“HIROSHIMA AN OPEN CITY”

Southland Times, Issue 25747, 10 August 1945, Page 5

“HIROSHIMA AN OPEN CITY”

Japanese Condemn Attack (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, August 8. Hiroshima was an open city, according to Tokyo radio. Authorized Tokyo quarters pronounced that the Hiroshima bombing was a violation of international law which forbids belligerents an unlimited choice and means of destruction. The radio quoted the religious leader, Toyohika Nagawa, who contrasted the bombing with “Japan’s careful and thoughtful air raids on Shanghai and Nanking.” Nagawa said that the United States methods used against Japan exceeded the horrible cruelty and atrocities perpetrated by Genghis Khan. The fact that America adopted such methods showed that she was already morally defeated. “If America’s policy goes back to the spirit of Washington and Lincoln there is sufficient ground to believe that America and Japan will be reconciled to give freedom to China, liberate the Philippines, cut India’s iron chain and give independence to Indonesia,” he said. “I think America

should stop and think.” The radio added that the dead in Hiroshima were too numerous to be counted. Mr Harry Gerwertz, a young Harvard engineer, who was engaged for three years on a seismograph device to test the atomic, bomb, five of which were used to gauge its potentialities, said that the damage caused in the New Mexico test was from five to 10 times greater than anticipated. He added that the bomb used in the test was much smaller than the one droped on Hiroshima. ATOMIC SHELLS AND ROCKETS?

A naval spokesman in Washington pointed out that the bomb will be extremely helpful in cleaning up Japanese garrisons in bypassed islands. “The Navy expects that the atomic bomb principle will be later extended to naval shells and rockets,” he said. “A single shell hit would blast a battleship to fragments and an atomic bomb dropped in the water near a fleet would cause great damage.” The Washington correspondent of The New York Sun says that Mr Truman found the capital more apprehensive than jubilant over the bomb’s terrifying success, the impact of which is almost as devastating upon political thought as upon Hiroshima. For 48 hours the new bomb was virtually the sole topic of conversation, and it was an unusual thing to see a smile among the throngs crowding the streets. The entire city is pervaded by a sense of oppression. Many feel that they would be happier if the 2,000,600,600 dollars experiment had failed or the knowledge gained thrown into a river like an unwanted kitten. REPORTS DENIED

The War Department has issued a statement denying reports that an atomic bombed area would continue for years to react with death dealing radioactivity. The War Department quoted Dr Robert Oppenheimer, the atomic research head, as saying that there is every reason to believe that there is no appreciable radioactivity on the ground at Hiroshima. What littla there was decayed very rapidly. Dr Harold Jacobson has issued this statement: “It should be clearly understood that my connection with the ‘Manhattan project’ was in a minor official capactiy. My published remarks represent my opinions, rather than confidential information. I find as a result of later information that eminent and qualified scientists connected with the project disagree with some of my opinions. lam surprised and pleased to learn that the results of the July experiment in New Mexico indicate that only minor amounts of radioactivity are present after the explosion and that .these quickly disappear. To my knowledge, the manufacture of atomic energy in the United States has been skilfully planned with efficient safety precautions, and there is no danger to the project employees.”