7-26-06, 9:04 am
According to a Swiss Scholar Jean Jacques Babel, in the past 5,500 years our planet has had only 292 years of peace. Of the nearly 15,000 wars known to history more than half were fought in Europe. The wars costed the world 3 million deaths in the 17th Century, 5 million in the 18th century, 6 million in the 19th century, 10 million in the First World War and 55 million in the Second World War.
During the Second World War, 773 British Air Craft and 450 American Aircraft dropped 6,30,000 bombs on Dredsen and industrial city in Germany, killing 1,15,000 people. In Hiroshima only one bomb not 6,30,000 bombs killed 1,40,000 people. Many leaders of the world opposed and condemned the use of Nuclear Weapons on Japan. Winston Churchill the then Prime Minister of Britain, Eisenhower, Field Admiral W.D. Leathy, General Douglas Mcarthur and a host of others condemned and expressed their dismay over using of Nuclear Weapons against Japan which was almost surrendering. Winston Churchill was very outspoken in stating that 'It would be a mistake to suppose that the fate of Japan was settled by the atomic bomb. Her defeat was certain before the first bomb fell'. Dwight Eisenhower expressed that 'I was one of those who felt that there were a number of reasons to question the wisdom of such an act'. According to W.D. Leathy 'The use of this barbaric weapon of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender because of the effective sea-blockade and the successful bombing with conventional weapons. General Douglas McArthur was also of the same opinion and said that 'as the end of the Philippines campaign approached (June 1945) plans were considered at my headquarters regarding the future of the War. Captured documents revealed a total degree of exhaustion of Japan's heavy arms industry. My staff was unanimous in believing Japan was on the point of collapse and surrender. I even directed that plans be drawn for a possible peaceful occupation without further military operations.' Bemoaning on the large-scale death and destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Gandhiji said that 'I regard the employment of the atom bomb for the wholesale destruction of men and women and children, as the most diabolic use of science'. The leaders in U.S. favoured the use of Atom Bomb on Japan and they were guided by their diabolic vision that the bomb might place US in a position to dictate their own terms at the end of the war.
The two atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945, let loose unprecedented destruction and death. On the first day itself 78,150 people in Hiroshima and 23,753 people in Nagasaki were killed. By the end of December, 1945, 1,40,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 people in Nagasaki perished. The thermal radiation of the fireball was felt at a distance of six kilometres from ground Zero. The blast wave demolished buildings. The fire raging in an area of 11.5 sq km in Hiroshima and 9 sq in Nagasaki generated wind with a velocity of upto 55 km an hour which in turn fanned up flames. Crops and trees were set ablaze. People became burning torches. 94 per cent of unprotected people within a distance of 2 km perished straight away. 89.9 per cent of people in Hiroshima and 73.8 per cent and 71.6 per cent of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered flying debris from collapsing buildings. In Hiroshima buildings in an area of 6.7 sq. km were destroyed. Even after 12 days, 34.9 percent of survivors were suffering from radiation sickness, 20.6 per cent from burns and 35.5 from wounds, 65 per cent of those injured required hospitalisation. But in the first 4 months after the attack, between 50 and 90 per cent of the Physicians perished and less than half of the surviving ones were in a condition to perform their duties. Transportation of the wounded and the sick was complicated as the debris had blocked the streets. Crops were heaped and burnt and no attempts were made to identify or even count them. Tramcars full of dead were destroyed.
Even after decades, people are dying. Many children whose parents were in Hiroshima or Nagasaki during the raid were born with genetic defects. The people in there places are still suffering with incurable diseases.
The monopoly of Nuclear Weapons by the United States of America was broken when USSR brought out Atom Bomb in 1949. For gaining superiority over USSR the U.S unleashed a Nuclear arms Race. Atom Bombs, Hydrogen Bombs, Neutron Bombs, Intercontinental Bombers, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles, Multi War Head Missiles were created by both the sides. The present power of a single Nuclear Weapon is equal to more than 2500 Atom bombs of Hiroshima variety. It is estimated that the Nuclear Weapons with various countries are- U.S.10,640, Russia-8,600, U.K.-200, France-350, China-400, Israel-100, India 30 and Pakistan 24to 48.
According to International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), when a Megaton Nuclear Weapon which is equivalent to 80 Hiroshima Type Bombs is detonated on the ground, it impact in the form of loss of human life and destruction of property will be:
Ground `0': The explosion will create a crater of 92 meters deep and 367 meters diameter.
Ground 0 to 1.5 km within one second, the atmosphere ignites into a fireball of more than 1 km in diameter. The surface of the first ball radiates nearly three times of light and heat of comparable area on the surface of the Sun. the fireball rises to a height of six miles or more. All life below will be extinguished in seconds.
Ground 1.5 Km to 5 Km The flash and heat from the explosion radiates outward at the speed of light, causing instantaneous and severe burns. A blast wave of compressed air follows, reaching a distance of 5 mm in about 12 seconds. From the blast wave alone most factories and commercial buildings will collapse and residential houses will be destroyed. Debries carried by winds with speed of 290 mph inflicting lethal injuries in the area. At least 50 per cent of people die immediately.
In 1983 for the first time an unusual term 'NUCLEAR WINTER' gained popularity among the scientists. It relates to the situation in atmosphere aftermath of nuclear explosions. If 10 to 20 per cent of the existing stockpiles of the nuclear weapons are used, it will trigger forest fires in an area of more that one million sq. km. In addition, fires would engulf entire cities industrial centres, gas and oil fields. Huge amounts of dust and soot pollute the atmosphere to reduce the intensity of sunlight reaching the earth's surface. This phenomenon was first described by Paul Crutzen and Jhon Birks of Max Planck Institute of Chemistry of West Germany and of the University of Colorado (USA).
The prolonged darkness, radio contamination and ultra-violet radiation would fatally affect life in the ocean which would cease to be source of food for every living being. According to some American Scientists, within the first few months, extremely cold weather which would set in almost every where on earth irrespective of the time of the year, would cause enormous damage to plant life, especially in the tropics and the medium latitude of the Northern Hemisphere where most of the world population live. A drop in light intensity would sharply reduce photosynthesis and plants would simply cease to grow. Cold weather, the absence of fresh water and an almost total darkness cause death of a large number of animals. Sub-zero temperature, especially in medium latitude continental zones of northern hemisphere would cause shallow bodies of fresh water to freeze. The non-reproduction of phytoplankton would destroy the food source of many species of sea and fresh water fish and animals. The remaining potential sources of food would be so much contaminated by radioactive and chemical substances as to become unfit for consumption.
The scientists have estimated that two to three thousand million people thought the world would die immediately as a result of Nuclear explosions. The onset of the Nuclear Night and Nuclear Winter, lack of sufficient housing and fuel reserves, the radioactive and chemical contamination, fresh water shortage, hunger and lack of medical assistance would increase the number of victims many times over. Public health care, energy supply, transport, communications and other systems would cease to function. Higher forms of animal life, especially in the tropics, would most probably be doomed to extinction. The restoration of organized farming would appear highly doubtful, radioactive contamination would remain and various epidemics would break out.
The danger of a nuclear annihilation can be avoided if the Nuclear Nations and Non-nuclear nations submit themselves to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In the Millennium Declaration adopted by Heads of governments in the Millennium Summit on 6-8 September 2000, they have committed 'to strive for the elimination of Weapons of Mass Destruction, particularly nuclear weapons and to keep all options open for achieving this aim, including the possibility of convening an international conferences to identify ways for eliminating nuclear dangers'. This has to become a task to be accomplished if the nuclear danger is to be avoided.
From the weekly New Age, organ of the Communist Party of India.
