By Cliff Potts, WPS News

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear weapon on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, it dropped a second on Nagasaki. Eighty years later, the facts are still hard to swallow—and they should be.

The bombs, nicknamed Little Boy and Fat Man, didn’t just destroy cities. They introduced an entirely new kind of death: one that radiates, one that lingers, one that reshapes the meaning of war and civilian life alike.

WHO / WHAT / WHERE / WHEN / HOW / WHY

  • WHO: Civilians. Nearly all of them. Hiroshima: population ~350,000. Nagasaki: ~240,000.
  • WHAT: The world’s first—and so far only—use of atomic bombs in war.
  • WHERE: Hiroshima (Aug 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9), Japan.
  • WHEN: 1945. Final weeks of WWII.
  • HOW: Dropped by U.S. B-29 bombers. Little Boy (uranium-based) detonated 580 meters above Hiroshima. Fat Man (plutonium) exploded over Nagasaki three days later (Walker, 2005).
  • WHY: The U.S. claimed it would “end the war” and “save lives”—millions, allegedly. But declassified records show the bomb was also a message to Stalin: we’ve got the future, and we’re not afraid to use it (Alperovitz, 1995).

DEATH TOLL & AFTERMATH

  • Immediate deaths: Hiroshima: ~70,000–80,000. Nagasaki: ~40,000.
  • By end of 1945: Over 200,000 dead from both cities combined (National WWII Museum, n.d.).
  • Later deaths: Radiation exposure led to cancer, leukemia, birth defects, and chronic illnesses for decades (Lifton, 1967).

Sources confirm that most of the dead were women, children, and elderly. Many died instantly. Many burned to death. Others walked for hours with their skin hanging off. Some lived long enough to describe it. Most did not.

THE HIBAKUSHA: SURVIVORS, STIGMATIZED

The survivors—Hibakusha—lived with trauma, illness, and social rejection. Many were feared as contagious. Employers wouldn’t hire them. Marriages were refused. They became living symbols of a nation’s shame and a superpower’s silence (Minear, 1990).

“TOTAL WAR” — THE JUSTIFICATION

President Truman said it was necessary. Military leaders claimed it avoided a land invasion that would kill more. But documents reveal Japan was already near surrender—especially after the Soviets entered the war on August 8 (Hasegawa, 2005).

This wasn’t about ending the war. It was about ending it on American terms, with America standing alone as the new atomic empire.

Total war, they called it. Total destruction is what it was.

WITNESS TESTIMONY

Yoshito Matsushige, a photojournalist in Hiroshima, took only five photos that day. His hands shook too violently to continue (National Archives, n.d.).

“There were people with skin melted, dragging like rags. There were children crying beside dead mothers.”

Dr. Michihiko Hachiya, Hiroshima Red Cross:

“Patients would seem to recover… then suddenly die. Purple spots. Hair falling out. Mouths bleeding. We had no idea what was killing them” (Hachiya, 1955).

80 YEARS LATER: WHY THIS STILL MATTERS

Because the same kind of thinking that justified Hiroshima is still alive.

The idea that civilian lives are expendable. That overwhelming force is a shortcut to peace. That superpowers have the right to decide who lives and who dies—just to “send a message.”

We’re told it was necessary. We’re told it was just. But here’s the truth:

Two cities were erased. Not to end a war. To begin a new world order.

WPS CALL TO MEMORY

This isn’t ancient history. It’s a modern warning.

These sources are public. They’re accessible. And if you’re reading this and think it sounds like propaganda—it’s because you’ve never seen the original testimony. We urge you to read them for yourself. Don’t take our word for it. Let the witnesses speak.

References

(APA Style)

  • Alperovitz, G. (1995). The decision to use the atomic bomb. Vintage Books.
  • Hachiya, M. (1955). Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician. University of North Carolina Press.
  • Hasegawa, T. (2005). Racing the enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the surrender of Japan. Harvard University Press.
  • Lifton, R. J. (1967). Death in life: Survivors of Hiroshima. Random House.
  • Minear, R. H. (1990). Hiroshima: Three Witnesses. Princeton University Press.
  • National Archives. (n.d.). Photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov
  • National WWII Museum. (n.d.). The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Retrieved from https://www.nationalww2museum.org
  • Walker, J. S. (2005). Prompt and utter destruction: Truman and the use of atomic bombs against Japan. University of North Carolina Press.
  • Photo by Andrea Orfino on Pexels.com

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