(5 Aug 1995) English/Nat
Demonstrators massed outside the White House on Saturday on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb.
They called the world to remember the devastating effects of nuclear weapons.
But for one survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, fear has turned to a new appreciation of the healing effects of nuclear technology.
They are here to remember. With banners and protest, this group is marking the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The gathering is just the beginning of an evening of remembrance scheduled in Washington, D-C.
With 50 years of perspective, some feel the world has yet to recognize the dangers of nuclear energy.
SOUNDBITE:
We think it's important for humanity to remember the linkage between these types of events, so that we can prevent them in the future and also to make sure the survivors of these terrible tragedies are provided for.
SUPER CAPTION: Alexander Kuzma, Nuclear Protester
One woman who cannot forget the devastation of the atomic bomb is Hideko Tamura.
She was just a child of ten when the bomb was dropped on her city of Hiroshima.
Tamura recalls the earth shattering power of the bomb. Calling August 6th the Day of the Two Suns, for the bright fireball that engulfed the city.
Her mother was killed in the blast. A loss that nearly drove Hideko Tamura to the brink of suicide.
SOUNDBITE:
There were many many moments when I felt so confused, so grieved I At one point lost interest to continue living in that fashion.
SUPER CAPTION: Hideko Tamura, Hiroshima Survivor
Instead, Tamura eventually ended up here, at the University of Chicago.
Ironically, this is the home of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first self- sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
A plaque commemorates the science that led to the bomb which destroyed her city.
Hideko Tamura's office now overlooks a Henry Moore sculpture celebrating nuclear science.
She has become a radiation oncologist, having overcome her fears to realize the peaceful, lifesaving purposes of nuclear technology.
SOUNDBITE:
I took it with some sense of this being my last challenge. And I believe I confronted my fear of nuclear energy and that I am very satisfied that this is really a very wonderful power.
SUPER CAPTION: Hideko Takamura, Hiroshima Survivor
But reminders of the bomb are everywhere here, especially in the building housing the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Inside is the famous Doomsday Clock, its midnight hand to mark mankind's nearness to nuclear devastation, at the moment, a comfortable 15 minutes away.
But for many, August 6th will always be a day when the nuclear world struck midnight.
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