Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 6 april 2018

U.S. museum stalls Hiroshima exhibit over nuke weapon ban push

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS and
MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associ-
ated Press
A museum in Los Alamos,
New Mexico — a once-
secret New Mexico city
that developed the atomic
bomb which helped end
World War II — has put an
exhibit from Japan on hold
because of its theme of
abolishing nuclear weap-
ons.
The Los Alamos Historical
Museum confirmed Mon-
day that it will not host a
traveling exhibit organized
by the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum and Na-
gasaki Atomic Bomb Mu-
seum until all parties can
work out their differences
over the theme.
The exhibit, which features
articles of clothing, ex-
posed plates, and other
personal items from victims,
aims to draw attention to
the horrors of the bombs
that destroyed both cities. -In this Aug. 8, 1945 file photo, survivors walk past one of the few buildings still standing two days after an atomic bomb was
Heather McClenahan, ex- dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945.
ecutive director of the Los Associated Press
Alamos Historical Museum, raises.” Peace Memorial Museum the Los Alamos side to fig- cial at the Nagasaki Atom-
said the museum’s board She said the historical soci- official Tomonori Nitta told ure out a resolution and he ic Bomb Museum, said no
of directors felt uncomfort- ety will not send an exhibit The Associated Press that hoped the exhibit was still details have been decided
able about the exhibit’s about Los Alamos scientists officials were informed by possible. and that officials are still
call to abolish nuclear to Hiroshima and Naga- the Los Alamos museum in “If 2019 doesn’t work, we hoping to put on an exhibit.
bombs. The New Mexico saki without significant dia- mid-February that its board still hope to achieve an ex- “We only wish people from
city is still home to the Los logue and input from their meeting turned down a hibit at a later occasion,” around the world to see our
Alamos National Laborato- museums. current plan, failing to Nitta said. “We will contin- exhibit and learn the reality
ry, one of the U.S.’s premier “We would ask that the meet a deadline for fund- ue to cooperate so that we of atomic bombings and
nuclear weapons research same respect be afforded ing needed to hold an ex- can clear the hurdles and their consequences,” he
centers. to our community,” Mc- hibit in 2019. hold an exhibit.” told the AP from Nagasaki.
The exhibit dispute comes Clenahan said. Hiroshima Nitta said it is mainly up to Takatoshi Hayama, an offi- The traveling atomic
as the Los Alamos National bombing exhibit is taking
Lab competes with the U.S. place in Budapest, Hunga-
Energy Department’s Sa- ry, through end of August,
vannah River Site in South before moving to France
Carolina to continue pro- and Belgium later this year.
duction of plutonium pits. The atomic bombing ex-
Those are critical cores hibits have been held in 12
which trigger nuclear war- other cities in the U.S.
heads. No new pits have In the 1940s, scientists work-
been made since 2011. The ing in the then-secret city
Energy Department wants of Los Alamos developed
to ramp up production to the atomic bomb as part
80 pits a year by 2030. of the World War II-era
“The Los Alamos Historical Manhattan Project. The
Society will continue its dia- secret program provided
logue with the museums in enriched uranium for the
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in atomic bomb. Facilities in
hopes that we can over- Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and
come cultural and linguis- Hanford, Washington were
tic differences and host also involved in the project.
exhibits that are respectful The two atomic bombs
to all of our communities’ were later dropped on
concerns and stories,” Mc- the Japanese cities of Hi-
Clenahan said. “In other roshima and Nagasaki,
words, we hope this is not ending World War II. More
the end but the beginning than 210,000 people in
of delving together into our In this Sept. 7, 1945, file photo, an unidentified man stands next to a tiled fireplace where a house both Japanese cities were
once stood in Hiroshima, Japan.
history and the questions it killed.q
Associated Press