in the daily papers that not one hair or one particle of dust would be given
to the U. S.3 or the American doctors would not be allowed to see the fishermen
or take a single drop of blood; or that unknown nuclear particles unmeasurable
at present cause the worst medical conditions. As the Japanese public was
continually bouwbarded with such statements, it was kept in a state of hysteria,
terror and resentment.
The normal routine of the average Japanese was disrupted;
fish were radioactive; plants were radioactive; animals were radioactive; and as
late as 24 May 1954, citizens of Hiroshima were warned to stay out of rains
because the water was radioactive.
On 27 March 1954, at an Embassy-sponsored dinner (lir. W. Leonhart, host),
the Japanese proposed for the first time that only the Japanese doctors of
the American team examine the crew. Though this request was immediately acceded
to, it was resented by the Caucasian American doctors, not because of "white
superiority", but because Dr. Morton and Dr. Lewis were the best trained and
most experienced physicians of the American group.
The Japanese by this maneuver
established an anti-white policy; more important, they were lowering American
medical standards to the inferior Japanese medical practices.
With this bitter
concession surrendered, the Japanese continued to block American examination
of the patients.
The reasons given for not permitting the examinations were
the patients were nervous even with their Japanese doctors and the patients
were afraid the Americans would use them "as guirea pigs".
Keiteretion by
Dr. Nekaidzgumi of the anti-Caucasian policy occurred on 29 March; acceding again,
the American team asked when its Japanese doctors could examine the patients. .
His reply was that the Japanese group were meeting in a couple of days and then