File No. 150769 Resolution No. 322-15 1

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

File No. 150769 Resolution No. 322-15 1 FILE NO. 150769 RESOLUTION NO. 322-15 1 [Marking the 7oth Year Since the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki] 2 3 Resolution marking the 70th year since the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and 4 Nagasaki. 5 6 WHEREAS, 70 years ago, close to the end of World War II, the United States dropped 7 two atomic bombs on Japan; and 8 WHEREAS, The first bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, at 9 8:15 a.m., and the second was dropped on the city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, at 11 :01 10 a.m.; and 11 WHEREAS, The bombs caused great fires that raged in Hiroshima and Nagasaki for 12 days, and released nuclear radiation whose impact has lasted all of these decades; and 13 WHEREAS, At least 200,000 people including foreign residents, Allied POWs, 14 conscripted Korean and Chinese workers immediately lost their lives from the thermal 15 radiation, blast winds, the fires, falling debris and from the destruction of 70% of the cities' 16 buildings; and 17 WHEREAS, By 1979, there were officially 226,598 hibakusha or survivors of the two 18 atomic bombs; most of whom were still struggling with radiation-related illnesses and limited 19 recognition of their plight from their own government, the U.S. occupation forces and the 20 international community; and 21 WHEREAS, By 1980, approximately 80,000 hibakusha had died from radiation-related 22 illnesses; and 23 WHEREAS, The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain the only nuclear 24 weapons used in warfare in world history; and 25 Supervisor Avalos BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 1 1 WHEREAS, Though seven decades have passed since the Enola Gay and Bockscar 2 planes opened their bomb bays on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, humanity continues to struggle 3 with recognizing the human toll and overall legacy of these bombings; and 4 WHEREAS, With these bombings and the ensuing proliferation of nuclear weapons, 5 humanity comes face to face with the understanding that we have the technological capability 6 and intellectual capacity to cause our own annihilation; and 7 WHEREAS, The bombings and the proliferation of thousands of nuclear weapons 8 around the world remind us that human civilization plods along in a constant precarious state, 9 and that we have unfinished business in cooperating towards lasting peace; now, therefore, 10 be it 11 RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Board of Supervisors marks the 70th year since 12 the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and recognizes August 6th and 13 August gth as days of solemnity to reflect on the decades of suffering inflicted by the atom 14 bomb, and to reflect on how nuclear weapons can be abolished, to be never used again. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Supervisor Avalos BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 2 City and County of San Francisco City Hall 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place Tails San Francisco, CA 94102-4689 Resolution File Number: 150769 · Date Passed: July 28, 2015 Resolution marking the 70th year since the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. July 28, 2015 Board of Supervisors - ADOPTED Ayes: 11 -Avalos, Breed, Campos, Christensen, Cohen, Farrell, Kim, Mar, Tang, Wiener and Yee File No. 150769 I hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was ADOPTED on 7/28/2015 by the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. br9-0-J:t "~ Angela Calvillo Clerk of the Board Unsigned 8/7/15 Mayor Date Approved I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution, not being signed by the Mayor within the time limit as set forth in Section 3.103 of the Charter, or time waived pursuant to Board Rule 2.14.2, became effective without his approval in accordance with the provision of said Section 3.103 of the Charter or Board Rule 2.14.2. City and County ofSan Francisco Page59 Printed at 2:50 pm on 7129115 .
Recommended publications
  • The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay: the Crew
    AFA’s Enola Gay Controversy Archive Collection www.airforcemag.com The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay From the Air Force Association’s Enola Gay Controversy archive collection Online at www.airforcemag.com The Crew The Commander Paul Warfield Tibbets was born in Quincy, Ill., Feb. 23, 1915. He joined the Army in 1937, became an aviation cadet, and earned his wings and commission in 1938. In the early years of World War II, Tibbets was an outstanding B-17 pilot and squadron commander in Europe. He was chosen to be a test pilot for the B-29, then in development. In September 1944, Lt. Col. Tibbets was picked to organize and train a unit to deliver the atomic bomb. He was promoted to colonel in January 1945. In May 1945, Tibbets took his unit, the 509th Composite Group, to Tinian, from where it flew the atomic bomb missions against Japan in August. After the war, Tibbets stayed in the Air Force. One of his assignments was heading the bomber requirements branch at the Pentagon during the development of the B-47 jet bomber. He retired as a brigadier general in 1966. In civilian life, he rose to chairman of the board of Executive Jet Aviation in Columbus, Ohio, retiring from that post in 1986. At the dedication of the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar- Hazy Center in December 2003, the 88-year-old Tibbets stood in front of the restored Enola Gay, shaking hands and receiving the high regard of visitors. (Col. Paul Tibbets in front of the Enola Gay—US Air Force photo) The Enola Gay Crew Airplane Crew Col.
