Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi Japan recently observed the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sad celebrations were organized on the occasion. Bells were rung amid heart-rendering songs and hymns. Thousands of Japanese attended the ceremony including the prime minister and the mayors of the two cities in addition to representatives of more than 100 countries including the American ambassador. The mayor of Hiroshima described the atomic bomb as "complete evil" while the prime minister vowed to continue efforts to eliminate such weapons. Many voices were raised in Japan warning against sending Japanese troops to places of conflict abroad because this would contradict the country's pacifist constitution which was written after the Second World War and after the bombing of the two cities by the United States. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on the morning of August 6, 1945. It was carried by a US B-29 which was flying at high altitude. The bomb exploded about 600 meters above ground. In a few seconds, more than 60,000 people were killed and tens of thousands others were injured. Three days later, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki which was 300 km away. More than 75,000 people died in a moment and a similar number of people were injured. This was in addition to the others who were subjected to nuclear radiation and later lost their lives. Many people suffered from the consequences of nuclear radiation for a long time. They lost their hair, developed skin ulcers, fevers and mouth bleeding. They also developed various forms of cancer. They lived with the fear of death and their lives were turned upside down. There was much talk not only in Japan but in the entire world about never again using this destructive weapon which killed thousands of Japanese civilians and devastated two cities. The Americans believed that the use of the atomic bombs was necessary to end the war and that it had saved the lives of thousands of American soldiers and their allies. However, many observers did not agree with them. They saw no need for the bombing of the two cities as Japan was about to surrender as the Soviet Union had entered the war on the side of the Allied Forces. These observers were of the opinion that by dropping the bombs, America wanted to belittle the significance of the Soviet Union as it entered the war. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the major ally of the US, wrote in his memoirs: "Britain's approval in principal of the use of this weapon was issued on July 4. The final decision to use the bombs, however, was left to President Truman." In other parts of his memoirs, Churchill said that Japan had been given a final ultimatum to surrender unconditionally. He said when Japan refused to acquiesce and rejected the ultimatum, the decision was taken to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Churchill wrote: "We have agreed to give the civilians every possible chance. The minute details of the action were made with the aim of reducing the loss of lives as much as possible." Churchill, however, did not mention any justification for the destruction of the two cities with their inhabitants. He wrote: "It is a mistake to assume that it was the atomic bomb that decided the fate of Japan. The ultimate defeat was imminent even before the atomic bombs were dropped. This destiny was imposed by the naval power of the Allies which enabled them to occupy naval bases in the ocean from which to launch the final attacks to force the Japanese army at home to surrender." If this is so, why had Churchill agreed to destroy the two cities completely with their inhabitants? BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes recently asked an American student who was visiting Hiroshima if his visit had changed his impressions about his country's atomic bombing of the city. The student answered: "As an American community, we need to review this era of history. We should ask ourselves how the US thought it was permissible to destroy entire cities with their populations." When I visited Hiroshima about 40 years ago, our tourist guide explained to us what had happened while singing sad songs in Japanese. I could not understand what she was singing but the tone of her voice made many of us in the bus cry. The sad songs created an unhappy ambience. I asked one of the passengers how he felt about what happened to the city. He answered: "I do not what to talk about this matter. All I hope is that what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be repeated anywhere in the world." I told him that I also hoped for the same. Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
