×

News

Citizens’ group prepares to ship A-bombed stone to Potsdam, Germany for peace monument

by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer

On March 29, a stone exposed to the atomic bombing in Hiroshima underwent preparations to be shipped to the city of Potsdam, Germany. The citizens of Potsdam have been engaged in a plan to build a stone monument to mourn the A-bomb victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The A-bombed granite stone, 40 centimeters long, 80 centimeters wide, and 15 centimeters thick, was situated between the Kamiyacho streetcar stop and the Hatchobori streetcar stop in downtown Hiroshima and exposed to the thermal rays of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. On March 29, members of the "Hiroshima Branch of the Association to Build Hiroshima Square (Platz) in Potsdam," a Hiroshima-based citizens' group led by Tetsuo Kaneko that has supported the efforts of local citizens in Potsdam, loaded the stone onto a truck at the train depot of the Hiroden Streetcar Company. The stone, along with an A-bombed stone from Nagasaki, will be shipped from the Port of Kobe as early as the beginning of April.

In July 1945, the Potsdam Conference, in which post-war policy was discussed, was held in the city of Potsdam. Then U.S. President Harry Truman issued the order to drop the atomic bombs while the conference was being held. The square in front of a residence where the president stayed during the conference is now called "Hiroshima Square (Platz)."

A citizens' group in Potsdam has been promoting the construction of a stone monument in this square with the intention of completing the monument this coming summer, or 65 years after the atomic bombings. The monument will take the form of a pencil and is about nine meters long. The A-bombed stones from Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be incorporated into the monument with a plaque offering explanation about the devastation and consolation for the victims of the atomic bombings.

(Originally published on March 30, 2010)

Archives