The first atom bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on 6th, August, 1945 and a while later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki by the American forces. None could get any definite information about the condition of the two destroyed towns even after three weeks. The American wireless had broadcast the preparations for the use of the bomb and it had said that no life would exist in the place for about seventy years. The wireless had not given any other details of the nature of the destructions to be caused. The Americans who were asked about it did not like to talk about it, as they felt guilty about the terrible inhuman act. The account of Hiroshima collected by an American journalist was suppressed as it is often done in war time. The information collected by military planes was in the hands of the military and the scientists, not to be divulged to the public. The Japanese also maintained silence. The Newspapers of Tokyo described the effects of atom bombs in general but they did not say anything about the details of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So no definite accounts of the terrible effects of atom bombs were available except the rumors.
The people rumored that many people had fled from Hiroshima. When the bomb exploded, there was a blinding bright light, which spread. There was a very strong wind with that terrible light and a terrible heat. About 2, 00,000 people were dead and many wounded. Many survivors were dying with strange symptoms. On September, 1st, 1945, Gaimucho showed some photographs of devastated Hiroshima. The destroyed city looked like a desert of broken earth, reminded one of the destruction of Pompeii by volcanic eruption. Then a telegram sent by Bilfinger reached the Red-Cross of Torizaka on 2nd, September. It gave some more details. The telegram said that the situation was horrible and ninety percent of the town was destroyed including all the hospitals. People were dying and some who were recovering suddenly relapsed. There was an acute shortage of medical materials.
Marcel Junod showed the telegrams and photographs to the officers of General Mac Arthur’s office-General Fitch, Colonel Marcus, Colonel Webster, and Colonel Sams. They looked at them but said nothing about them. Colonel Sams later on showed them to Mac Arthur. Then a few days later, Marcel Junod was informed that General Mac Arthur was willing to give fifteen tons of medical materials to be distributed under the control of the Red Cross. Marcel Junod and his team started or Hiroshima by a plane along with an inquiry commission. On the way Miss Ito and a Japanese journalist gave Junod a lot of information about Hiroshima. Miss Ito said that the word ‘Hiroshima’ means a broad island. Hiroshima was on the delta of the river Ota in the midst of the seven arms of the river. It had a harbour, factories, an arsenal, oil refineries and ware houses. It had a population of 250,000 and a garrison of 150,000 soldiers.
The Japanese journalist gave some more information. The town was not much damaged during the war. There were only two minor raids on it on 19th March and 30th April. On 6th August, the sky was clear. At nine minutes past seven in the morning, an air raid warning was given. Four American B-29 bombers came and went away and at 7:31 all clear siren sound was given and people came out to do their usual works. Then the bright white-pink light appeared in the sky. There was an unnatural tremor followed by a wave of suffocating heat and wind. The heat wave and the wind destroyed everything on their way.
Within a few seconds, thousands of people were burnt to death. Thousands writhed in pain. All the things on the way of the heat-wave-buildings and factories-were simply annihilated. Trams were tossed up and trains were flung off their rails. Trees and plants were in flames. Up to about three miles from the center of the explosion, houses were completely destroyed, killing or wounding all the inmates. Those who somehow escaped died o the effects of gamma rays. About half an hour later a fine rain started and remained for about five minutes. Then a violent wind rose spreading the fire rapidly. By the evening the fire went out when there was nothing more to burn. Hiroshima was not there any more.
When the writer and his companions were about four miles away from the center of the atomic explosion, they noticed that the tiles of the house-roofs were blown away and the grass was yellow. When three miles away, they noticed that the houses were destroyed. When about 2 ½ miles away, they saw that the houses were completely destroyed. For an area of about ¾ of a mile nothing at all was left, everything was destroyed. When they reached the area around the explosion, they found absolute silence with no survivors, no birds and no animals. A little grass had started sprouting. Prof. Tsusuki, a surgeon, showed the remnants of a wall of a hospital completely destroyed.