    [Show full text]
  • The Manhattan Project and Its Legacy
    Transforming the Relationship between Science and Society: The Manhattan Project and Its Legacy Report on the workshop funded by the National Science Foundation held on February 14 and 15, 2013 in Washington, DC Table of Contents Executive Summary iii Introduction 1 The Workshop 2 Two Motifs 4 Core Session Discussions 6 Scientific Responsibility 6 The Culture of Secrecy and the National Security State 9 The Decision to Drop the Bomb 13 Aftermath 15 Next Steps 18 Conclusion 21 Appendix: Participant List and Biographies 22 Copyright © 2013 by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this book, either text or illustration, may be reproduced or transmit- ted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, reporting, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written persmission from the publisher. Report prepared by Carla Borden. Design and layout by Alexandra Levy. Executive Summary The story of the Manhattan Project—the effort to develop and build the first atomic bomb—is epic, and it continues to unfold. The decision by the United States to use the bomb against Japan in August 1945 to end World War II is still being mythologized, argued, dissected, and researched. The moral responsibility of scientists, then and now, also has remained a live issue. Secrecy and security practices deemed necessary for the Manhattan Project have spread through the govern- ment, sometimes conflicting with notions of democracy. From the Manhattan Project, the scientific enterprise has grown enormously, to include research into the human genome, for example, and what became the Internet. Nuclear power plants provide needed electricity yet are controversial for many people.
    [Show full text]
  • Smithsonian and the Enola
    An Air Force Association Special Report The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay The Air Force Association The Air Force Association (AFA) is an independent, nonprofit civilian organiza- tion promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA publishes Air Force Magazine, sponsors national symposia, and disseminates infor- mation through outreach programs of its affiliate, the Aerospace Education Founda- tion. Learn more about AFA by visiting us on the Web at www.afa.org. The Aerospace Education Foundation The Aerospace Education Foundation (AEF) is dedicated to ensuring America’s aerospace excellence through education, scholarships, grants, awards, and public awareness programs. The Foundation also publishes a series of studies and forums on aerospace and national security. The Eaker Institute is the public policy and research arm of AEF. AEF works through a network of thou- sands of Air Force Association members and more than 200 chapters to distrib- ute educational material to schools and concerned citizens. An example of this includes “Visions of Exploration,” an AEF/USA Today multi-disciplinary sci- ence, math, and social studies program. To find out how you can support aerospace excellence visit us on the Web at www. aef.org. © 2004 The Air Force Association Published 2004 by Aerospace Education Foundation 1501 Lee Highway Arlington VA 22209-1198 Tel: (703) 247-5839 Produced by the staff of Air Force Magazine Fax: (703) 247-5853 Design by Guy Aceto, Art Director An Air Force Association Special Report The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay By John T. Correll April 2004 Front cover: The huge B-29 bomber Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, is one of the world’s most famous airplanes.
    [Show full text]
  • Foundation Document Manhattan Project National Historical Park Tennessee, New Mexico, Washington January 2017 Foundation Document
    NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Manhattan Project National Historical Park Tennessee, New Mexico, Washington January 2017 Foundation Document MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK Hanford Washington ! Los Alamos Oak Ridge New Mexico Tennessee ! ! North 0 700 Kilometers 0 700 Miles More detailed maps of each park location are provided in Appendix E. Manhattan Project National Historical Park Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Mission of the Department of Energy 2 Introduction 3 Part 1: Core Components 4 Brief Description of the Park. 4 Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 5 Los Alamos, New Mexico . 6 Hanford, Washington. 7 Park Management . 8 Visitor Access. 8 Brief History of the Manhattan Project . 8 Introduction . 8 Neutrons, Fission, and Chain Reactions . 8 The Atomic Bomb and the Manhattan Project . 9 Bomb Design . 11 The Trinity Test . 11 Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan . 12 From the Second World War to the Cold War. 13 Legacy . 14 Park Purpose . 15 Park Signifcance . 16 Fundamental Resources and Values . 18 Related Resources . 22 Interpretive Themes . 26 Part 2: Dynamic Components 27 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments . 27 Special Mandates . 27 Administrative Commitments . 27 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs . 28 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values . 28 Identifcation of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs . 28 Planning and Data Needs . 31 Part 3: Contributors 36 Appendixes 38 Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Manhattan Project National Historical Park. 38 Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments . 43 Appendix C: Fundamental Resources and Values Analysis Tables. 48 Appendix D: Traditionally Associated Tribes . 87 Appendix E: Department of Energy Sites within Manhattan Project National Historical Park .
