So, what I was trying to say, is whether that general sense of forgiveness was universally shared or was there pressure on these stigmatised people to give that impression? Oppenheimer was not an anti nuclear campaigner in the same way as Rotblat, Einstein, Russell and did not sign any significant treaties on the matter. His objection to the Hydrogen bomb seems to have been as much practical as moral ('technologically sweet') so he was never effective or instrumental in working towards a safer future.
I'm not sure if an actual visit to Hiroshima would have altered Oppenheimer's perception that what he helped to achieve was terrible but necessary. Again, the real challenge would for him to have met with survivors and their families. Any 'forgiveness' would only be legitimate coming from these people, certainly not the Japanese government, who side-lined them for years. I watched a few docs and have heard survivor comments on Americans in general but not Oppenheimer in particular.
So, what I was trying to say, is whether that general sense of forgiveness was universally shared or was there pressure on these stigmatised people to give that impression? Oppenheimer was not an anti nuclear campaigner in the same way as Rotblat, Einstein, Russell and did not sign any significant treaties on the matter. His objection to the Hydrogen bomb seems to have been as much practical as moral ('technologically sweet') so he was never effective or instrumental in working towards a safer future.
I'm not sure if an actual visit to Hiroshima would have altered Oppenheimer's perception that what he helped to achieve was terrible but necessary. Again, the real challenge would for him to have met with survivors and their families. Any 'forgiveness' would only be legitimate coming from these people, certainly not the Japanese government, who side-lined them for years. I watched a few docs and have heard survivor comments on Americans in general but not Oppenheimer in particular.
It's unfortunate that Hiroshima was omitted from his itinerary. I think if it had been there, his internal narrative would have shifted greatly.