ACPP Action Resource For the Commemoration of The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

ACPP ACTION RESOURCE FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF THE ATOMIC BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI
6 & 9 August 1945
Effects of the Nuclear Bombs

The History of Nagasaki City on the 65th Anniversary of Municipal Incorporation, Volume 2, published in 1959, describes the destruction caused by the bomb in the following way:

The area within one kilometer of the hypocenter: Almost all humans and animals died instantly as a result of the explosive force and heat generated by the explosion. Wooden structures, houses and other buildings were pulverized. In the hypocenter area the debris was immediately reduced to ashes, while in other areas raging fires broke out almost simultaneously... Plants and trees of all sizes were snapped off at the stems and left to burn facing away from the hypocenter. The area within two kilometers: Some humans and animals died instantly and a majority suffered injuries of varying severity as a result of the explosive force and heat generated by the explosion. About 80% of wooden structures, houses and other buildings were destroyed, and the fires spreading from other areas burned most of the debris. Concrete and iron poles remained intact. Plants were partially burned and killed. The area between three and four kilometers: Some humans and animals suffered injuries of varying severity as a result of debris scattered by the blast, and others suffered burns as a result of radiant heat. Things black in color tended to catch fire. Most houses and other buildings were partially destroyed, and some buildings and wooden poles burned. The remaining wooden telephone poles were scorched on the side facing the hypocenter. The area between four and eight kilometers: Some humans and animals suffered injuries of varying severity as a result of debris scattered by the blast, and houses were partially destroyed or damaged. The area within 15 kilometers: The impact of the blast was felt clearly, and windows, doors and paper screens were broken... 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. These data show 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. The late medical effects of atomic bomb exposure include "keloid" scars, atomic bomb cataracts, leukemia and other cancers and microcephaly (small head syndrome) due to intrauterine exposure. Although aware that the atomic bomb had the power to instantly kill or injure all people within a radius of four kilometers, the authorities were unable to determine the death toll and number of injuries in Nagasaki. Still today there is no accurate data on the number of people who died. A variety of factors contributed to this lack of information, such as the paralysis of administrative functions in the aftermath of the bombing and the inability of the postwar government to initiate a proper investigation. Another obstacle was the enduring nature of disorders related to atomic bomb exposure. A progressive increase can be expected, therefore, at whatever point in time calculations are made. There are countless cases of people who suffered injuries on August 9 and died after fleeing to areas outside Nagasaki city and prefecture, only to be registered as dying of causes other than the atomic bombing. Because of the lack of knowledge about radioactive contamination, meanwhile, many radiation deaths were attributed to diseases. The Nagasaki municipal government officially adopted the figure of "more than 70,000" deaths on the basis of information from population surveys and the estimate made by the Nagasaki City Atomic Bomb Records Preservation Committee in July 1950."

For more information about the effects of the bombings, you can visit the museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on line. Photo archives available on the internet are also a good way to see very concretely the actual effects of the atomic bombs.

Museums

The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have both established museums dedicated to the atomic bombings. Very detailed information about the effects of the bombings can be found at the websites of these museums.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is organized around three themes: the reality of the atomic bomb disasters; the current status of nuclear weapons; and the will to create peace. The web site is extensive and informative, with many photographic and other illustrations. There is also a 'virtual museum' (use the link from the home page or go directly to http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/index.html) which takes the visitor through a detailed guided tour of the actual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
As the survivors of the bombing are growing older and some of the visible effects of the bombing have begun to fade, the city of Nagasaki established a museum to pass on to future generations the history and the experience of the bombing. At the website you can see a record of the atomic bombing in photographs and accompanying text, and an overview of the facilities and exhibits of the museum.

Photo Archives on the Internet

Because photography was already advanced in 1945, we are able to view photographs taken shortly after the blasts that starkly record the destruction caused by the atomic bombs. With the development of the Internet, we can now have easy access to these photos along with more recent images of people and things that were affected by the atomic bombs. Here we introduce some of the photographic archives that you can access on the Internet. The web sites of the atomic bomb museums of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (see Museums above) also contain rich visual material.

'Hiroshima' Photographs by Hiromi Tsuchida
This online exhibition displays photographs from the 'Hiroshima' portfolio of Hiromi Tsuchida. There are three sections: monuments; people who survived the blast; and articles that were present at the time of the atomic blast.

'Nagasaki Journey' Photographs by Yosuke Yamahata
On 9 August the Japanese military learned that Nagasaki had been hit by a 'New Style Bomb' like the one that had been dropped on Hiroshima three days previously. Photographer Yosuke Yamahata was dispatched to the scene to take photographs.

At http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/journey/journey1.html you can read Yamahata's description of his journey and view the photographs that he took.

Writing seven years after the bombing he said:

"Human memory has a tendency to slip, and critical judgment to fade, with the years and with changes in life-style and circumstance. But the camera, just as it seized the grim realities of that time, brings the stark facts of seven years ago before our eyes without the need for the slightest embellishment. Today, with the remarkable recovery made by both Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it may be difficult to recall the past, but these photographs will continue to provide us with an unwavering testimony to the realities of that time."

Trees That Lived Through the Bombing
When Nagasaki was bombed, trees all the way to the tops of the surrounding hillsides were incinerated. It was believed that nothing would grow again for one hundred years, but soon some of the trees that were thought to have been killed began to push out new shoots. The new growth was a great sign of hope to the people.