SESSION VII
.
355
CONARD: Which would be in contrast to the situation in this country, if we had a sudden atomic war; we would still have in the f{ringe
areas many medical personnel and supplies available. The situation
is not exactly comparable in that respect.
WARREN: You will recall their policy of putting a million new men
a year in the field equipped and supplied. This included all of the
necessary accessory military and medical equipment and fuel. The
home front began to gag and then the military support bezan to suffer.
In the last year they could not do this and caused a very severe
crisis, so that there was a minimum and in many places no replacement of supplies including medical instruments and medical supplies.
Part of this was due not to the amount of damage to their cities but
because they had no more imports of steel and aluminum and they had
stripped all the bannisters and all the statues and everything that had
metal. The only thing that didn't go was the bic statue of Buddha and
things like that, but even the shrines were deficient in metal.
BRUES:
When 1 was there in the second winter they had ot re-
placed the glass in the hospital windows in Hiroshima becaus: of the
cost in fuel of making glass.
WARREN:
BRUES:
Fuel was very scarce.
Yes.
EISENBUD:
WARREN:
EISENBUD:
Hiroshima has a fairly mild climate, which is helpful.
Yes.
In contrast,
let's say,
to the northeast United States
where in the wintertime you would have problems that the Japanese
didn't have, even in Tokyo.
BRUES:
Yes.
WARREN:
Tokyo gets pretty cold.
EISENBUD: Tokyc gets pretty cold but they don't have the heavy
storms that we get; subzero weather.
WARREN:
No.