USA Atomverbrechen im Pazifik!
Artist
Designer Unknown
Date1954
Dimensions18 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. (46.4 x 29.2 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.7892
DescriptionOn March 1, 1954, the United States performed its second hydrogen bomb test (the first was on November 1, 1952) on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The weapon was one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb that had destroyed Hiroshima. While authorities had staked out a danger zone approximately the size of New England, based on the previous test, to ensure safety, the blast was more than twice as powerful as predicted, resulting in unexpected fallout on neighboring islands. Local populations soon developed myriad health problems due to radiation exposure. Radioactive ash also fell on the Lucky Dragon, a Japanese fishing boat operating outside the demarcated blast zone. By the time the boat reached its home port two weeks later, all 23 crew members were suffering from radiation sickness. American officials publicly noted that the Marshall Islanders were “well and happy” and that the health issues of the Japanese fishermen were not caused by radioactivity but by undefined chemical activity in the coral reefs. While the United States eventually offered a small amount of monetary compensation to the victims, it has never officially taken responsibility for this event. This (Communist) East German poster features newspaper clippings that underscore the horrific impact of nuclear testing in the Pacific and note the growing threat of nuclear research in (capitalist) West Germany. In reality, as a result of World War II, both West and East Germany were forbidden to develop nuclear weapons programs.
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