Last Enola Gay Flier Recalls Hiroshima

From CNN: "Dutch" Van Kirk, the last surviving crew member of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima reminisces.

Hiroshima Marks The 67th Anniversary Of The World's First Atomic Attack

Japan Marks Hiroshima Bombing Amid Anti-Nuclear Calls -- BBC

Japan is marking the 67th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in an annual ceremony.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event, amid growing anti-nuclear sentiment and protests in the country.

A bell marked the start of a one-minute silence at 08:15 local time (23:15 GMT) when the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the bomb that killed 140,000 people.

Mayor Kazumi Matsui called for a nuclear-free world at the event at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Read more ....

More News On The Hiroshima Anniversary Of The First Atomic Attack

Hiroshima marks 67th anniversary of A-bomb attack -- AJC/AP
Japan marks Hiroshima A-Bomb anniversary with anti-nuclear call -- The Telegraph
Nuclear fears focus attention on 67th Hiroshima anniversary -- Haaretz
Harry Truman's grandson arrives in Japan for Hiroshima visit -- The Telegraph
Grandson of President Truman lays wreath for Hiroshima dead -- The Guardian
Target Nagasaki: the men who dropped the second bomb -- The Telegraph

Japan: President Obama Wanted To Visit Hiroshima To Apologize For The U.S. Atomic Attack On The City During World War Two

Doves are released as a sign of peace during the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6, 2008 in Hiroshima (Photo: Getty)

Japanese Government Nixed Idea of Obama Visiting, Apologizing for, Hiroshima -- ABC News

In September 2009, US Ambassador to Japan John Roos cautioned the Obama administration that the Japanese government did not think it was a good idea for President Obama to visit Hiroshima to apologize for the US having dropped an atomic bomb on that city, a secret cable published by Wikileaks revealed.

Roos wrote the cable after his August meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka, reporting to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the Japanese government felt “the idea of President Obama visiting Hiroshima to apologize for the atomic bombing during World War II is a ‘non-starter.’

Read more ....

My Comment: Interestingly .... this story was actually first revealed by the Japan Times two weeks ago ... but ignored in the U.S. press until now. What is my take .... the Japanese government know that any apology would then have to be followed by them apologizing for their conduct in the Second World War .... a scenario that they are definitely not prepared to do at the present time.

As for what the average Japanese civilian may think .... read this post.

Update: Harry Truman Is Rolling Over In His Grave -- Fitsnews

Why Hiroshima Had To Be Atom Bombed -- A Commentary

"Thank God For The Atom Bomb" [ArthurK] -- Ace Of Spades

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked 66 years ago. 30 years ago Paul Fussell wrote this important essay, 'Thank God for the Atom Bomb'.

21 year old 2nd Lt. Fussell commanded infantry in WWII France. Later, he had to sit around waiting to invade Japan and die. That was the general expectation of the vets of the European theater - they didn't think they'd survive Japan.

Then Aug 6th happened.

Read more ....

My Comment: An alternative viewpoint from the previous post. What is my take .... I am strongly influenced by my father who was serving in the Soviet Army at the time. From his viewpoint the bombing was necessary .... the reason .... he had no stomach to be shipped to the East and be forced to fight in Manchuria against the Japanese .... a conflict that he felt would be just as bloody and grinding as the Eastern front was with the Nazis..

Hat Tip: Bring the heat, Bring the Stupid

Remembering Hiroshima 66 years Ago

Japan Marks 66th Anniversary of Hiroshima Atomic Bombing -- Voice of America

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday attended the 66th anniversary in Hiroshima of the world's first atomic bomb attack, and reaffirmed the need to reduce the country's reliance on nuclear energy.

In his speech during the service to commemorate the 1945 bombing, Mr. Kan said Japan would examine the causes of this year's nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and aim for a society that would not depend on nuclear power generation.

Read more ....

Photographing Hiroshima On August 6, 1945 (From The Ground)

Click Image To Enlarge
Mr. Yamada took the above ground level photo from approximately a little over four miles northeast of Hiroshima a few minutes after detonation.

Hiroshima, 6th August 1945 -- Iconic Photos

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima. Whether you agree with the decision or not, the facts were there: Hiroshima was an important army and navy base. Of about 350,000 people living there on that fateful day, the majority were women and children, since most adult men were fighting at the front.

Nuclear blast and wind destroyed buildings within its 1.5-mile radius. Yoshito Matsushige was barely out of this radius at a little over 1.6-miles from the ground zero. Heading out to the citycentre, Matsushige took the only photographs taken of Hiroshima on that calamitous day. Matsushige himself was not seriously injured by the blast, but the scenes of carnage and dying people prevented him from taking further pictures. (He had 24 possible exposures, in the 10 hours he spent wandering the devastated city, but only seven came out right)

Read more ....

