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Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Tokyo firebombings built the ‘permission structure’ for nuclear war

The single bloodiest day of World War II was the firebombing of Tokyo — before atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why isn’t it mourned that way?

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By Madeleine Brand • Sep 2, 2025 • 1 min read

The single bloodiest day of World War II was the firebombing of Tokyo — before atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why isn’t it mourned that way?

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    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

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    Sarah Sweeney

    Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

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    Angie Perrin

    Producer, Press Play

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    Amy Ta

    Digital News & Culture Editor

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    Garrett Graff

    author of “The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb”

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Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand