Public Radio East serves Eastern North Carolina by providing news, fine arts, and informational programming that challenges, stimulates, educates, and entertains an intellectually curious audience.

© 2026 Public Radio East

Public Radio East
800 College Court
New Bern, NC 28562

EIN 56-1802728
Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
US

The Man Who Filmed The Aftermath Of Atomic Destruction

NPR
Published May 27, 2016 at 1:11 PM EDT

President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima today, the first American president to do so. Several months after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki an American military film crew shot color footage of the devastated cities.

The film was classified top secret and critics say it was suppressed for decades because it so graphically documented the horror of nuclear war.

Reporter Jon Kalish reports for Here & Now about the man who directed the filming, and the impact it had on him and his family.

More Photos Of Herbert Sussan

Guest

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Herbert Sussan, the television producer who documented the destruction left behind by the atomic bombings in Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Courtesy/The Sussan Family)
/
Herbert Sussan, the television producer who documented the destruction left behind by the atomic bombings in Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Courtesy/The Sussan Family)
A bombed-out building is seen in the aftermath of a U.S. atomic bombing. (Courtesy/The Sussan Family)
/
A bombed-out building is seen in the aftermath of a U.S. atomic bombing. (Courtesy/The Sussan Family)
US