Bombshell | Full Documentary | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:37:17 +0000

#History #Documentary #Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, a revolutionary new weapon destroyed Hiroshima, a Japanese city of 300,000 inhabitants. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. America’s secret super-weapon was lauded for bringing about victory in the Pacific and ending World War II. President Truman’s official announcement included half-truths that shaped the government’s official narrative: “Sixteen hours ago, an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese army base.” In fact, the bomb was aimed at Hiroshima’s city center for maximum psychological effect; the army base on its outskirts escaped much damage.

Eighty years after the devastating atomic bombings that ushered in the nuclear age, BOMBSHELL explores how the U.S. government manipulated the narrative about the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Through propaganda, censorship and the co-opting of the press, the government presented a benevolent picture of atomic power, minimizing the horrific human toll. BOMBSHELL sheds light on the efforts of a group of intrepid reporters to let the world know the truth.

Official Website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ameri....canexperience/films/ | #AmericanExperiencePBS

© 2025 WGBH Educational Foundation

00:00 Prologue
04:05 The race to build an atomic bomb
08:14 The Manhattan Project
10:46 William Leonard Laurence
12:36 Journalists at war
15:21 Secret cities
19:23 The story of the century
23:26 Eyeing victory in Japan
27:01 The Trinity test
32:16 The dangers of radiation
39:10 The bomb’s aftermath
43:34 The Black press
45:59 Raising the alarm
56:45 Radiation disease
59:07 Challenging the official story
1:02:51 John Hersey
1:06:59 Telling the story
1:09:35 The New Yorker Hiroshima issue
1:13:13 “The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb”
1:19:07 Conclusion

This program is made possible by viewers like you.
Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate

Subscribe to the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/Amer....icanExperiencePBS?su

Enjoy full episodes of your favorite AMERICAN EXPERIENCE shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR

FOLLOW AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanExperiencePBS/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AmericanExperiencePBS/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@americanexperiencepbs