NBC showed the 50th ann. video to remind us of our history. The bomb and the developing of the bomb have effected us today. In the news today, we see so much about countries developing nuclear bombs (especially with north korea). I think that the history can put the picture together of how we got to where we are today (in terms of global issues). Also, we shouldn't forget how powerful these bombs are. Staying informed and education is important. People need to understand the severity of these bombs and the conflict that are going on in our world today.

Analysis of 50th Anniversary Newsclip of Atomic Bombs

The video about the 50th anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb in Japan is to commemorate the killings and so the people of the United States do not forget the horror that was inflicted on the Japanese. Also, I think that this video help advocate the anti-war or some of the outcomes that happen when war breaks out. To me, this video was very interesting because we learned alot about nuclear warfare and there is alot of unknown information about the Atomic bomb and the motives to drop it on Japan. Also, in this video there was great footage and its very interesting about the creating of the bomb. I have always wondered what it must had felt like to create a death weapon that could kill thousands of people and what that must have felt like to give a government a death weapon. Lastly, I agree that the United States did what the had to but it is had no to question the motives of anyone that killed thousands with one bomb.

Decision to Drop the A-Bomb

The reason that this video was released by NBC was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of dropping of the atomic bomb. However, it was also an attempt to educate people on the horrible effects that the bomb brought on Japan. They take a lot of time pointing out the amount of casualties in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and also describing what radiation poisoning did to the people who were not killed by the initial blast. More than half of the people in Hiroshima died a painfully extended death by radiation poisoning. However, Americans at the time were unaware of this and only knew that the Japanese had surrendered, so they were celebrating. It seemed to me as if the video was trying to get the viewer to question their beliefs on the decision to drop the bomb, what with all of the personal interviews with the survivors about how their life was changed by the bomb and what they had to go through after the bomb was dropped. Was dropping the bomb the best choice? Probably not. But it was necessary to end a war that would have probably taken more lives if it had not been used.

Worth It?

This video aired by NBC was not only meant to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the deployment of the atom bomb, but also to remind everybody the horrors that it brought. Some people ask the question of why the U.S. dropped the atom bomb? But that is not the right question to be asking because many of us know that the U.S. decided to drop the atom bomb because they thought it would save them from having more casualties in the war. The real question people should ask is whether it was the right choice? Whether it was worth killing about two hundred thousand people just to end the war? In this video these questions are brought to the audience's mind and it seems that these questions are still in many controversial debates. However, we see a bit more of a lean toward the answer of the atom bomb being wrong because we hear a lot of stories of the people that suffered and the effects that the bomb had on the areas attacked. These side effects include mental and physical effects that are both temporary and long term. It puts emphasis not only on the deaths that happened, but also on the radiation issues that is still present due to its hereditary property. Such a strong focus on the bad aspects that the bomb had demonstrates that the film is against the decision that was made about the bomb. This also indicated through of the lack of the pros about their decision to drop the bomb. Some would include like that end of the war and possible preventing a larger number of casualties due to the war.
This video is trying to promote the idea that nuclear weapons are very delicate things that can cause great damage. It also demonstrates how some people regret deeply all the side effects of the bomb. This brings about the idea that war and destruction are viewed in a very negative way and are regretted by many people.

Was it the right thing to do?

I thinkt that this video was a carefully planned attempt at a politically correct video about the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that also kept in mind the respect for the Japanese who had that hell thrust upon them. Firstly, I think that the video did a good job describing the state of mind post explosino with the war being won, I don't think that the Americans could have fully graspt the magnitude of what had just happened. For me, someone who was born over 40 years post-blast, I can look at this footage and learn what horror dictates modern politics and this thread that holds the world togeather. Also I think that it is going to continue to dictate the way we live because we now know about the horror that is the atomic bomb. The last thing that the video showed that impressed me was this concept which is still widely explored which is: did we do the right thing taking all of those Japanese lives to save the American lives that we did? I don't know.

