War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Ichiro Moritaki, 1987

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

02/26/1987

Ichiro Moritaki was a Professor emeritus Hiroshima University, a survivor of atomic blast at Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, and a peace activist. In the interview he starts by describing his personal recollections of the atomic blast. He says, "the whole world was wrapped in a whitish-blue light." He lost his right eye to a glass shard from a broken window during the blast. While recovering he began to think about the need for people to join together to get rid of all nuclear weapons. He describes the development of the Japanese Peace Movement, and the eventual split that developed, which he regrets since it weakens the movement as a whole. He describes his views on various non-proliferation policies, including the Japanese three non-nuclear principles and the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968. He believes that as the nuclear age continues, eventually the people, who do not want a nuclear war, will win out over the threat of nuclear weapons. He ends by discussing the impossibility of completely peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

License Clip

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Carter's New World

Program Number

109

Title

Interview with Ichiro Moritaki, 1987

Series Description

The first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, changed the world forever. This series chronicles these changes and the history of a new era. It traces the development of nuclear weapons, the evolution of nuclear strategy, and the politics of a world with the power to destroy itself.

In thirteen one-hour programs that combine historic footage and recent interviews with key American, Soviet, and European participants, the nuclear age unfolds: the origin and evolution of nuclear weapons; the people of the past who have shaped the events of the present; the ideas and issues that political leaders, scientists, and the public at large must confront, and the prospects for the future. Nuclear Age highlights the profound changes in contemporary thinking imposed by the advent of nuclear weapons. Series release date: 1/1989

Program Description

President Carter comes to office determined to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and to improve relations with the Soviet Union. His frustrations are as grand as his intentions.

Carter had hoped the United States and the Soviet Union would reduce their reliance on nuclear weapons. He stopped production of the B-1 bomber. He believed the SALT II negotiations would be a step toward eliminating nuclear weapons. But his intentions were frustrated by Soviet actions and by a lack of consensus among his own advisors, including Chief SALT II negotiator Paul Warnke and national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski (who was dubious about arms control). Carter balanced Soviet aggression in Africa by improving American relations with China. He withdrew SALT II treaty from Senate consideration but its terms continued to serve as general limits on strategic nuclear force levels for both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Duration

00:24:13

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Nuclear nonproliferation

Nuclear energy

World War II

Hiroshima-shi (Japan) -- History -- Bombardment, 1945

Japan

Peace movements

Pauling, Linus, 1901-1994

Antinuclear movement

United States

Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1968)

Hiroshima-shi (Japan) -- History -- Bombardment, 1945 -- Personal narratives

Locations

Genres

Topics

Contributors

Moritaki, Ichiro, 1901-1994 (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Ichiro Moritaki, 1987,” 02/26/1987, GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_736841F9F3644E9E96C0A59A6BD23E61.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Ichiro Moritaki, 1987.” 02/26/1987. GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_736841F9F3644E9E96C0A59A6BD23E61>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Ichiro Moritaki, 1987. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_736841F9F3644E9E96C0A59A6BD23E61

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Ichiro Moritaki, 1987