    [Show full text]
  • Activity 7: Can the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Be Justified?
    Activity 7: Instructions World War II Activity 7: Can the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be justified? Purpose To examine historic evidence to draw conclusions and reach informed opinions. Curriculum Focus History - Understand the diverse experiences and ideas, beliefs and attitudes of men, women and children in past societies, identify and explain change and continuity within and across periods of history identify, select and use a range of historical sources, evaluate the sources used in order to reach reasoned conclusions, present and organise accounts and explanations about the past that are coherent, structured and substantiated, use chronological conventions and historical vocabulary. Communication – Oracy, reading, writing. ICT - Structure, refine and communicate information, produce a presentation. Thinking Skills - Identify the problem and set the questions to resolve it, suggest a range of options as to where and how to find relevant information and ideas, ask probing questions, build on existing skills, knowledge and understanding, evaluate options, use prior knowledge to explain links between cause and effect and justify inferences/ predictions, identify and assess bias and reliability, consider others’ views to inform opinions and decisions, determine success criteria and give some justification for choice. P4C – Feeling empathy. Materials Included in this pack: Activity sheet 7a – Student introduction Activity sheet 7b – Hiroshima before and after the bombing Activity sheet 7c – Detonations of the atomic bombs Activity sheet 7d – The effects of the atomic bombs (Warning: Contains graphic images of survivors of the bombings) Activity sheet 7e – Enola Gay and Bockscar Activity sheet 7f – Statistics Activity sheet 7g – Eyewitness accounts You will also need: Internet access, rope Groupings Whole class, four or five ©Imaginative Minds Ltd.
    [Show full text]
  • ATOM for PEACE, NOT for WAR Prof
    AUGUST, 2014 ATOM FOR PEACE, NOT FOR WAR Prof. Manashi Goswami ComeAugust,thewhole worldremembers Three otherplanes had left earlierin orderto two frightfuldays ofworld history,August 6th ascertain the weather condition over the and 9th, 1945. The atomic bombings of the possibletargets.On thehookinthe ceiling of cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan the plane hung the ten- foot atomic bomb wereconducted onthesedays by theUnited "Little Boy". On 6th August,1945, the first States during the finalstageofWorld WarII. choice target Hiroshima, was having clear These two bombings werethefirst and remain weather.At 8:15(am) localtime, Enola Gay's theonly useofnuclearweapons in warfare. doorsprangopen and itdroppedthe little boy. By August1945, theallied Manhattan project had successfully tested an atomic deviceand had produced weapons based on two alternate designs.Auranium gun type atomic bomb (Little Boy) was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6,1945, followed by a Plutoniumimplosion-type bomb (Fat Man) onthecity ofNagasakionAugust 9. Within thefirsttwo to fourmonths of thebombing, The Mushroom Cloud acute effect killed 90,000 - 166,000 people Thebomb exploded 1,900feet abovethe in Hiroshima and 60,000 - 80,000 in city.The mushroom cloud itself was a Nagasaki. During the following months large number of people died various radiation spectacularsight.Abubbling mass ofpurple- effects and injuries. gray smoke with a hot red burning core estimated to have reached a height of 40,000 On the Day feet.Such was the description of dreadful At 2.45 amonMonday,August 6,1945a devastation that tookplaceon6th August1945 B-29 bomber plane,the Enola Gay tookoff at Hiroshima city. from Tinian, a north pacific island in the Why Hiroshima Marinianas,1500 miles south of Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Reflections of War Culture in Silverplate B-29 Nose Art from the 509Th Composite Group by Terri D. Wesemann, Master of Arts Utah State University, 2019
    METAL STORYTELLERS: REFLECTIONS OF WAR CULTURE IN SILVERPLATE B-29 NOSE ART FROM THE 509TH COMPOSITE GROUP by Terri D. Wesemann A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in American Studies Specialization Folklore Approved: ______________________ ____________________ Randy Williams, MS Jeannie Thomas, Ph.D. Committee Chair Committee Member ______________________ ____________________ Susan Grayzel, Ph.D. Richard S. Inouye, Ph.D. Committee Member Vice Provost for Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2019 Copyright © Terri Wesemann 2019 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Metal Storytellers: Reflections of War Culture in Silverplate B-29 Nose Art From the 509th Composite Group by Terri D. Wesemann, Master of Arts Utah State University, 2019 Committee Chair: Randy Williams, MS Department: English Most people are familiar with the Enola Gay—the B-29 that dropped Little Boy, the first atomic bomb, over the city of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Less known are the fifteen Silverplate B-29 airplanes that trained for the mission, that were named and later adorned with nose art. However, in recorded history, the atomic mission overshadowed the occupational folklore of this group. Because the abundance of planes were scrapped in the decade after World War II and most WWII veterans have passed on, all that remains of their occupational folklore are photographs, oral and written histories, some books, and two iconic airplanes in museum exhibits. Yet, the public’s infatuation and curiosity with nose art keeps the tradition alive. The purpose of my graduate project and internship with the Hill Aerospace Museum was to collaborate on a 60-foot exhibit that analyzes the humanizing aspects of the Silverplate B-29 nose art from the 509th Composite Group and show how nose art functioned in three ways.
