The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has polarised opinion for nearly 70 years. For some it is an unforgivable stain on human history, the moment when the world fell to scientific horror. For others it was a necessary evil to bring an end to the Second World War - a conflict which had brought countries around the globe to their knees. What is without doubt is the world was inextricably changed when the Allies decided to drop nuclear weapons on Japanese cities.
On August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb - known as ‘Little Boy’ - on Hiroshima. It flattened a five mile area with a mushroom cloud rising thousands of feet into the air. Official estimates put the death toll at 140,000 people from the blast and resulting radiation poisoning. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki leaving a further 74,000 people dead. A week passed, and the Japanese surrendered to the Allied forces.
Now an exhibition of the event and its repercussions is on display at Edinburgh’s Central Library. Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bombings has been brought to the city after a partnership between Edinburgh City Libraries and Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA). “A nuclear weapon attack without any shadow of a doubt is the most unimaginable thing that could happen,†said Sean Morris, the secretary of the NFLA. “When you see the relics, the artifacts and some of the terrible destruction that was caused in these cities we start to realise we could never have a war like that. “There would not be much of a world left. By going to Hiroshima, you see the need for a world free of nuclear weapons.â€
The NFLA (Nuclear Free Local Authorities) group lobbies for a ban on nuclear weapons and the restriction of the use of nuclear power as an energy source. Edinburgh and Glasgow are amongst 50 councils across the UK which works with the body. The Hiroshima-Nagasaki exhibition has toured schools and libraries across the UK since 2010, with this stop in Edinburgh the first time it has been in the Scottish capital. The presentation features 48 panels on the background of the bombings, photographs of damage to the cities, the human cost and the ongoing challenges both cities face in the aftermath of the disaster.
It also goes into the political aftermath of the incident, from the Cold War to how nuclear weapons are still a prominent issue today. The mushroom cloud about one hour after detonation at Hiroshima, taken from an altitude of approximately five miles and a distance of approximately 50 miles from the hypocenter... The exhibition at the Central Library was opened last week by Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Donald Wilson and the Japanese Consul General, Masataka Tarahara. Mr Tarahara has been the Japanese Consul to Scotland for the past three years. Originally from Osaka, the 59-year-old believes the exhibition is a timely reminder of the issue of nuclear weapons. He said: “For all Japanese people,and the government, we are the only country who has ever suffered from an atomic bombing in human history. We never want the tragedy to ever happen again. “Every visitor to Hiroshima and Nagasaki is shocked with the photos. “War itself is a tragedy for human kind. Conflict should be resolved by peaceful means and through diplomacy. “We should abolish weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons. The exhibition is very important and timely. It is meaningful to think about nuclear weapons as recently North Korea made a further nuclear test. “The reality is the number of countries who have nuclear weapons has increased and that is regrettable.â€
Mr Wilson added: “The atomic bombings in 1945 devastated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their affects are still being felt today. “It’s vitally important we continue to raise awareness not just the short term destruction but the lasting implications for the people and the planet as a whole. “It is only through a full knowledge of the consequences that we can assure that such a tragic event never happens again.â€
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The Russell-Einstein Manifesto of 1955