Worldweek | Accusation of "Whispers" | Remembrance of Navajo People Suffering from Nuclear Tests | Uranium Mine | Accusation of Navajo People in the United States

August 6th and 9th, respectively, are the 78th anniversary of the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The United States, which had dropped atomic bombs on Japan, is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war so far.

Recently, director Nolan's first biographical film "Oppenheimer" is being released in North America, with the protagonist being the "father of atomic bombs" in the United States, Oppenheimer. When people immerse themselves in the heroic aura of the movie protagonist, they seem to forget that in another "American blockbuster" called "The Whisperer," the Navajo people, as communication soldiers, used the Navajo language to weave a new set of codes that the Japanese could not decipher, making a special contribution to the victory on the Pacific battlefield.

After the release of Oppenheimer, it was accused by the Navajo people, and a little-known "dark history" outside of a film by the US government was also revealed.

Oppenheimer, American physicist and technical director of the Manhattan Project.

On July 16, 1945, the day before the Potsdam Conference, President Truman of the United States, who was attending, received a confidential domestic telegram stating that "a child was born.". At 5:29 am on the same day, the first atomic bomb made of plutonium was detonated at the Alamogodo Desert Test Site in New Mexico, USA, marking the first successful nuclear test in human history, codenamed "Trinity.".

Manhattan Project scientist Philip Morrison: I was at the headquarters ten miles away, and what I remember most clearly was not the expected light, not the mushroom clouds that lit up in the sky, not even the thunder on the mountains, but the primitive heat brought by the sudden burst of summer sunshine in the dark desert ten miles away.

The "small tool" atomic bomb detonated in the "trinity" nuclear test had a TNT equivalent similar to the "chubby" atomic bomb dropped in Nagasaki.

The existence of nuclear weapons has led the world into an era of nuclear arms race.

On March 1, 1954, the United States detonated a hydrogen bomb codenamed "Cheer Castle" on the Bikini Atoll during a nuclear test operation called "Operation Crossroads". The radioactive fallout from the nuclear explosion contaminated the Japanese deep-sea fishing ship "Fifth Fukushima Maru" that was fishing nearby.

After returning to Japan, relevant departments analyzed the "post explosion ash" on fishing boats and found out that it was a new type of hydrogen bomb developed by the United States. As a result, the fact that the United States was developing secret weapons and nuclear weapons was exposed. Six months later, the oldest wireless communication worker among the 23 crew members, Aiji Nagoyama, died of acute radiation sickness.

For this period of history, American media rarely mentions it.

But now, in the United States, there are also voices of victims accusing.

Bou Van Neglen: To provide basic services for the Navajo people, we need water, we need roads.

Bou Van Neglen is the chairman of the Navajo reservation, the largest surviving Native American community in North America.

Recently, he published an article in Time magazine stating that Oppenheimer did not tell our story: the Navajo people who suffered from nuclear testing, accusing the film of not restoring the complete history.

Many people know the Navajo people through the 2002 movie "The Whisperer".

On the Pacific battlefield during World War II, American telegrams were often intercepted and deciphered by the Japanese army.

In order to improve intelligence security, the US military recruited Navajo people with a unique language system as communication soldiers and used Navajo language to compile a set of passwords that the Japanese army could not decipher. They are called "wind whisperers".

After the Battle of Iwo Jima, Howard Connor, the communications commander of the US Marine Corps Fifth Division, lamented, "If it weren't for the Navajo people, the US Navy would never have captured Iwo Jima."

However, after the end of World War II, what awaited the Navajo people was not the treatment of "American heroes", but the anger and despair under the "nuclear shadow".

In the 1940s, in order to develop nuclear power, the US government hired private companies to conduct large-scale uranium mining on the Navajo reservation.

Many Navajo people are hired to work in mines, blasting, excavating, and transporting brownish yellow uranium ore. They are not informed of radiation risks and do not have any radiation protection measures.

Larry, a former uranium miner from the Navajo tribe: I breathe dust, mine dust, uranium mine dust.

Tailings usually refer to the remaining tailings after the ore extracted from a mine is processed and useful minerals are selected from it. Mine tailings have always been one of the difficult issues to deal with.

Between 1944 and 1986, the US government extracted nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore from the Navajo reservation.

After the US Atomic Energy Commission stored enough uranium, the uranium mining company packed up and left the Navajo people with only abandoned mines and factories, many of which were not safely disposed of.

Hood, a former uranium miner from the Navajo tribe: The mound you see there looks like a small hill.

This is not a natural hill, but a pile of waste left by uranium mining.

Morgan, an anti uranium mining worker from the Navajo tribe: These wastes may drift around and enter the water.

This is an abandoned uranium mine located in the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, which was closed as early as 1968, leaving only some abandoned buildings and radioactive tailings.

American environmental expert Shuyi: People and animals often come here, mainly children coming to play. Footprints of people and animals are everywhere, and the eastern fence is completely covered by tailings. People were not informed of what was inside, and the Ministry of Energy did not take any measures to restrict people from entering.

Some even use uranium mine waste when building houses.

Research has shown that living in the vicinity of uranium mines for a long time increases the risk of cancer and birth defects in newborns.

Morgan, an anti uranium mining worker in Navajo: We raise livestock and animals. If the soil, water, and plants are polluted, they will also be polluted. We can also be contaminated through ingestion and other means.

Eddie Hood used to work at a uranium mine and said that since the establishment of the mine, many strange things have happened in the area.