The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

NBC decided to release this video in 1995 not only to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our victory over Japan, but to also spread awareness of the last effects of nuclear warfare and war in general. War is never a good route to take for all it causes is more fighting, death, and oppression of cultures. The United States' advancements in warfare and how they surpassed the rest of the world is astonishing to many people. Personally, I am completely interested in this subject of nuclear warfare for I don't understand exactly how it all works. So it's cool to watch incredible footage, especially when I know some who took part in developing the first atomic bomb. 

It's important to remind people of history, good or bad. This video commemorates the war in a positive way for the United States, but it's memories range from country to country. Although America developed this weapon and had great success, I'm not a supporter of these types of actions. While the American population came to an unified agreement to redeem themselves and fight back against the Japanese after Pearl Harbor, our actions were a little extreme. The long term affects of radiation and destruction aren't completely justified by their attack on Pearl Harbor. I do understand that it was a world war and we must defend ourselves like any other country, but America's actions didn't rise above and all we did was deepen the problems. 

NBC Video

I think NBC decided to air this piece on the atomic bomb so it never happens again! It was a reminder to people how devastating the effects were. Not only did thousands of people die but also the after effects of the radiation exposure have lasted a lifetime. People are concerned about the genetic impact it might have on generations to come. The good news is the United States has decreased spending on atomic weapons and we have reduced our arsenal of atomic weapons by one third. There are still those who believe the atomic bomb was the right choice against the Japanese while others completely disagree with what the United States did during WWII. At the time Japan surrendered the truth is no one really knew what the atomic bomb had done to the people of Japan. They were all celebrating that the Japanese had surrendered. This video reminds us how WWII still impacts people today and that the memory of WWII is obviously different for each person in the world. For example those who live in Japan still feel fear when a plane flies overhead while some Americans still feel we did the right thing by dropping the atomic bomb and ending the war.

I don't know how many tribute videos had aired on mainstream news television stations previous to this one, but I'm going to assume that this is one of the more in depth ones . I think NBC decided to air it in 1995 because it was 50 years since the bomb was dropped. This provided an 'anniversary', except in the negative connotation. It seemed to me like NBC was trying to take the blame off of the US, almost. I got that feeling from the news casters "post note", in which he talked about how the US has decreased its nuclear research as well as their nuclear production. They also had a veteran who talked about how many people they may have saved by dropping a nuclear bomb.
On the other hand, they did focus a lot on the survivors stories (from the Japanese perspective), which seemed to balance it out. As a final note, I still think that NBC did not dwell enough on how this bomb added to the US's pending imperialism. The US essentially bullied the Japanese into surrenduring, making the "ends justify the means", and doing things "for the greater good".

Was it right or was it wrong

I tend to believe that dropping the Atomic Bomb was the right decision, although after watching the video it is very hard to stay to my initial beliefs.  Although by dropping the bombs, it brought instant success to the US, I don't think everything was taken into consideration.  I think the correct decision would have been to destroy the bomb and just hope that it never comes back again.  Atom bombs have just created another thing to worry about.  Another thing that should have been taken into consideration is were they should have dropped the bomb.  I do agree that a secluded island is better than mainland japan, but a large military camp seems like it would be much more fitting that some random islands.  I'm sure there is some reason as to why the chose Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it just seems cruel to bomb two what seem like residential islands.  Ultimately, I think the right choice would have been to do away with atom bombs which would probably have been an almost impossible decision for them to make at the time.  If a world power is in a time of war, and they realize that they have a ground breaking discovery in the field of weaponry, it is almost impossible for them to not exploit it, even if it would be better if they didn't, or at least better for the good of the world.  

