HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI-REVISTED

Victor Bloom MD

I just saw the movie, "Hiroshima" on cable, which was produced in 1995, probably to commemorate the 50 years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which effectively ended World War II, the worst war in human memory. The credits showed that it was a cooperative effort of Canadian and Japanese movie producers and historians, an effort which added depth and detail to the history of what happened. Rare film footage was available, as well as interviews of surviving participants.

It was probably shown now as early August is the time the B-29 bomber, "Enola Gay" made its secret and solo flight from Tinian in the Pacific to the mainland of Japan. Back in 1945, I was 14, and the news of an atomic bomb was absolutely stunning to this junior high school science student. The bomb was of an entirely new type, in which the release of energy was on a subatomic level, similar to the process going on in our sun. It was said to have had the force of 20,000 tons of TNT. It leveled the sleepy town of Hiroshima and killed over 100,000 people, men, women and children. It was a horrible conflagration, but not unlike the firebombing of Dresden, which was the Allies' answer to the London blitz. It seemed there had to be some revenge for the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the rape of Nanjing.

As we know, the destruction of Hiroshima did not spell the end of the war, as the Japanese warlords girded themselves for a fight to the finish, according to Samurai legend--- bravery, honor and saving face. They distributed bamboo spears to all the children, telling them they should fight the tanks and planes. There was a rumor that those Hiroshima citizens who were wearing white were spared, and so white uniforms and cloaks were immediately distributed. They seemed to be prepared to face the utter destruction of their country and fight any invasion force to the last man, woman and child. Such fanaticism is foreign to our contemporary culture, but history demonstrates the fact that in some cultures, at some times, such was the reality.

According to the film, the Japanese leaders were not prepared to accept "unconditional surrender," the allied requirement. Such a surrender was too humiliating, and they didn't believe we had any more nuclear weapons. They simply refused to give up the fight. This news was brought to Harry Truman, who was on board a Navy battleship in the Atlantic. At that time he received a report that the Japanese had sunk a major American submarine. That fact seemed to clinch Truman's resolve and he gave orders for the second atomic bomb. He was interested in saving American lives. The clouds were overcast and it seemed that the flying fortress could find no hole in the clouds over intended Japanese targets. Almost at the point of having to turn back, a clearing occurred, just over Nagasaki. That fluke in the weather was the lucky chance that the second atomic mission would not be aborted. Nagasaki was duly incinerated.

In the film it was shown that the warlords were in the Imperial palace near the emperor. The aids of the emperor told him what had happened and he decided that Japan had to surrender. He would not agree to its utter and complete destruction. When the warlords heard of the emperor's decision, they wanted to perform a palace coup, contending that the emperor was not in his right mind. They turned to the leader of the warlords, the most honored general, who said the emperor must be obeyed. The dilemma for the warlords, samurai warriars, was between the training and oath of honor and battle, versus respect and submission to the emperor, who was in their culture, not a man, but a deity.

They were unsuccessful in performing the coup, as the emperor was locked in his chambers and preparing a tape recording for broadcast, commanding the people to surrender. Fortunately, the radio broadcast came out and the Japanese people, who were really not involved, humbly obeyed. The general committed hara kiri. General MacArthur became the Supreme Commander, and the people were given food, medicine and democracy. They were shocked at the generosity of their conquerers, as they were told there would be atrocities. In truth, America liberated Japan, and the rest is history.

My good friend, John Corbett, was a young Navy ensign who was part of the occupying force and he was impressed with the politeness of the Japanese people. They bowed to him. On a train to visit a new Japanese friend, John found himself in uniform when a whole company of Japanese soldiers who were being repatriated boarded the car. Not knowing what to expect, he was fearful for a moment, but when they saw his uniform, they cleared a path for him and bowed very low.

It is easy for some to look back and question the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but under the circumstances, it still seems evident that what happened was absolutely necessary, and the saving of lives far exceeded the sacrifice of the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Governments will think twice before attacking the United States, and national leaders will think twice about ever using atomic weapons again.

Dr Bloom is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and on the editorial board of the Wayne County Medical Society. He welcomes comments at his email address--- vbloom@comcast.net.