Bomber Won’t Be Invited to Nagasaki Rite
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TOKYO — An American who was in the crew of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki wanted to meet with survivors on the bombing’s 40th anniversary, but has been told that he cannot attend the ceremonies officially, an official in Nagasaki said today.
Teruaki Oobo, in charge of relief to bomb victims in Nagasaki, said the city government wants Kermit Beahan to understand that many victims are still suffering and that it could not extend him an invitation to the Aug. 9 ceremony.
But, Oobo said, “If he wants to apologize to the victims, we hope he would come personally and visit the cemetery.”
Beahan, 66, is a space technology consultant in Houston.
Anti-Nuclear Support Urged
“We would like to explain the situation after the bombing and would ask him to join a campaign to abolish nuclear weapons from the earth,” Oobo said in a telephone interview.
He said the Nagasaki city government received a letter in late June written on Beahan’s behalf saying that Beahan--bombardier on the plane dubbed “Bock’s Car” that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945--wanted to come.
An estimated 70,000 people were killed in the atomic bomb blast at Nagasaki.
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