Oliver Stone to reveal ‘disturbing facts’ on A-bombings during Japan visit via The Asahi Shinbun

U.S. movie director Oliver Stone, who is scheduled to visit Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa Prefecture for the first time in August, said he plans to reveal “disturbing findings” on the U.S. atomic bombings and other historical facts during his stay in Japan.

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Last year, Stone produced a TV documentary series, “The Untold History of the United States,” which depicts contemporary U.S. history, ranging from the 1930s to the inauguration of President Barack Obama, from an alternative perspective.

He wrote the series jointly with Peter Kuznick, 65, associate professor of history at American University.

The documentary series consists of 10 episodes, one of which is devoted entirely to the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

According to the episode, many officials in the Truman administration were opposed to the idea of dropping nuclear weapons on Japan. The episode also took the position that it was possible to force Japan to surrender without the use of the atomic bomb. Despite the misgivings, the U.S. government used the weapons.

Revealing the process that led to the decision to drop the bombs, Stone cast doubts on the generally accepted U.S. position that the bombings were necessary to end the war and that they prevented the need to invade mainland Japan with conventional forces and, as a result, saved many lives.

[…]As for the purpose of visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Stone said, “I’m looking forward to meeting with atomic bomb survivors and listening to their experiences. … Peter and I hope to reach as much of the Japanese public as possible with the disturbing findings of ‘The Untold History of the United States.’ ”

Concerning Okinawa, Stone said, “I’m visiting Okinawa because the Okinawan people are in the forefront of the civil struggle against militarism and colonialism, having suffered centuries of oppression by Japan and 70 years of military occupation by the United States.”

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Q: Is it your first visit to Okinawa as well? What do you expect to see in Okinawa? What do you think your experience will be like in Okinawa, at this point?

A: Yes, this is my first time. I’m visiting Okinawa because the Okinawan people are in the forefront of the civil struggle against militarism and colonialism, having suffered centuries of oppression by Japan and 70 years of military occupation by the U.S. I expect to hear from Okinawans about what they have gone through living with foreign military bases, and I intend to show solidarity with their powerful movement, which is an inspiration to anti-base forces everywhere.

Q: The Japanese government wants to make the procedure for constitutional revision easier and wants to revise its Article 9, the war renunciation clause. What do you think of this move?

A: It is up to the people of Japan to decide what to do with their own Constitution. We are having enough trouble right now fighting to preserve the U.S. Constitution from government officials who want to tear it up in the name of national security. I can only say from an American perspective that it will be a very dangerous path for Japan to change its Constitution if that means strengthening military ties with the United States and engaging in more joint military operations with the U.S. Do the Japanese really want to be pulled into more U.S. wars? I strongly doubt it.

Read the whole article and excerpts of the interview at  Oliver Stone to reveal ‘disturbing facts’ on A-bombings during Japan visit

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