Imperial Valley press., 1945-08-31

ICu9 uVV OVlltU
Razed Hiroshima
Editors note: The following dis
patch was written by Leslie Naka-
shima, employed by the United
Press in Tokyo at the outbreak OF
the war. 1t had been expected that
he would be mterned with the UP.
bureau manager, Robert Bellaire,
but the police left him free. Japa-
nese at first refused to employ him,
however, because of his connection
wit ha nAmerican agency. Finally,
Dcmei news agency hired and used
him largely for translation work.
Throughout the war police kept
close watch on his activities. Pre-
viously he had been a reporter for
the Honolulu Star ar-Bulletin.)
BY LESLIE NAKASHIMA
TOKYO, Aug. 27 Delayed CUP)
Hiroshima was destroyed at one
stroke BY a single atomic bomb
dropped by Superfort on the
morning of August g.
There is not q single building
stancing intact in the city, which
had a population Of 100000.
The death toll is expected to
reach 100000, and people continue
to die daily CT burns suffered from
the bombs ultraviolet rays
Editors note: U. S. scientists say
the atomic bomb will not have lin
gering after-effects in a devastated
area
I arrived at Hiroshima at am.
August % to find out about my
mother, who lived in the outskirts
Of the city.
STATION DISAPPEARED
Ahghting from the train, I found
that Hiroshima station-once one
Of the largest in western Japan
no longer existed. The only thing
that was left was concrete plat
form.
Fragments Of brick walls scat
tered about testified to the severity
Of the destruction
Getting out into the open. ! was
dumbfOunded at the obstruction be-
fore me.
The center Of the city immedi-
ateiV south and west of the station
was raZed to the ground, and there
was a sweeping view to the foot Of
the mountains to the east. south
and north Of the city.
In other words. what haG been
q city of 100000 had vanished.
AS far as the eve could see there
were skeletons Of only three con-
crete buildings standing in the
cityS chief business center. They
were a seven-story former depart
ment store. five-story newspaper
building, and a tWo-story bank.
Except for parts of brick gates
and burned -out underground air
raid shelters, there was no trace
Of private dwellings. I also found
very little corrugated iron left. This
was most significant, inaSmuch as
every other Japanese city hit by
fire bombs was found after the fires
to be Uttered with corrugated iron.
SIGHTS UNBELIEVABLE
The sight before me as I headed
| for the outskirts CT the city where
my mother lived virtually was un-
| helievable. 1t was unbelievable be-
cause only a fortnight before the
bombing I .had seen the city intact
when I evacuated my wife and two
| daughters to central Japan.
Except for one or two bombs
| dropped on separate occasions by
| B-29S, Hiroshima had not been sub
| iected to heavy incendiary attacks
| although the smaller cities Of west
ern Japan had been hit hard.
Nearby Kure, site of big naval
| station. had been the target OF
heavy fire-bomb attacks on several
occasions. and the people Of Hire
chima had wondered why their city
rad not been attacked.
However, as I trod my way
through the debris, wondering il
my mother was still alive, l real
lied that in reality Hiroshima had
been destroyed through the stupen.
dous destructive power Of q single
atomic bomb
Two miles from the center Of the
city I found dwellings, heavily dam
aged. Many Of them were crushed
as if from heavily descending pres
sure. Another half mile farther,
found walls Of dwellings smashed
in and the roofs shattered, attest
! ing to the air pressure the bomb
created.
Such was my mothers dwelling
But l found my mother safe. She
haG been wedding grass in a rel4
ative's vegetable field about two
miles southeast Of the city wher1
she saw the flash.
She Immediately threw herself
face down on the ground The next
moment she heard terrific explo-
sion. Arising she saw columns Of
white smoke rising from all part;
Of the city, high into the sky.
WORKER RECRUITERS
COLLECT BOUNTIES