This month marks the 66th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon during wartime. But have we in this country ever understood the full consequences of its use?
After the United States detonated the atomic bomb “Little Boy” over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, American photographers surveyed the unimaginable destruction the blast had wrought. Their photos of the desolated cityscape remained classified for decades, but with this year’s exhibit at the International Center of Photography in New York City, they are now accessible to the general public for the first time. The images in the slides that follow provide an unfiltered look into nuclear warfare’s destructive power.
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
For more on what transpired in the days leading up to the bombing, read Greg Mitchell’s Countdown to Hiroshima posts. Mitchell’s latest book, Atomic Cover-up, describes how America’s "nuclear entrapment" continues to this day.
For more on the exhibit Hiroshima: Ground Zero 1945, on view through August 28, visit the International Center of Photography’s website.
Credit: International Center of Photography / United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Physical Damage Division
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