I've taken lately to sitting out on the patio as the sun sets, still ~ 85 degrees, comfortable with no humidity, wearing only my shorts. Overhead today, a con-trail from a big jet proceeded northwestward, colored orange by the sinking sun, the silvery fuselage just visible with sun glinting off of it, probably at an altitude of about 30,000 feet. The big B-29s of WW-II were nearly as big as the Boeing 737 airliners of today. So, in the morning one horrible day in Japan, a great many folks were out and about, going off to school, work at producing for the war effort, all the reasons beckoning them outdoors at that time, I think about 8:00 AM. Many no doubt saw, and heard the thundering monster engines high above, looked, and apparently accustomed by then of seeing great numbers of our giant planes, "wrote it off" as a probable reconnaissance flight, harmless to them. After all, had Hiroshima been unusually spared by the terrible fire-bombings of other cities? No one could see, as under one minute earlier, a big bomb dropped loose from that plane, as it turned as sharply as possible to escape the expected blast. Before that minute expired, at a height of about 1900 feet above the ground, what may have been a first glimpse of Hell obliterated nearly the entire city........ I tried to imagine, to picture the thoughts of those who witnessed and survived (?) this event. Many tens of thousands did not. I cannot imagine it. Never witnessed real "War", only in the movies. The fighting men knew..... "going home" was on every one of their minds every single day........ General Douglas MacArthur and Japanese Emperor Hirohito during surrender ceremonies. This picture has always amazed me. Few Americans, I think, are aware that as a young man, Emperor Hirohito traveled rather widely across Europe as well as the United States, which it is thought he crossed by rail. He was quoted as telling his military leaders well before Pearl Harbor, "You cannot win a war with the United States", a fact he developed by seeing the endless might inherent in our country. "Following the surrender, for the rest of his life, Hirohito was an active figure in Japanese life and performed many of the duties commonly associated with a constitutional head of state. He and his family maintained a strong public presence, often holding public walkabouts and making public appearances on special events and ceremonies. For example, in 1947, the Emperor made a public visit to Hiroshima and held a speech in front of a massive crowd encouraging the city's citizens. He also played an important role in rebuilding Japan's diplomatic image, traveling abroad to meet with many foreign leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II (1971) and President Gerald Ford (1975). He was not only the first reigning emperor to travel beyond Japan, but also the first to meet a President of the United States.[86] His status and image became strongly positive in the United States." What would it be like to witness an obliteration like Hiroshima? Claude Eatherly piloted a reconnaissance B-29, Straight Flush, ahead of the Enola Gay carrying the atomic bomb, and was 300 miles away when the bombing occurred. He attempted suicide later in life, failed, and led a miserable final number of years. Frank
I guess after seeing that mushroom cloud, even from 300 miles away and then dwelt on the aftermath, one's life would be rather miserable. Especially since it was plastered all over the news for years to come just what the survivors looked like and what happened to one standing under the center of the blast. Not a pretty picture at all. It isn't easy to even look at the pictures of the bombed out cities of Europe from WWII. I was in Germany in 1955 and saw Cologne which was a flattened rubble. My first thought: I wonder how many bodies are still under all this? Needless to say, I left rapidly and put it out of my mind as best I could. War is a terrible event for everyone concerned. Still the violence prevails.