The Untold Truth　American Victims of the Atomic Bomb
17:0017:54 Friday, August 6, 2004

[Synopsis]
On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb displayed the threat of nuclear power to the world. Despite Hiroshima’s ongoing appeal for “No More Hiroshima”, war and conflict continue to be repeated in various parts of the world, the nuclear nonproliferation system is in danger of collapse, and nuclear fears envelope our present. With one single nuclear weapon, 140,000 people were robbed of their lives. Among those were at least a dozen American prisoners of war.

We can see from materials disclosed after the war that, although the United States had information that there might be American POWs in Hiroshima, they ignored it. Allied soldiers were sacrificed for the atomic bomb. And war made them do it… Regarding the reason US authorities avoided publishing these facts, it is possible that they were afraid of increased criticism toward atomic bombings that the majority of the Americans had supported, and that would have a significant impact on the nuclear strategy after the Second World War.

This program interviews the families of American POWs who died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; Thomas Cartwright, former captain of the B24 bomber Lonesome Lady, who lost his men in the atomic bombing; citizens of Hiroshima who witnessed the tragedy of US POWs just after the atomic bombing; and a former military police officer who investigated the captives at the Chugoku Military Police unit, in an attempt to highlight the lives of the American soldiers who were victimized by the bomb and bring attention to the tragedy of war and preciousness of peace.

[Director Noriko Wakaki]
When US President Obama visited Hiroshima on May 27, 2016, I covered the story. The first thing that crossed my mind was interviewing the bereaved families of the “American soldiers who died in the atomic bombing” for this program. I will never forget the time a family member responded to my interview, saying with great difficulty that, “the government only said he died in Hiroshima”. Those people who allowed me to interview them have since passed away. I can’t help but wonder how they would have felt if they had listened to Mr. Obama’s speech.
I would very much like people from around the world to watch this program and think again, about the meaning of war.

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