Update: Photographing Hiroshima -- Iconic Photos

My Comment: I am two days late with this post, but the pictures are still very haunting.

This Is How It Feels To Be Under A Nuclear Attack

We're used to see atomic bombs images. From afar, they even look beautiful. But when one explodes near you, that immaculate light will burn your skin and make you bleed spontaneously. 65 years ago today, this is how that felt.

From Gizmodo:

On August 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay took off from the North Field airbase on Tinian, in the West Pacific. At 8:15, 509th Composite Group commander Colonel Paul Tibbets arrived to the destination: Hiroshima. 30 minutes before that, 2nd Lieutenant Morri Jeppson had removed all safety devices from "Little Boy", an atomic bomb loaded with 130 pounds of uranium-235—the first to be exploded over any population in the planet. 32,333 feet below, this is what that population experienced.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have been reading a bit on Hiroshima this evening. I found the above post from Gizmodo .... multiple eyewitness accounts of what the survivors experienced that day.

It is the stuff of nightmares .... a vision of Dante's Hell that no living being should have the experience of witnessing .... and living to tell about it. Read it all.

Is Our Interest In the Hiroshima Anniversary And Our Fear Of Nuclear Weapons Fading? -- A Commentary

Bizarrely, Our Fear Of Nuclear Weapons Has Faded, And Our Interest In The Hiroshima Anniversary Has Dwindled Accordingly -- Daniel Hannan, The Telegraph

While the 70th anniversaries of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain have been reported in intimate detail, the 65th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs is passing largely unremarked.

Agonising about the rights and wrongs of the world’s first atomic attack used to be a handy way of filling the August news pages. This year, though – despite the promising peg of formal representation from the Allied governments at the commemoration – coverage has been sparse.

Read more ....

My Comment: My interest in the Hiroshima bombing anniversary probably started to decline right after 9/11. Why focus on another country's recognition of a terrible event when we have our own to be more concerned about. Continuous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the threat of nuclear terrorism from groups like Al Qaeda and their allies .... yup .... I would have to say that we have more on our plate to be interested in than Hiroshima's anniversary.

As to our fear of nuclear weapons fading .... I will have to say yes and no. The tensions that marked the cold war are no longer there, and our fear of a global nuclear conflict has dissipated with the end of the Soviet Union. Instead .... our fears are now at a lower level .... from nuclear terrorism associated with groups like Al Qaeda to small countries with limited nuclear stockpiles (Pakistan and India) going to war against each other.

So .... should we still be concerned about nuclear war .... yes. Should we be as concerned about nuclear war and weapons as we used to be .... probably not.

Hiroshima 1945 And Hiroshima 2010

(Click Image To Enlarge)
The ruins of Hiroshima, as seen from the air, after the Japanese city was hit with an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The photo was taken a month later, in September 1945. Photo by Life/George Silk

(Click Image To Enlarge)
Hiroshima Today

My Comment: It is amazing how mankind can crawl out of the rubble, and rebuild everything (and more) within a few generations.

For me, the above two photos give me the assurance that even if disaster should befall mankind, the survivors will always rise from the ashes.

Remembering Hiroshima 65 Years Ago

People mourn during the ceremony marking the 65th atomic bomb anniversary in Hiroshima Peace Park, Japan, Aug. 6, 2010. Japan's Hiroshima marked the 65th atomic bomb anniversary on Friday, calling for a world free of nuclear weapons. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

John Roos Is First US Representative To Attend Hiroshima Memorial Ceremony In Japan -- The Guardian

Japan marks 65 years since Hiroshima bombing with US ambassador to Japan John Roos in attendance.

The US ambassador to Japan, John Roos, today became the first US representative to attend an annual ceremony to honour the victims of the bombing of Hiroshima.

Roos's presence at an event to mark 65 years since a US bomb left Hiroshima in ruins has raised hopes that president Barack Obama will visit the city when he attends a meeting of Apec leaders in Japan in November.

Read more ....

More News On The Events At Hiroshima Today

U.S. Attends Hiroshima Ceremony -- New York Times
U.S. attends Hiroshima bombing ceremony for first time -- Reuters
Japan Marks A-Bomb Anniversary -- Voice of America
US attends first Hiroshima atomic bomb anniversary -- BBC
US attends Hiroshima ceremony -- Al Jazeera
Hiroshima marks 65th atomic bomb anniversary, calls for end of nuke weapons -- Xinhuanet
U.S. Move Falls Short for Hiroshima Survivors -- Wall Street Journal
Aging Hiroshima A-bomb survivors want Obama visit -- Washington Post/Reuters
Witness - My Japanese grandparents' silence over the A-bomb -- Reuters
The Timeline: The Atomic Bomb -- The Independent
Hiroshima marks 65th anniversary of atomic bomb attack -- BBC (Pictures)
Still thankful for the bomb -- John Rossi, Philadelphia Inquirer
A Hiroshima Apology? -- Warren Kozak, Wall Street Journal
Taking disarmament seriously -- Gareth Evans, Globe And Mail

