Over the summer of 2019, Global Zero explored what led to the bomb’s development, the consequences of its use, and where we’ve come since those fateful days in August.
released another atom bomb on Nagasaki, devastating the city and ushering in the nuclear age.
As the city disappeared under a mushroom cloud, Captain Robert Lewis – co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the weapon – wrote in his log “My God, what have we done?” Three days later the U.S. The 509th Bomb Group went there from Tinian after WW2. RIAC, as it is locally known, used to be Walker Air Force Base. He is now in his mid 90s and I have past my mid 80s an neither of us is able to fly anymore. Paul Tibbets: Well, I can only tell you what my dad said.On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima, Japan – the first time such a catastrophic weapon was ever used in conflict. One of us would fly the airplane out and the other would fly the airplane back. How did your mother feel about having her name on it? This proximity to Japan is one reason Tinian served as the. The round-trip flight from Tinian to Tokyo took B-29s an average of twelve hours. One of three islands in the Northern Marianas, Tinian is less than forty square miles in size and located approximately 1,500 miles south of Tokyo. Studs Terkel: By the way, I forgot to say Enola Gay was originally called number 82. Tinian Island was the launching point for the atomic bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. If the newspapers would just cut out the s**t: “You’ve killed so many civilians.” That’s their tough luck for being there. You’re gonna kill innocent people at the same time, but we’ve never fought a damn war anywhere in the world where they didn’t kill innocent people. Paul Tibbets: Oh, I wouldn’t hesitate if I had the choice. Studs Terkel: One last thing, when you hear people say, “Let’s nuke ’em,” “Let’s nuke these people,” what do you think? He did something for the world and people don’t understand. Studs Terkel: What about the bomb? Einstein said the world has changed since the atom was split. None of this business of taking them to court, the hell with that. As they pointed out, not only did the atomic bomb end the greatest conflict in world history it ushered in an era of great anxiety, domi nated by Soviet-American confrontation and an arms race that seemed at times to have its own, possibly unmanageable. We’ve got to get into a position where we can kill the bastards. Enola Gay in a commemoration of the end of the Second World War, with all its complexities. But they’re gonna do it in their own sweet time. In 1949, Paul Tibbets flew the Enola Gay to an air show at Chicago and formally handed the plane over to the Smithsonian. Because they’re gonna strike again, I’ll put money on it. These people, we don’t know who they are or where they are. But we knew who they were and where they were. We’ve fought many enemies at different times. When they bombed the Trade Center, I couldn’t believe what was going on. I don’t know any more about these terrorists than you do I know nothing. Since September 11, what are your thoughts? People talk about nukes, the hydrogen bomb. Studs Terkel: What did General LeMay have in mind with the third one? You and your crew are going to fly it.” I said, “Yes sir.” I sent word back and the crew loaded it on an airplane and we headed back, to bring it right on out to Tinian and when they got it to California debarkation point, the war was over. He said, “Where is it?” I said, “Over in Utah.” He said, “Get it out here. He said, “You got another one of those damn things?” I said, “Yes sir.” Then I got a phone call from General Curtis LeMay. The second bomb was dropped and again they were silent for another couple of days. See, the first bomb went off and they didn’t hear anything out of the Japanese for two or three days. Paul Tibbets: Unknown to anybody else – I knew it, but nobody else knew – there was a third one. Studs Terkel: Why did they drop the second one, the Boxcar on Nagasaki? I knew we did the right thing because when I knew we’d be doing that I thought, yes, we’re going to kill a lot of people, but by God we’re going to save a lot of lives. Of course, that applied to airplanes and people. Maybe I did make a mistake: maybe I was too damned assured.Īt 29 years of age I was so shot in the ass with confidence I didn’t think there was anything I couldn’t do.