By Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/5/24 – The history books tell in graphic detail about the destruction heaped upon Japan at the end of the Second World War by the dropping of two nuclear bombs on that country.
What those history books do not tell you about is the cost those bombs exacted on this country. It doesn’t even mention the hundreds of Americans who died as a result of the development and testing of these two bombs, The story of the first bomb, the Trinity Bomb that was detonated as part of the Manhattan Project was the successful test that led to the two devices used in Japan, is barely discussed.
And there is a very good reason for that: The U.S. Government has been covering up the unintended results of that bomb – the deaths of those hundreds of civilians and the subsequent health problems suffered by their families who were contaminated by the fallout from that device.
They are known as “downwinders,” and their stories largely have been ignored or outright denied. Until now, that is. “First We Bombed New Mexico” exposes the gripping untold story of multigenerational cancers and abandonment suffered by local communities in New Mexico since the 1945 Trinity Bomb detonation in their state.
The documentary film, produced by Lois Lipman and featuring inspiring New Mexico Hispanic cancer survivor Tina Cordova, will be making its West Coast premiere on Monday at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
“First We Bombed New Mexico” had its World Premiere in New Mexico at the Santa Fe International Film Festival, where it was honored with the 2023 Audience Choice Best Competition Documentary. Later in October, it screened at the Austin International Film Festival, where it was the Winner of the Documentary Feature Jury Award.
Lipman and Cordova, who have catalyzed a movement seeking compensation for families – mostly Hispanic and Native – who suffer multigenerational cancers tied to that bomb – and who continue to be ignored, sat down for an exclusive chat with “The Hollywood Times,” and talked about the film.
Click below to see our exclusive interview:
Cordova said she believes the reason it has taken so long for this story to come to light is because our government is reticent to admit what it did.
“I believe it’s very difficult for our government and the people in it to admit that in the process of developing the nuclear device and using it to stop the war – which is what they said the goal was – I believe they have a very difficult time admitting that they harmed American citizens, that they killed American babies because American babies died afterward,” she said.
“I think that’s a very difficult thing to admit to, but that is the truth and that is what happened, and the only way that we will ever get past this history is if we finally admit what took place, fully admit what took place, acknowledge the harm that was done and atone for that harm.”
For decades, we have heard stories of the absolute destruction the Fat Man and Little Boy bombs inflicted upon the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. But no one ever told us about the pain and destruction the Trinity Bomb heaped upon our citizens.
“Imagine how horrible it was, what took place in Japan,” Cordova said. “To admit now also in advance of that, that you also bombed American citizens, that is a real harsh reality for our government to admit to.”
It is only within the last several years that the government has admitted what happened. But beyond that admission, there has been little to no acceptance of responsibility.
“What’s odd right now,” Cordova said, “is they’re not even denying any longer that they harmed us, and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is an admission of the harm that was done to American citizens during the buildup and the nuclear arms race.
“That’s an admission in itself. They’re not even denying that any longer. What they are saying is – and this is what makes it even more immoral, actually – is that ‘we don’t want to put resources towards taking care of this mess.’ “
This reality is hard to swallow for those affected by this generation-spanning tragedy.
“I keep saying we live in a democracy based on rules, law and order, and you and I could not go about recklessly harming people, because it was reckless what they did here, it was entirely reckless … and then when we are held to account for it say we’re not going to put our resources toward taking care of the mess we made,” Cordova said.
“We would never get away with that. That makes this shockingly immoral. And that’s where we are today. Members of Congress say it’s going to cost too much to do this … Imagine the insult to our injury that that adds. It’s just immoral.”
Lipman pointed out that New Mexico is home to two of the nation’s nuclear labs and the only place where we store nuclear waste.
“The state of New Mexico has a unique position that isn’t talked about, ” Lipman said. “It is the heartbeat of the nuclear arms industry. It’s where the uranium was mined, it’s where the bombs were developed, it’s where they were made, it’s where they were detonated. And now they are going to expand … it’s called modernizing it … they are putting billions into modernizing this same bomb. And there are a lot of interests involved with this billion-dollar nuclear industry, and it doesn’t serve their interests to expose the harm that also comes out of this industry.”
Indeed, New Mexico has a “cradle-to-grave” process involved in its nuclear weapons industry, and that means it has a lot of working parts.
“There’s a lot of employment associated with that, there’s a lot of industry associated with that, there’s a lot of big business associated with that,” Cordova said. “So, many people believe you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. You just don’t discuss the hard truths about what that means.”
Cordova has been at the forefront of a movement to reshape the narrative surrounding the Trinity Bomb’s impact on New Mexico, an 18-year-long fight to reinforce to people that the reason they have health issues is because of this industry. Before that, she said people just didn’t talk about it.
“At one of the very first town hall meetings we ever held about this, a woman said, ‘You’re not going to be satisfied until they shut down the Air Force base’ … and I said that will never happen. We cannot let that shape how we actually deal with the negative health consequences we all are seeing in our families.”
One might think the admission by the government that Americans were killed, and generations of citizens have had their health negatively impacted by the Trinity Bomb test might be the first step in making amends.
AP Photo/File
You would be wrong. Officials on both sides of the aisle are saying the resources just do not exist to make this right. Cordova said that is complete and total nonsense.
“When they say we don’t have the resources, they’re lying to begin with, because we DO have the resources,” she said. “I think it was (Missouri) Senator (Josh) Hawley who pointed out on the Senate floor this year, we’re going to give the Pentagon $32 billion more than they asked for … but they won’t take care of American children who are dying? It’s just immoral.”
“First We Bombed New Mexico” will screen initially on Monday in Palm Springs at 8:30 p.m. at Camelot Theatres, followed by a Q&A moderated by David Ansen. The encore screenings will be Tuesday, at 1:45 p.m. at Palm Canyon, and Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at Regal Palm Springs.