Should The U.S. Send A Delegation To The Hiroshima A-Bomb Memorial

James Tibbets, son of Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., seen here, says Friday's visit to Hiroshima by U.S. Ambassador John Roos is an act of contrition that his late father would never have approved. National Archives

Atomic Apology? US To Send First Delegation To Hiroshima A-Bomb Memorial -- Washington Examiner

TOKYO — Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are welcoming a decision by the United States to send its first ever delegation to a ceremony marking the anniversary of the attacks, but are asking for something they aren't likely to get — an apology.

Tokyo has praised the decision to send U.S. Ambassador John Roos to the Hiroshima anniversary on Friday, though some survivors of the attack, which is seen by many in Japan as an unjustified use of excessive force against a civilian population, say they have mixed feelings.

Read more ....

Update: Son of Pilot Who Dropped A-Bomb Opposes Plan to Send U.S. Delegation to Hiroshima Ceremony -- FOX News

Previous Post: President Obama And His Desire To Visit Hiroshima And Nagasaki

My Comment: My nationality is Russian .... so sending a delegation to Hiroshima will be for my parents (and me) the equivalent of Russia sending a delegation to Berlin to apologize for the destruction that Soviet forces inflicted on Germany during the Second Wold War.

James Tibbits is right, this delegation visit is an "unsaid apology" and appears to be an attempt to "rewrite history." But in today's political environment in Washington, apologizing around the world is what this President wants .... and a trip to Hiroshima is just one of these stops.

Unfortunately .... while this gesture from the U.S. will be reported from the U.S. (and Japanese) press as a magnanimous gesture from the U.S. President, the rest of Asia's reaction will be entirely different. From their point of view, the focus should be on the devastation, destruction, and mayhem that Japan did to Asia (and the U.S.) in the 1930s and 1940s. But the Japanese do not want that type of focus .... and the U.S. is unfortunately becoming an enabler of this policy.

(Click Image to Enlarge)
Peace Park, Hiroshima

An American Witness To The Hiroshima Bombing Who Was Not Suppose To Be There

The mushroom cloud rising over Hiroshima, Japan. The city of Hiroshima was the target of the world's first atomic bomb attack at 8:16 a.m. on August 6, 1945. The cloud rose to over 60,000 feet in about ten minutes. About 30 seconds after the explosion, the Enola Gay circled in order to get a better look at what was happening. By that time, although the plane was flying at 30,000 feet, the mushroom cloud had risen above them. The city itself was completely engulfed in a thick black smoke. Source: National Archives

He Really Did Shoot A-Bomb Photos -- News Observer

PITTSBORO -- The dropping of the first atomic bomb was a deliberately exclusive mission assigned to just three U.S. planes: the Enola Gay, which carried the 9,700-pound ordnance the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, and two other B-29s that followed at a safe distance to record the effects of the blast.

Other Allied aircraft were barred from the area of southern Japan, mostly because scientists who built the bomb didn't know exactly what it would do.

But there was one more B-29 in the sky over Hiroshima at the moment "Little Boy" was let loose, and its crew witnessed the event that helped end World War II.

Read more ....

My Comment: A fascinating bit of World War 2 history .... read it all.

And Now There Is Only One

Lt. Jeppson, pictured before his first and only combat mission.
(National Museum Of Nuclear Science And History)

Morris 'Dick' Jeppson Dies At 87; Weapons Specialist Armed The Atomic Bomb Dropped On Hiroshima -- L.A. Times

On Aug. 6, 1945, Jeppson and another man armed the bomb called 'Little Boy' aboard the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay. The bombing is credited with bringing an early end to WWII.

Morris "Dick" Jeppson, a weapons specialist who was mid-flight when he completed arming the first atomic bomb, which the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress dropped on Hiroshima in World War II, has died. He was 87.

Jeppson, a retired scientist and businessman, died March 30 of complications related to old age at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, said his wife, Molly.

Read more ....

My Comment: Navigator Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, 89 is now the only surviving member of the 12-man Enola Gay crew. For more information on him, go here.

President Obama And His Desire To Visit Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Obama Declines To Defend U.S. Bombing Of Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- Newsbusters

Defending the decision of the United States to drop nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII is not a comfortable thing to do when you're in Japan. But if you're President of the United States, you must do it. Diplomatically, yes. With sympathy for the civilian victims, yes. But you must do it.

