Hiroshima Film Request

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31377, 24 May 1967, Page 17

Hiroshima Film Request

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) TOKYO, May 23. Japanese scientists who filmed the horrors of the world’s first atomic bombing of Hiroshima 22 years ago decided yesterday to request the United States to return the film. The decision was made at a meeting of scientists of a

memorial fund for Dr. Yoshio Nishida, who directed the production of the film. A report from Washington last week said the Atomic Energy Commission and the State Department had withdrawn previous objections to the film being returned to Japan. While Washington was reported to fear that release of the film might affect United States-Japanese relations, a spokesman at yesterday’s meeting said the Japanese request would be made purely from the, academic viewpoint

of preserving invaluable data —and not for public distribution.

Altogether, 78,150 people are estimated to have been killed in the Hiroshima bombing on August 6, 1945, with at least as many seriously injured. Tokyo University scientists rushed to the scene and began taking the film the next day. The film was confiscated by the United States occupation forces. But later the Japanese were allowed to complete their work under American direction.