The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1961-12-22
Guest Coumnist
Are We Building FaIIout Shelters
or Human Broi|ers2
By BARBARA HAUGE, Turner


: Sixth and last, came the rain, huge
black drops, deadly with radioactiv-
| ity. 1t fell for five minutes. The whole
thing lasted twenty minutes of etern-
| ity. Two hundred thousand people
died and are still dying. When the
hair falls out they are doomed and
soon die of atomic sickness.
| Here are the statements of children
who were to IL at the time. of the
bombing:
81 write this memory with horror,
but have been asked by my teacher
to do so.'
eve spent more time on civil de-
tense than on school work but it was
better than being separated from my
MOTHER
"Then suddenly there was most
terrible flash and the blue sky turned
white. We lay flat on the ground and
few seconds later there was a ter
rible noise, a crash and roar that
made us feel sick. On the mountain
top a strange white cloud appeared.
The center of this cloud glowed fiery
red"
Through little opening in the
rubble my mother reached out her
arms and said in a pathetic tone,
There is now no hope ofAsaving my
life. You must try to escape. My
father said, What are you saying,
how can leave you here?, If / can
not save you | will die with you!
That is what he said and he did his
utmost to move the beams. Now my
mother pleaded with him, What will
become of the children if you too die?
l beg you, do make your escape. Just
then some 20 soldiers, an officer at
their head, came running. past. My
wife is under the rubble. Won't you
please help her out? My father went
down on his knees to them but the
officer ran past without speaking.
The flames were drawing closer and
the sparks were falling all about. He
recalled my mothers last words For
the love of our children. He did his
best to hold back the tears and he
left my mother"
"A man was yelling through a
nicrophone that the wounded were to
go to the Island of Minog We took a
place on small boat. A little girl
OF my own age was sitting just in
front of us. She was covered with
burns and also with blood. She kept
on calling for her mother. Suddenly
she asked Is your little girl here?
She could not see. Then she held
something out and said will you
please give her this? 1t was her lunch
by her mother in the morn
ing when she had left to go to school.
| have lost all hope of living so please
give it to your daughter. We ate the
ounto gratefully. 4 am going to tell
you my name, so that if you see my
mother you can tell her I am here,
he girl suddenly said. She had sarce-
y uttered these words before she
lied.r asl
six months ago a little girl of ten
suddenly had the atomic disease. All
Ter. hair fell out and in spite of treat
nent at the Red Cross Hospital she
he'd splitting blood. Although six
7ears have now passed since the end
# the war, there are still many peo-
Vie who die in this strange manner
eminding us of that horrible day."
Il am quite sure that people ought
lot to start another war and use the
tonic bomb. I sincerely pray that
eace may return +. /. :"
ources: Statements by Senator
Young from Congressional Record.
Hearings of the Senate Atomic En-
ergy Commission on the "Effec-
tiveness of the Atom Bomb; "Chil-
dren of the Atom, compiled by
Professor Osada; Scientific Amer
ican", publisher Gerhard Pie1; "Civ-
il Defense "A Cruel Deception,
Sen. Young in True Magazine; In
terviews with the survivors of Hiro-
shima published in book form:
"The Bomb, or formula for
Death, by Fernand Gigon; state
ments made by Father Siemes, who
cared for victims of the bomb