But when it came time today for Barack Obama to fulfill that fundamental duty, he failed. The very first reporter [from Fuji TV] called on at the joint press conference with PBO and Japanese PM Hatoyama in Tokyo today put the question to Pres. Obama in blunt and explicit terms:

JAPANESE REPORTER: What is your understanding of the historical meaning of the A-bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Do you think it was the right decision?

Obama took a deep breath, paused . . . and punted.

Read more ....

More News on President Obama's Remarks On Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Hiroshima: The dreaded invitation -- Washington Post
Japanese hope Obama will visit A-bomb cities soon -- AP
Obama says he wants to visit Hiroshima in future -- AP
Obama's nuclear tightrope -- Boston.com
How long can Obama hold out before apologizing for Hiroshima and Nagasaki? -- Hot Air

My Comment: I must confess that I am surprised. I had expected him to apologize .... but he did not .... but when you watch the above video it is obvious that he wants to. But if he did ..... the firestorm that would have resulted back home would have neutered his Presidency and his support among many of his Democrat allies .... a situation that he would never risk. Such an apology would have also alienated what he hopes to accomplish with many of Japan's neighbors in the region. They suffered terribly under Japanese occupation, and view the atomic bombings as the moment that they themselves became liberated from Japanese repression and mass murder.

As for myself, I was in Hiroshima in 1988, and I attended the annual "moment of reflection" in the Peace Park on August 6. It is a moving event, and one that no one will ever forget. But while the act of dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was terrible, if I was in President Truman shoes I would have probably done the same thing. The Second World War had been ongoing for years .... the Japanese Generals were determined to fight to the death .... it had to stop .... and everyone in Washington knew that the atomic attacks would stop the carnage.

The order was given. The bombs were dropped on August 6 and August 9. On August 15, 1945 the Japanese finally surrendered, ending what had become the worst conflict in the history of mankind.

On The 75th Anniversary Of The Atomic Bombings, Japan Will Host The Olympics

(Click Image to Enlarge)
Peace Park, Hiroshima

Hiroshima, Nagasaki To Pitch For 2020 Olympics -- Yahoo News/AP

TOKYO – Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the victims of the only atomic bombings in history, are teaming up to try to bring the Olympics to Japan in 2020, the cities' mayors said Sunday.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue told a press conference they will establish a joint committee to work on a proposal based on world peace.

Read more ....

My Comment: When I visited Hiroshima 21 years ago, I said to my friends that I would not be surprised to see in my lifetime the Olympics in Hiroshima. That the opening ceremonies will coincide with the exact moment that the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb .... a ceremony that will paint a picture that no one else in the world can even come close to.

My prediction .... on the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Olympics will be held in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and they will start at the exact moment that the first atomic bomb was dropped. The impact of war and the symbol of international peace all at the same spot and at the same moment in time.

Americans Say A-Bomb Attacks Were Proper - Poll

Hiroshima: Atomic Bomb Dome and modern buildings
Photo from Wikipedia

From Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Sixty-one percent of Americans believe the United States did the right thing by dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 64 years ago, according to a new poll.

Older voters, men and Republicans favored the attacks more than younger people, women and Democrats, the survey of 2,409 registered voters by Quinnipiac University showed.

Asked whether the United States "did the right thing or the wrong thing by dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Republicans said it was the right thing to do by a margin of 74 to 13 percent, while Democrats favored it 49 to 29 percent.

Read more ....

My Comment: I had the good fortune of being in Hiroshima on August 6, 1988 (I was traveling through Japan, visiting China, and going as a spectator to the Seoul Olympics at the time). The atomic bomb ceremony was much smaller then, but the experience of standing there at 8:15 AM and remembering what happened 43 years earlier is a sensation that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Was it a right thing to do .... to use the atomic bomb on Hiroshima to end the war.

All of my Chinese and Korean friends and colleagues in Asia say yes. It ended almost immediately the brutality and viciousness of the Japanese Army against the civilian populations in their respective countries. If the war was to drag on for another year as the Americans were preparing for a conventional invasion of Japan, the Japanese would have easily killed off hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Koreans civilians during the interim. They were already doing it, and there was no reason to assume that they would stop. Therefore .... from the Asian point of view (non-Japanese) .... I have found that there is almost universal support among these peoples for the bombing of Hiroshima.

When I was young I also asked my father this same question .... his comments were most poignant. He was a Soviet officer in occupied East Germany during this time, and when he first heard of the attack he realized two things. (1) The world will never be the same again. (2) Thank God .... this was going to end the Second World War.

The way he said it .... that the war was finally over .... the relief in his voice and eyes .... that clinched it for me.

Thank God these horrible weapons were used. It finally ended a long a bloody war.

Fast forward to today .... we must always be vigilant and assertive in the international arena to make sure that the use of such weapons will never happen again. We have been fortunate that after 64 years nuclear weapons have not been used against human beings .... but this success is no guarantee that the next 64 years will bring the same result.