    [Show full text]
  • The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay: the Atomic Bomb
    AFA’s Enola Gay Controversy Archive Collection www.airforcemag.com The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay From the Air Force Association’s Enola Gay Controversy archive collection Online at www.airforcemag.com The Atomic Bomb The Manhattan Project Spurred on by German success in splitting the atom and fearing the Germans would develop a nuclear bomb first, US scientists had been working toward an atomic weapon since 1939. They pursued two approaches to creating fissionable material, one to extract U-235 nuclear fuel from natural uranium (U- 238) and the other to produce plutonium. Both approaches would be successful. In 1942, the program was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers and designated the “Manhattan Project,” taking its name from the Corps’s Manhattan Engineer District. Col. Leslie R. Groves—later a major general—was appointed as director. Plants at Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash., produced the U-235 and the plutonium. At the University of Chicago, Enrico Fermi and his team succeeded in generating the world’s first controlled nuclear chain reaction. Scientists and engineers at Los Alamos, N.M., headed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, worked on designing and building an atomic bomb. Los Alamos tried two possible designs, a bulbous 10-foot bomb called “Fat Man” and a long, skinny 17- foot bomb called “Thin Man.” Eventually, Thin Man was canceled in favor of a shorter design dubbed “Little Boy.” The program was ready for testing by 1945, but there was only enough U-235 for one bomb, so the test bomb—known as “the gadget”—was a plutonium device, similar to “Fat Man,” the bomb that would be dropped on Nagasaki.
    [Show full text]
  • WWII Enola Gay's Flight
    Enola Gay’s Flight The giant silver bomber roared along the runway on Tinian Island in the darkness, passing the firetrucks and ambulances parked every 50 feet, struggling to pick up speed. "Dimples Eight Two" weighed 150,000 pounds, and with fuel for the long flight to Hiroshima, 12 men on board, and a five-ton uranium bomb in the bay, the B-29 was 15,000 pounds overweight. The pilot, Col. Paul W. Tibbets Jr., 30, had handpicked the airplane on the assembly line in Nebraska three months before and had just had his mother's name, "Enola Gay," painted in black letters on the nose. As the plane rumbled down the airstrip at over 100 mph, he had his lucky cigarette case with him in one pocket, and a box containing 12 cyanide capsules in another. On Aug. 6, 1945 no one was sure how Special Bombing Mission No. 13, the world's first atomic attack, would go. Would it end in disaster for the crew in Japan? Eight downed American airmen had been beheaded by the Japanese a few weeks before. Would it end in the obliteration of Hiroshima? Would the overweight airplane with the crazy call sign even get off the runway? Would the crew have need for the cyanide? Two other B-29s, the "Great Artiste" and "Necessary Evil," were supposed to go along to take pictures and record data. But "Enola Gay" was the "strike ship." Fifteen hundred miles to the north-northwest, under a waning crescent moon, lay a 400-year-old Japanese city most Americans probably had never heard of but whose name was about to be etched into the pages of history.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Tinian Island During World War II OUTLINE
    The Use of Tinian Island During World War II OUTLINE • Background • Assault on Tinian Island • Seabee Construction and North Field • Tinian and the Atomic Bombs • Tinian Today Background • Tinian and Saipan Islands had been Japanese stronghold since the end of WW I • Ability to reach Japan with long-range B-29 bombers • Saipan was attacked on 15 June 1944 and captured by mid-August 1944 Background Assault on Tinian "An Amtrac loaded with Marines, churns through the sea bound for beaches of Tinian Island" July 1944. Two tiny landing beaches, White 1 and White 2, were used at Tinian to land two entire divisions. Each beach was slightly less than 200 feet wide! One of 10 “doodlebug” landing ramps built by the Seabees mounted on an Amtrac The SeaBees fashioned these ramps from scrap steel taken out of a Japanese Sugar Mill on Saipan. They allowed Marine Amtracs to scale the 8-foot high cliffs along the White Beach landing zone The Americans employed a deception landing off the coast of Tinian Town, holding Japanese forces there while the main landings occurred at White Beaches on the northwest side of Tinian. The deception force then proceeded north and landed at White Beach. Construction of the World’s Largest Air Bases on Tinian Four 8,500 foot runways were eventually constructed by the SeaBees at North Field on Tinian, in addition to two similar runways constructed at West Feld, a few miles southwest. The four runways at North Field on Tinian comprised the largest single airport in world in mid-summer 1945.