Eddie Hood, a former uranium miner from the Navajo tribe: We were going to slaughter a sheep, and it seemed like the whole community was there. Everyone was there, and the butcher cut open the sheep. The sheep's fat was yellow, something we had never seen before.

In the 1960s, cases of lung cancer began to appear among the Navajo people, and this disease was almost non-existent in this indigenous reservation. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the incidence rate of cancer among Navajo people doubled.

Eddie Hood, a former uranium miner from the Navajo tribe: Just as I was about to start my teaching career and obtain my teaching qualification certificate, I was diagnosed with cancer.

Expert Campbell from the Center for Health Sciences at the University of New Mexico: There is ample evidence to suggest that the incidence of lung diseases, including lung cancer and interstitial lung disease, has been high in this region over the past three to four decades.

The movie "Oppenheimer" was released in North America on July 21st, just five days after the 44th anniversary of the Church Rock uranium mine leak.

Larry, a former uranium miner from the Navajo tribe: I heard people talking about it. Have you seen the mine? Have you seen the dam? I looked in that direction and saw a huge gap.

On July 16, 1979, in the town of Chapel Rock, New Mexico, a dam failure occurred in the tailings treatment pool of a uranium processing plant operated by the United States Nuclear Industries Group. A total of 1100 tons of nuclear waste and 94 million gallons of radioactive wastewater entered the Pulco River. This river is the main source of water for some Navajo people who live along the river.

A government report shows that the radioactive levels in the Pulco River at that time were over a thousand times higher than drinking water standards.

This is the largest radioactive material leak in US history, more severe than the Three Mile Island nuclear leak that occurred four months ago.

However, the New Mexico Independent noted that American media reported less on the "Church Rock uranium mine leak" than on the "Three Mile Island nuclear leak".

A newspaper at the time wrote: The population in the area is sparse, and the leak incident will not immediately cause health hazards.

In a Navajo community with about 100 residents, there was no warning of contaminated drinking water even a few days after the leak occurred.

Larry, a former uranium miner from the Navajo tribe: I am certain that we have been drinking contaminated water from the beginning.

Children of the Navajo ethnic group play in polluted river water, and the drinking water for livestock also comes from radioactive aquifers. Along with it came cancer, miscarriages, and many strange diseases, all of which were unfortunate direct consequences of the United States' struggle for nuclear hegemony—— Navajo reserved landlord Sinigren

After the leak incident, the companies involved and federal agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency evaded responsibility. Three months after the accident, only one percent of radioactive solid waste was cleared.

This is in stark contrast to the US government's response to the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.

Former US President Carter inspected the site of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, and the cleanup work quickly began. The main affected areas nearby were the white community, who received compensation.

The amount of radiation leaked from the Church Rock uranium mine was three times that of the Three Mile Island accident, but the Navajo people received almost no compensation. The largest radioactive material leak in American history that occurred on Indigenous reservations was selectively overlooked.

Navajo hydrogeologist Aviso: I always wonder, how can you enter someone else's house and make a mess without caring or planning to clean it up?

Navajo environmental activist Louis: They don't treat us like humans, we seem to be disposable at any time.

In recent years, the Navajo people have intensified their efforts to urge the government to remove all 760000 cubic meters of radioactive uranium contaminated waste from Navajo land. In the end, the US government decided to clean up 200 out of 524 registered abandoned uranium mines within the Navajo community. However, it is still unknown when the remaining 300 abandoned uranium mines will be cleared.

The historical legacy of uranium mining on Navajo land is a permanent stain on the relationship between the United States and Native Americans—— Navajo reserved landlord Sinigren

Nowadays, in addition to nuclear pollution, the people living on the Navajo reservation also face long-term water difficulties. About one-third of the indigenous people have no running water in their homes and have to drive for hours every day to fetch water from water points.

Henry Wilson left early again, which was something he had to do every day for the past 20 years, to fetch water for his family.

Every car here represents a Navajo family without running water.

After queuing for 90 minutes, it was finally Wilson's turn to fetch water.

This 325 gallon water storage bucket is only enough for his family of ten to use for one day. Today's water pumping trip took Wilson about three hours.

The Navajo people have been fighting for their water rights for 20 years.

In March of this year, Navajo people appealed to the United States Supreme Court, demanding the right to use Colorado River water resources.

On June 22, the Supreme Court rejected the request of the Navajo people.

For a moment, public opinion on the internet was boiling.

Some netizens believe that this ruling by the Supreme Court is filled with a strong "racist" color, "without correcting systematic racial discrimination, the United States will never be able to break free from past racism."

Nawajo representative Negren: We are very disappointed, but this cannot stop us from continuing to fight for our water rights.

In the United States, it is not just the Navajo people who cannot heal the pain.

The settlement of the Shoshone tribe of Native Americans, stretching from Death Valley in eastern California to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, is known as the "most frequently bombed place on Earth by atomic bombs.".

A study shows that since the 1950s, over a period of more than 40 years, the US government has conducted a total of 928 nuclear tests in the Shoshone tribal area, producing approximately 620000 tons of radioactive fallout, which is nearly 48 times the amount produced by the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion in Japan.

Former US Congressman Maxison: Within the scope of radioactive fallout, Native American residents have clearly been overlooked. The government puts people's lives at risk in the name of developing nuclear weapons.

In 1863, the US government signed the Treaty of Ruby Valley with the Shoshone tribe, granting them the right to operate railways and mine minerals in the tribal areas on the condition of paying $5000 worth of goods annually for 20 years.

However, after paying the first installment, the US government never paid the remaining amount and instead exercised federal management rights on this land. that is