I just noticed that Hiroshima is marking the 67th anniversary of the world’s first atomic attack. I started thinking back to my one and only trip – so far – to the Japanese city a few years ago. It was an unforgettable experience that I tried to capture in this article, which was originally published in Kathimerini English Edition in November 2007. I hope you will excuse me for reminiscing.
A group of World War II veterans gathered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Sunday to mark the 65th anniversary of the start of the Manhattan Project, which led to the building of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Debate over the moral as well as strategic validity of this action continues to rage while the peril of having weapons of mass destruction is as relevant as ever. This week Pakistan, one of the world’s nuclear powers, warned that it has “the capacity to defend itself” if the US attempts to grab its weapons amid growing political unrest in the country.
Against the background of this angst and strife, Hiroshima appears to be one of the few places in the world that is at peace with itself. It might not be such an irony that the first city in the world over which an atomic bomb exploded has become one of the most peace–loving spots on Earth. But it is surprising that it is so peaceful as well.
Inside Greece 