadow made by the heat rays. The unshielded asphalt surface was scorched, whereas the surface shielded by the handrail appears to be a whitish shadow

A Boy Who Received Radiation Burns On His Whole Body This boy had thermal burns on more than one-third of his body, and his chest and the left side of his belly were seriously injured. He managed to leave the hospital after 3 years and 7 months. "At that time I was riding a red bicycle on the streets of Sumiyoshi township (about 2 kilometers from the hypocenter). I was 16 years old, and it was my second year as a telegram messenger. I was blinded by the flash and thrown 3 meters away by the blast that came from my rear left, and my bicycle was twisted and bent. It was strange that I was not bleeding and did not feel any pain until I reached an underground shelter 300 meters away. The moment I reached the shelter, I felt severe pain in my back, which ran through my whole body. I kept on groaning in the shelter, and on the fourth day I was finally rescued and sent to a first-aid station. In the early stages, the only treatment I received was the application of a mixture of ash and oil as a substitute for medicine. I do not know how many times I yelled ‘kill me!’ because of the severe pain and desperate feeling."

Subcutaneous Hemorrhage / Atomic Bomb Cataract Caused By Radiation Medical records for this soldier read: Aug.18 -Hair falling out is noticed; Aug. 19 - Bleeding from gum, and purplish subcutaneous hemorrhage starts to appear as in the photograph; Aug. 30 - Is hospitalized in an Army Hospital, and on the 31st becomes feverish; Sept. 1 - Tonsillitis occurs and with a sore throat he can not eat. Bleeding from gums does not stop, subcutaneous hemorrhage multiplies on face and upper half of body: Sept. 2 – In/out of consciousness and starts to talk in delirium. Sept. 3 - Died at 9:30 p.m. This photograph was taken 2 hours before his death at the request of an American Army surgeon. This soldier's symptoms is a typical description of the acute effects of radiation. 2nd photo shows an eyeball of an A-bomb victim who got an atomic bomb cataract.

A Girl's Epilation Caused By Acute Radiation Effects This girl (11 years old) was on the second floor of a wooden house which was situated 2 kilometers from the hypocenter. Since she was indoors, she did not receive any burns, but about a week later, epilation started. She suffered from loss of appetite, bleeding from the gum, and fever. Epilation is a characteristic external symptom of exposure to radiation. It can occur as early as 5 or 10 days after exposure, but in most instances the hair loss commenced in the second or third week. Fever begins a few days after the start of epilation and rises to about 40 degrees centigrade. Many people died in this condition. Even those who were shielded and did not receive any external wound or burn suffered from symptoms such as epilation, fever, bleeding and bloody excrement if they were within 1 kilometer of the hypocenter. Many of these victims died within 7 days.

Affects of bomb discovered years after the blast Citizens who were able to escape from hell on earth that day evacuated to the suburban areas of Hiroshima City and took refuge at first-aid stations set up in public buildings. However, this provided only momentary relief. They started to die one after another at the first-aid stations, and cremation could not catch up with the rate of death, so many of them had to be buried together. Gravesites were discovered by accident for decades. http://www.gensuikin.org/english/photo.html 44

The Dead…and the Living What is this girl looking for, standing vacantly on the ruins swept by flames for a whole day, where embers are still smoldering? She is probably a student judging from her clothes. Her eyes, gazing into the distance, look vacant and exhausted. At her feet lies a scorched corpse, but she does not even pay attention to it. This person, the corpse who was squashed down and enveloped in flames in an instant, is so terribly scorched that it is impossible to distinguish if it is male or female. This person must have died screaming. Meanwhile is this girl, who was lucky enough to escape death, still in good health after 50-odd years, or does she carry the agony that comes with exposure to residual radioactivity? In this photograph, the contrast of life and death is vividly shown. http://www.gensuikin.org/english/photo.html "Buildings were almost all burnt down. All the area was reduced to ashes due to the fierce heat, and the casualties are as large in number as ever recorded." 45