CBS REPORTS: HIROSHIMA PLUS 40 YEARS . . . AND STILL COUNTING (TV)
Summary
One in this series of irregularly scheduled in-depth reports. Narrated and reported by Walter Cronkite, this edition examines how the possibility of using nuclear weapons in a war has been an on-going issue since the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forty years ago. This program includes interviews with former presidents and a number of government officials. Topics discussed include the following, among others: the development of the bomb that was dropped during World War II; why the initial plan to simultaneously drop bombs on Germany and Japan was aborted; why Japan was never issued a warning prior to the bombing; the number of people killed and wounded by the bombs -- which consequently brought about Japan's surrender; the political and personal views on nuclear weapons in the post-war era; the kind of evidence that showed the Soviet Union was developing a large arsenal of nuclear weapons; why nuclear weapons were never used, but there use was considered, during the Korean War; how much of an increase in government spending was associated with the arms race; the decision to put security devices on all the missiles so that foreign countries could not use them; why the Soviet refusal to leave West Berlin almost prompted the United States to use nuclear force; why the Soviets moved their nuclear weapons into Cuba; how the threat of nuclear war became a very serious issue when Israel attacked Egypt in 1967; why defense systems were never carried out but constantly talked about; and what has been learned since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Includes commercials and promos.
Cataloging of this program has been made possible by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Preservation of the Post–World War II American Television Documentary Collection is supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: July 31, 1985 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:59
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:06247
- GENRE: News; Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Atomic bomb; Hiroshima, Japan; Nagasaki, Japan; Nuclear weapons
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1959-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Allstate insurance
- TV - Commercials - Jell-O gelatin pops
- TV - Commercials - Maxwell House coffee
- TV - Commercials - New York Lottery
- TV - Commercials - Purina dog chow
- TV - Commercials - Ragu Chunky Style pasta sauce
- TV - Commercials - Riunite wine
- TV - Commercials - Sun energy company
- TV - Commercials - Toyota automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Tums antacid
- TV - Commercials - Whirlpool household appliances
- TV - Promos - "CBS Evening News"
- TV - Promos - "CBS News at 11:00"
- TV - Promos - "Hometown"
- TV - Promos - "I Had Three Wives"
- TV - Promos - "The Equalizer"
- TV - Promos - "Two Kinds Of Love"
- TV - Promos - "West 57th"
CREDITS
- Burton Benjamin … Executive Producer, Writer
- Brian T. Ellis … Senior Producer
- Walter Pincus … Producer, Writer
- Bob Blum … Producer, Writer
- Meg Clarke … Associate Producer
- Angelica LeJuge … Researcher
- Walter Cronkite … Narrator, Reporter
- Harold Agnew
- Harold Brown
- McGeorge Bundy
- Jimmy Carter
- John F. Kennedy
- John J. McCloy
- Robert McNamara
- Richard M. Nixon
- Bernard O'Keefe
- James Schlesinger
- Arkady Shevchenko
- Bromley Smith
- Paul Tibbets
- Caspar Weinberger