Two Sides

Even 50 years later, the effects of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima were still being felt. Even today they are still being felt. NBC aired this piece five decades after the devastating event because it still carried an impact on the world. As was said in the video, "The effects [of the atomic bomb] are still being felt", "…the damage is immeasurable in some ways". Even after the initial causalities, radiation poisoning causes sickness and genetic effects for long after a nuclear weapon is dropped. Today, the bomb is still present in our thoughts. There is no way that something causing damage of such magnitude could ever leave our minds entirely, and people still struggle with the right/wrong debate of dropping the atomic bomb. Americans are divided on this issue: veterans defend the dropping of the atomic bomb as the only option while others cannot get past the horror of it—how anyone could have lived with themselves after having a hand in the dropping of the bomb. The NBC video is well done because it really points out what causes this divide. When the bomb was dropped, Americans were not told of the destruction it caused Japan—only that the war was finally ending. Looking back on it 50 years later is a very different matter. The NBC broadcast included interviews of survivors in order to make sure the real story of what happened that day in Hiroshima was told. However, it also defends the American people, essentially saying that they were completely ignorant to the extent to which the bomb would violate the ethics of "decent people". President Truman is in effect blamed for the atomic bomb. He is only mentioned in the video when he is relieved by the test atomic bomb detonation going well and when he gives the "go" order for the bombing of Japan. The video describes his reaction as "exaltation". The video clearly shares the bias of many other people, favoring the opinion that dropping the bomb was the wrong decision. But overall, I think the video did a good job of retelling the event with a different tone than it was told with right afterwards, as well as also presenting a defense for the decision of battle-weary America.

After The Drop: A Test for Moral Thinking

I believe it is no coincidence that this piece was created half a century after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima -- a delicate subject in itself -- is to call upon emotions of pride, but also sorrow. When watching this documentary and thinking about the thought process leading up to the drop, my moral values could not help but be tested. Call me a murderer, but I feel the Manhattan Project and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary, especially when examining the context of the time. Moreover, it is unfair for us, students of the 2000's, to criticize the decisions made over 60 years ago by the government, especially a government under the stresses of war. The decision to drop the bomb was not one backed by rash thinking, but instead by the moral values of the heads of our government. As an American citizen, knowing that a bomb's fate is controlled by our president may be surreal and uncomfortable for most, but at the time of the bombing no civilian had any notion of what was to come. Shortly after though thousands were celebrating across the U.S., and very few held regrets. 

It is difficult to think of an atom bomb being dropped by the U.S. today, partially because the present war is incomparable to that of WWII, and because there is little respect for the higher decision making of our government...otherwise known as patriotism. What does this mean? With no chance of a bomb being dropped, the idea becomes that much more outrageous, altering our mindset on the matter, causing us to make claims similar to "I would not drop the bomb for we need to think about the innocent." Such a statement lies on the back of emotion, and relies  not on context, but sympathy.

Analyzing the context is a crucial process when looking at the history surrounding an event. One must clear the humanitarian emotions from their mind, and look at the facts when deciding to do something as significant as killing thousands of people. Today, it seems as if emotion has taken over and the facts are set aside in the decision making process. Nevertheless, our government made a choice in 1945 that was based on instinct and fact, rather than on humanitarian perceptions that would have led to more days of war.

If you have the backbone to say that you would not end a war as soon as possible, then talk to a WWII veteran or a Vietnam veteran or a Korean War veteran who got the chance to watch their brothers and dear friends be killed by the enemy.... this might give you the perspective I am trying to get across. Dropping the atomic bomb was the necessary thing to do, because even if we had not bombed Japan, the war would still have continued, amounting to a greater death toll -- both American and Japanese. The U.S. military would have likely invaded Japan, prolonging the end date of the war, and the total war would continue.

I ran a little astray from the original assignment but I could not help but see that some people had the audacity to say that ending WWII with the bombing of Hiroshima was not the best way to handle the situation. I accept most all opinions, but this is something I feel too strongly about, and I will bet you most every American soldier of WWII would agree with me. 

Nuclear Bomb

The documentary about how nuclear bombs were used in 1945 was used to broaden the understanding of the past for the viewers. As time passes the population of a country tends to look at its victories rather than at its losses when it looks back at its history. The population tends to forget the mistakes they made in past conflicts. This is due to the films/stories being showed or passed down to the new generation. Films about the loss of their country wouldn’t gain much revenue in the box office, therefore films that focus on the strength of the country tend to win over the minds of the people. It is also hard to people to talk about a loss, because they don’t want to seem weak or incompetent. They would rather talk about the time that they won some battle. This documentary snapped the reality back into the minds of the young generation. 50 years is a pretty big number, a new generation was born in those years. Much of this new generation has not had much information about the bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. They old generation did not want to share this touchy detail with the young. The old generation did not want to seem inferior in the eyes of the younger ones. The learning from mistakes does not happen in this case. This is why this documentary was made-so people could learn from their mistakes.

