Revisiting John Hersey’s “Hiroshima”
John Hersey’s original story, published in The New Yorker on August 23rd, 1946, revisited by Jane Mayer. It was first published as an article in the magazine, then republished in bookform, and sold many millions of copies. I’ve written about the book before in my newsletter; it’s a harrowing read, but I think it should be read by everyone.
It’s interesting to read about the impact it had at the time.
Stephanie Hinnershitz, a military historian, told me that Hersey’s reporting “didn’t just change the public debate about nuclear weapons—it created the debate.” Until then, she explained, President Harry Truman had celebrated the attack as a strategic masterstroke, “without addressing the human cost.” Officials shamelessly downplayed the effects of radiation; one called it a “very pleasant way to die.” Hinnershitz said, “Hersey broke that censorship.” He alerted the world to what the U.S. government had hidden.