Story Archives of 'nuclear weapons'

The atomic bombs that leveled the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945 were like nothing the world had ever seen. The Japanese refer to the "Pika-don," or the “flash-bang”. The devastation in the fractions of seconds between the flash and the bang are now described in illuminating detail in The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back.

The new book combines contemporary forensic technology with accounts by survivors to paint a graphic portrayal of the aftermath of the blasts, millisecond by millisecond. And as a note of warning, some of the descriptions in this segment may be distrurbing, so we urge listeners to exercise discretion. Author Charles Pellegrino is a scientist and pioneer in the emerging field of forensic archaeology. He applies today's data to explain the fastest deaths in human history - bodies evaporated before a single nerve could register pain; vaporized before the sound of the explosion could be heard a kilometer away.

Along with the horror, we meet Japanese and American pilots, and survivors, including Tsutomu Yamaguchi and others who lived through the bombings of both cities. Yamaguchi, who died earlier this month, dedicated himself to non-proliferation in the hope that no one would experience nuclear attack as he had.

Read an excerpt from The Last Train From Hiroshima

The New York Times: After Atom Bombs’ Shock, the Real Horrors Began Unfolding

Screaming Horses, Broken Minds Tell Atomic Bomb’s Story: Books

(Photo by BlatantNews.com via Flickr/Creative Commons)

When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Russia earlier this year, she gave the Russian foreign minister a big red “reset” button. In spite of a translation gaffe, the message was clear: the Obama Administration hopes to improve a tense relationship between the two countries.

During the height of the Cold War, American fears of a Soviet doomsday machine permiated popular culture. This ultimate weapon that would trigger an apocalyptic nightmare was the focus of the Stanley Kubrick satire Dr. Strangelove.

Wired editor Nicholas Thompson reveals new evidence of a real Soviet doomsday machine in his book The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War. Nicholas will be speaking at River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth on Monday, but before he heads up to the Granite State, he joins us from his office in New York.

The Hawk and the Dove website

Nicholas Thompson at River Run Bookstore

The nuclear testing in North Korea today and the worldwide response to it is eerily reminiscent of a similar crisis 12 years ago. In 1994, talk of North Korea working on nuclear weapons under then President Kim Il-sung had many looking for a way to respond and had many more fearing eminent war. It would be former president Jimmy Carter who would go over, meet with the North Korean President and negotiate a peaceful way out of the crisis. Retired US Diplomat and Emory University Professor Marion Creekmore went over with former president Jimmy Carter in 1994. His new book “Moment of Crisis” retells that story. Creekmore will speak about his experiences later today in Concord as part of the World Affairs Council lecture. First he joins us on the Exchange to bring us back to the North Korean nuclear crisis of 1994 and look at how we can apply the lessons learned from the past to the current crisis of today. Laura's guests are Marion Creekmore, former ambassador, current Distinguished Visiting Professor of History and Political Science at Emory University, and author of "A Moment of Crisis: Jimmy Carter, The Power of a Peacemaker, and North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions"; and Wayne Lesperance, professor of Political Science at New England College.

North Korea has been in the news recently touting their threat of nuclear weapons, Our guests debate the "dove" and "hawk" approach for dealing with North Korea's weapons program. Mike Arnold hosts. His guests include Victor Cha, the D.S. Song-Korea Foundation Chair in Asian Studies and associate professor of government in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and David Kang, associate professor of government and adjunct associate professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Both are author of a new book "Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies"

The Pentagon recommends updating U.S. policy to include possible use of nuclear weapons against countries such as Iran, Iraq or even China. Officials say the goal is deterrence, but critics say it could lead to another arms race. Laura talks with Peter Huessy, Senior Associate, National Defense University www.ndu.edu and Ivan Eland, Director of Defense Policy Studies, CATO Institute www.cato.org.