    [Show full text]
  • Visualizing Legacies of Nuclear Imperialisms
    The Politics of Invisibility: Visualizing Legacies of Nuclear Imperialisms FIONA AMUNDSEN, Auckland University of Technology and SYLVIA C. FRAIN, The Everyday Peace Initiative Pacific Nuclear Remembering and (In)visibility Invisibility is a concept scholar Teresia K. Teaiwa uses to critically examine the legacies of Oceanic nuclear imperialism and re-structure our understandings of witnessing and agency as related to the systems of nuclear imperialism imposed within the Pacific region by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.1 In particular, the regulation of images synonymous with Indigenous experiences during the extraor- dinary proliferation of atmospheric and underground testing is central to contem- porary nuclear remembering.2 The photographs and films showing enormous glowing orange spheres—blasting from colonized waters before they burst into distinctive pyrocumulus mushroom-shaped clouds of radiative smoke and debris—have become familiar icons of various Pacific nuclear–weapons testing programs. These government-controlled images, and stories, are, in spite of what they depict, aesthetically wonderous. They obscure the tests as a launchpad of atomic war- fare to the point where an atomic explosion appears as awesome as the rising sun. Together with continuing colonial impacts and witness descriptions of the nuclear testing, the images constitute a mode of official imagery that aligns a human-produced event with the natural world, namely the sun. Theorist Elizabeth DeLoughrey suggests that this alignment was exacerbated by American Cold War propaganda that natural- ized atomic weapons “by likening them to harnessing the power of the sun, and their radioactive by-products were depicted as no less dangerous than our daily sunshine.”3 Such associations shift images and rhetoric away from the ongoing, horrific, and long- lasting realities of nuclear weapons and their testing.
    [Show full text]
  • An Atomic History Chapter 2
    An Atomic History 0-3 8/11/02 7:31 AM Page 18 Chapter Two 19 THE FERMI-SZILARD PILE AND URANIUM RESEARCH The first government funding for nuclear research was allocated to purchase graphite and uranium oxide for the chain reaction experiments being organized by Fermi and World War II and the Manhattan Project Szilard at Columbia University in February 1940.2 This work, which began in New York 2 City, soon spread to Princeton, the University of Chicago, and research institutions in California.3 Even at this stage, the scientists knew that a chain reaction would need three major components in the right combination: fuel, moderator, and coolant. The fuel would contain the fissile material needed to support the fission process. The neutrons generated by the fission process had to be slowed by the moderator so that they could initiate addi- tional fission reactions. The heat that resulted from this process had to be removed by the coolant. Fermi’s initial research explored the possibility of a chain reaction with natural urani- The 1930s were a time of rapid progress in the development of nuclear physics. um. It was quickly determined that high-purity graphite served as the best neutron moder- Research accelerated in the early years of the Second World War, when new developments ator out of the materials then available.4 After extensive tests throughout 1940 and early were conceived and implemented in the midst of increasing wartime urgency. American 1941, Fermi and Szilard set up the first blocks of graphite at Columbia University in government interest in these developments was limited at first, but increased as the war September 1941.
    [Show full text]