Nagasaki Journey

"On August 9, just after lunch, we heard the news that another New Style Bomb had hit Nagasaki. I was dispatched immediately to the scene to take photographs." -Yosuke Yamahata

During the month of January 1998 an impressive collection of photographs from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki have been displayed at Washington State University Tri-cities Branch Campus (WSUTC) in Richland, Washington, USA.

Yosuke Yamahata; ,"Woman Breast Feeding a Baby", silver gelatin print, 30" x 24" 1945

In addition to the photographs of the bombing, the exhibit also contains a timeline of events leading to the bombing and a video documenting the experiences of some of the survivors of the bombing and of a United States Marine who was a part of the occupying forces. On January 22, Mr. Christopher Beaver, who is the curator of the exhibit, gave a presentation at WSUTC. It was an incredibly moving experience as he was able to elaborate on the photographs in much detail. This remarkable experience was heightened when one of the members of the audience revealed that he had been a member of the United States Marine Force that occupied Nagasaki in September 1945. The experience moved him so much that he returned to Japan for 16 years to serve as a missionary.

The exhibit was particularly touching to the Tri-cities community because the plutonium used in the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was produced at the Hanford Reservation, which is located just North of Richland. Hanford has dominated the economy and growth of the Tri-cities for the last 50 years. Hanford was a part of the Manhattan Project, which is the project in which atomic weapons were developed during the Second World War. The region was attractive for the program because it was (and, to a degree, still is) relatively isolated and near a large supply of fresh water, this being the Columbia River. The construction of the reactors required the evacuation and permanent removal of two towns (Hanford and White Bluff), displacing about 1,500 people. Prior to the project, the area had some of the richest farmland in the United States. Hanford remained in operation until the early 1990's. It is now in the state of decommission. However, extensive environmental cleanup is required.

The exhibit touched our community. For each person, the experience was most personal. However, I believe that one emotion was common to all, this being that we must do everything and anything to prevent the use of atomic weapons on people, regardless of the cost.

By Dr. Victor F. Medina, Professor, WSUTC
vmedina@tricity.wsu.edu

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