Preface
This pamphlet, Give Me Water, contains, first of all, personal accounts of the hell created in Hiroshima and Nagasaki where human beings, for the first time in history, were exposed to nuclear attack. It also presents testimonies of the suffering by survivors and their offspring that have ensued until today. We hope that these two accounts will help convey the message of the apocalyptic experience of the two cities.
In early August of 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. People were crushed or burnt to death without even knowing what kind of attack it really was. The attack came in an instant. The suffering and agony continue without end.
We present here only a dozen personal accounts written by the survivors with minimum necessary comments. It is a very small fraction of numerous similar documents. All were written in the hope that this tragedy and folly should never be repeated again.
In presenting these horrible facts of more than a quarter century ago and their continuing effects, we are not merely posing as the sole victims, nor are we seeking to place blame upon the executioner. Far from it, for the lesson of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not irrelevant to all the people of the world: human beings have not only failed to abandon this devil's gadget, but, worse, their madness is steadily mounting.
The nuclear weapons that are spreading throughout the world could kill every person on earth many hundreds of times. So long as we have this weapon system, chances for an accidental war are always with us; tests will continue in some form or other creating global pollution that itself could be fatal to mankind. On our part, we fear that our country is fast becoming an aggressive power in Asia with some sector of the nation even advocating nuclear armament.
We firmly believe, however, that mankind can be saved not by the foolish power game through military threats among nations but only by love and fraternity among peoples. As every A-Bomb victim cried for water, so we seek after a water of love and peace in this barren world that is full of violence and conflicts. It is our hope that this small pamphlet will provide a channel through which the water runs to help promote the greening of the world where we live.
A Citizens' Group to Convey Testimonies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
March 1, Bikini Memorial Day, 1972