Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Obama, the Bomb and Memories of War

    Seventy-one years later, the first sitting US President visits Hiroshima, not to apologize, but to call attention to the threat nuclear warfare still poses. President Obama's historic visit has been warmly received by many Japanese, including some survivors of the atomic bomb dropped on the city 71 years ago.

    • rss
    • Share
    KCRW placeholderBy Barbara Bogaev • May 27, 2016 • 1 min read

    Seventy-one years later, the first sitting US President visits Hiroshima, not to apologize, but to call attention to the threat nuclear warfare still poses. President Obama's historic visit has been warmly received by many Japanese, including some survivors of the atomic bomb dropped on the city 71 years ago.

    But the trip's been controversial here at home. Some survivors say it's not enough. Some war veterans say it's too much, and that dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was needed to achieve peace quickly. Does a call for a nuclear­free world ring true when it comes from a President who is upgrading America's nuclear arsenal and has presided over the nation's longest wars? We look back and ahead.

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    Will Obama's Visit to Hiroshima Ease 70 Years of Nuclear Fallout?
    1. 1:53Obama, the Bomb and Memories of WarYou’re reading this
    2. 43:43A New Way of Getting the Right Information from a Suspect
    • KCRW placeholder

      Barbara Bogaev

      radio journalist

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sáša Woodruff

      Producer, 'To the Point'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Robin Harding

      Financial Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Richard Rhodes

      Atomic Heritage Foundation

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sascha Jansen

      Civilian POW survivor

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    Will Obama's Visit to Hiroshima Ease 70 Years of Nuclear Fallout?
    1. 1:53Obama, the Bomb and Memories of WarYou’re reading this
    2. 43:43A New Way of Getting the Right Information from a Suspect
    Back to To the Point