Nuclear Warfare: a Thing of the Past

The reason why the documentary on the nuclear bomb was released on NBC in 1995 not only is because of the anniversary of the deployment of the bomb, but to remind us of the horrors of nuclear warfare. After the dropping of the nuclear bomb in 1945 came the Cold War, with the constant threat of nuclear bombing. But the Cold War ended in 1989, and with it, the threat of nuclear attack on the United States.

Back during the Cold War, children at school took part in nuclear bomb drills, where they would hide under their desks until it was safe to come out. The trauma and fear of the nuclear was always near them. Since then, my generation has really no idea what it's like to be under nuclear threat.

Clearly, then, the NBC video not only reminds us about how horrible nuclear warfare truly is, but serves as a way to prevent it from happening all over again. It does this through warning all the people who haven't had to deal it how widespread the devastation of the bombs is, and how unfair they are to the civilians who perished due to them.

The terror of the NBC video, the hundreds of school kids killed by the bomb, people who lost their best friends in the blink of an eye - this we will never experience. But through videos like the one on NBC, we can at least be grateful that we haven't had to deal with this yet in our lives.

Created for Empathy

It is obvious that the video about the atomic bomb shows the world that Americans now have serious remorse about the decision to murder an innocent city (or two). It is easy for us now to judge the government for making that choice and to judge the rest of the country who were proud to be Americans after winning the war. It doesn't take much thought to declare how awful it was that the United States obliterated two entire cities. However, I believe that the video was made partly so people now can understand what both our government and the Japanese citizens had to go through. I can't imagine facing the responsibility of deciding the fate of hundreds of thousands of people, both Americans and Japanese. Am I saying that they made the right decision? Or that I would have done the same thing too? No, not necessarily. That video, though, was created to make us realize what a different time it was back then. Not one of us knows what it must have felt like. And who are we to announce what we would have done instead? We cannot until we are truly faced with the same situation.

Nuclear Bomb Documentary

I think that NBC aired this piece for both informative and commemorative purposes. Because it was aired exactly 50 years after the attack, it makes sense that it was aired in memory of those who died. There are interviews with those who experienced the attack and those who's lives were affected by it. There were statistics about how many died. In that way, it is clearly commemorating those who died. The documentary is not biased either for or against the US's decision on dropping the nuclear bomb. It explains in chronological order the process of the decision to drop the bomb. There are interviews from people from both the Japanese and American sides. The decision of dropping the bomb is still very controversial and I think that the documentary serves as something to simply answer questions on both sides. 

Winners are created by creating losers.

210,000. That's a big number isn't it? You could fill up a classroom with 210,000 pennies. You could buy a mansion in Texas with $210,000. You could buy (not counting tax) 42,000 five-...five-dollar-footlongs. You could fill up three or four good-sized football stadiums with 210,000 people.

You could kill 210,000 innocents to end a war. It's quite a mind-boggling number- two hundred ten thousand is. But alas, the United States of America did just that in 1945.

It is understandable- somewhat, at least- to bomb locations of specific military affiliations (army bases, etcetera), but to vaporize 210,000 innocent, unsuspecting in the name of reducing the number of military casualties is... well, there are no words.

Just to put this into perspective, you may remember hearing in the video about what appeared to be a elementary or middle school that was "affected" (I use this term very loosely) by the bomb. By affected, I mean that four hundred kids went to school that morning, expecting to come home, and never made it back. Their parents probably were in no position to know that either, seeing as they were kind of...y'know...dead. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, one student somehow survived the cataclysmic blast, and lived with the knowledge that, in less than one second, four hundred of his classmates were gone. Poof. Bye-bye.

War is a sad thing. I believe that NBC chose to show this video in 1995 in order to remind us of this fact. As society approached the new millenium, technology advanced in leaps and bounds. Technology such as nuclear weapons, which had by then reached nearly-apocalyptic power. The video served as a reminder that, quite simply put, nuclear weapons are terrible terrible things, and that war only creates losers. Even if you win, you had to have lost something (usually your morals or dignity).

In war, even the winners are losers.

The Easy Way Out

I believe it is obvious that NBC chose to air this piece for commemoration purposes, as it had been 50 years since the bomb was dropped. This demonstrates the overall ill-effect the atomic ultimately had on the world's memory of WWII, as the end of the war became a moral crisis rather than a time of celebration and closure. In the irrational act of dropping the atomic bomb, the U.S. chose the easy way out in a situation that was too delicate for the action that was called for by president Truman. What is most disappointing is the knowledge the government had previous to the atom bomb's destruction: that Japan was on the brink of surrender, invasion pending or not. Eisenhower was aware of this and attempted to dissuade those in charge from such deadly force. Lastly, the use of this bomb will certainly come back to bite America, for we have set a standard for the use of atomic bombs, one that has been raised higher than it ever should have. And only because we rushed the end of an already decided war.

NBC Nuclear Bomb

This film and footage was released in 1995 to clarify the facts and reasons behind the dropping of the nuclear bomb. Fifty years later and the topic was still controversial. No one was sure who to blame nor did people know what to think, so this film attempts to portray the Japanese and American points of view. Americans need this clarification because dropping the bomb seemed so inconsistent with our attempt to be a "decent people". This film doesn't necessarily justify our actions, for it shows the devastation it inflicted on Japan. However, it gives us the truth and all the facts needed to formulate our own opinions. 

WWII Memories with the Help of NBC

Ending a war usually lifts our spirits, because we know that we have ended the killings and violence.  It is when we know we have accomplished something by saying that this calamity will never happen again.  We celebrate the end of a war, because we have no regrets about ending it. However, to this day the memory of the end of the war does not quite match that of the past.  Today we are thankful that we ended the war, yet there is still a small sickening feeling to look back at what we had done.  I found the video very shocking and informative.  Even before seeing the video, killing thousands of innocent people seemed like the wrong option to end a war.  I accepted it, though, because like many people, I thought this was our only option to end the war.  After viewing the video, however, the new found insight to the situation really shocked me and altered my perspective.  It showed that there were clearly other ways to cease the fighting - a simple act of telling Japan they could keep their emperor could have been the necessary step towards reconciliation.  From my point of view, the systematic killing of any group of people is unjust - especially when they are innocent.  The US is a symbol of everything our founding fathers strived to achieve.  We must lead by example, choosing the better option, rather than one that one that stains our acclaimed honor with the thousands of lives we took that day. 

When only taking into account what NBC stated, not releasing the bomb seems like the just option.  However, history is about viewing the story from all angles in order to have a deeper understanding of why the event took place.  Given the information that Japan was prepared to surrender earlier, we seem to question the actions; but, seeing it without this information gives us a much different facet to the situation.  In any given situation, it is humanly impossible to correctly predict the exact thoughts, plans, future tactics, and agenda of a separate entity.  This is partly because we cannot read minds, and partly because it is constantly changing.  By dropping the bomb to end the war, we lost thousands, but saved millions.  In the end, its the greater good that matters most.  We are able to celebrate the end of the war knowing that we have strived to do what is right.  Even in the hardest of times, when right and wrong have blurred into grey, we have risen to a situation with clear values and good intentions for a better future.

Never Forget/Remember the Titans

I think that NBC aired the program on the 50th anniversary almost as a change of pace.  We are always hearing and remembering U.S. events and all of the good and bad things that have happened for and to the U.S.  It is not often that we remember something bad/negative that we have done.  Among the many, there are events that we should probably remember more than we do and they thought (probably rightly) that this should be one of them that should be remembered more.  I thought the way that they showed relived how the dropping was good for the subject.  Since it is highly controversial, they just gave the facts and backed up why the Americans were happy.  This backup is almost a saving of what the U.S. did and why we were so happy, by showing how pivotal these giant bombs were to the U.S. war effort.  Even so, they still do give all of the death tolls making sure that the bad isn't forgotten.

Quick Note: They also show it like historians, and show the affects today and what has been done in Japan to commemorate the event and the consequences of it.