Oppenheimer tearfully apologized to Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors; an interpreter in video footage said
Jun. 21, 2024
by Hiromi Morita, Staff Writer
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who led the Manhattan Project for the development of the atomic bomb, tearfully apologized to survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima when he met them in the United States in 1964, said an interpreter with them at the time in video footage found at a non-profit organization in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima City.
The video had been taken by the World Friendship Center (WFC) in 2015, when it held a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its founding at the Shukkeien Garden in Naka Word, in which testimonies of the participants were recorded.
The video shows people who took part in the 1964 Hiroshima-Nagasaki World Peace Pilgrimage, which was proposed by Barbara Reynolds (died in 1990), an American peace activist and founder of the WFC. One was Yoko Teichler (died in 2019), who, as an interpreter, accompanied the group, which traveled to the United States, the Soviet Union, and other countries. Describing a private meeting between Mr. Oppenheimer and Naomi Shono, a physicist who joined the pilgrimage, Ms. Teichler said tears streamed down Mr. Oppenheimer’s cheeks as he apologized profusely.
There is a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Oppenheimer by a coordinator of the pilgrimage in the United States at the Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College in the United States, which Ms. Reynolds worked hard to establish. The letter mentioned Mr. Shono had eagerly desired to meet him. The itinerary of the trip, on which Mr. Shono wrote, “Meeting with Mr. Oppenheimer (private)” on June 5, was also found.
Shizuo Tachibana, director of the WFC, said, “The material left behind shows us Barbara’s grand concept and grassroots enthusiasm that supported her concept. We would like to shed light on them carefully.”
(Originally published on June 21, 2024)
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who led the Manhattan Project for the development of the atomic bomb, tearfully apologized to survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima when he met them in the United States in 1964, said an interpreter with them at the time in video footage found at a non-profit organization in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima City.
The video had been taken by the World Friendship Center (WFC) in 2015, when it held a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its founding at the Shukkeien Garden in Naka Word, in which testimonies of the participants were recorded.
The video shows people who took part in the 1964 Hiroshima-Nagasaki World Peace Pilgrimage, which was proposed by Barbara Reynolds (died in 1990), an American peace activist and founder of the WFC. One was Yoko Teichler (died in 2019), who, as an interpreter, accompanied the group, which traveled to the United States, the Soviet Union, and other countries. Describing a private meeting between Mr. Oppenheimer and Naomi Shono, a physicist who joined the pilgrimage, Ms. Teichler said tears streamed down Mr. Oppenheimer’s cheeks as he apologized profusely.
There is a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Oppenheimer by a coordinator of the pilgrimage in the United States at the Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College in the United States, which Ms. Reynolds worked hard to establish. The letter mentioned Mr. Shono had eagerly desired to meet him. The itinerary of the trip, on which Mr. Shono wrote, “Meeting with Mr. Oppenheimer (private)” on June 5, was also found.
Shizuo Tachibana, director of the WFC, said, “The material left behind shows us Barbara’s grand concept and grassroots enthusiasm that supported her concept. We would like to shed light on them carefully.”
(Originally published on June 21, 2024)
