August 6, 1945. The date would indelibly link Hiroshima, Japan to the harsh contrasts of war and peace.
The anniversary is also the appropriate backdrop of a peace conference — in particular a conference where some of the top university presidents on the planet are gathering to reconsider what a better world looks like.
"Understand and learning from history is a vital part of higher education," said University of Idaho Scott Green. "Collaboration is the best way to meet the challenges ahead."
Moments after the conclusion of the historic conference, Green linked up, from Hiroshima with Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Read the full transcript below.
PRENTICE: Good morning. I'm George Prentice. It is Morning Edition, Idaho's NPR news station. August the 6th. Consider that date for a moment and then consider Hiroshima. This morning we reached to the other side of the globe Japan, specifically Hiroshima, which has a very unique relationship with Idaho. But when we think of Hiroshima, we think about August 6th and our mind and our hearts floods with so many emotions. This morning, University of Idaho President Scott Green joins us from Hiroshima, where it is already evening. President Green, welcome to the broadcast.
GREEN: Great to be with you, George. Thank you.
PRENTICE: Tell us why you're there. It is a fascinating conference that you are participating in.
GREEN: Yes. So I was invited by President Ochi from Hiroshima University to come join a peace conference here. Um, you know, as you point out, we have a fairly, you know, long and, uh, relationship with the city of Hiroshima. Um, actually dating back to post war, uh, the University of Idaho had sent, uh, aid to them that they had asked for. Um, but more recently, um, you know, we've reengaged and, uh, you know, obviously there are a lot of ties here with, uh, uh, with Idaho and particularly with Micron Technology. It has a very large plant here. Uh, so there's a lot of nexus between, um, uh, between Idaho and Hiroshima, interestingly enough.
PRENTICE: What is it like? I have been blessed to have visited Hiroshima once, and I don't know if I've ever been the same. Um, but what is it like on August 6th in Hiroshima?
GREEN: Well, you know, as you can imagine, it's it's a day of reflection and mourning. Um, we, uh, you know, visited the, uh, the memorial yesterday, the, uh, the museum. And, uh, frankly, it's just overwhelming. I think it's something that, um, you have to go through probably more than once to be able to, you know, take it in. Um, it's pretty emotional. Uh, you know, one thing about atomic weapons that is clear. You know, I think we know it intellectually, but, you know, just emotionally, it's it's it's harder when you see it that, um, uh, you know, that these weapons are indiscriminate and they just kill everybody and everything and continue, you know, long after the bomb, you know, the effects of the bomb are gone because of the radiation and the after effects. And, uh, uh, so it's just a very hard thing to, um, you know, get get your mind around.
PRENTICE: All that said, it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
GREEN: Yes, it, uh, it truly is a beautiful city. Um, I have to say, the whole reconstruction effort was was well done. Um. Uh, it's it's really hot here, though. Unseasonably hot this year. So it's been, uh, we haven't enjoyed as much as I think as because we'd like to, but, um, uh, they've they've done an incredible job rising from the ashes. They are resilient people.
PRENTICE: Goodness knows the the planet doesn't have a shortage of peace conferences. But in this particular case, these are university presidents. I'm fascinated by this concept because indeed you have access um, that a lot of world leaders wish they had.
GREEN: We are fortunate and we we are all looking at ways to, you know, work together and help, you know, not not only our own communities, but each other. Because, you know, I think at the end of the day, the way to maintain the peace, of course, is through communication and and working together. Uh, right now, people are carelessly and irresponsibly throwing around the concepts of, you know, nuclear weapons being used. We haven't heard that in 40 years. And and, uh, it's just an unsettling time. So we want to do our part, you know, to, you know, you know, keep the world secure and heading towards nuclear, uh, the elimination of weapons rather than, you know, the constant threatening of using them, uh, them. Recognizing it has to be done within a security framework, of course.
PRENTICE: I think the latest number I saw was that there are some 13,000 nuclear weapons on the planet on any given day. What can a university president do about this?
GREEN: Well, you know, I think that we can we can help educate and expose our, our, our citizens to, you know, what we are learning and seeing here, actually, and learn the lessons of Hiroshima and what these weapons mean. The interesting thing about the ceremony, you know, this morning was, was that not once was the US mentioned, you know, as, as as dropping the bomb. It's not how I believe they are looking at this. They're looking at this as, look, you know, we're at war and war brought this and we need to prevent war and we need to learn the lessons here and prevent these weapons from ever being used again. And I think that's something we can all get behind. Um, you know, it just it makes a lot of sense. But the way to do that obviously is, is hard. Um, you know, one of the speeches today kind of harkened back to the days of Reagan and Gorbachev, you know, getting together and limiting nuclear arms. We're missing that in our world's leaders right now, and we desperately need to get it back. It's a very it's a very dangerous time for for the world.
PRENTICE: Could you talk a little bit more about the U of I's relationship with the Hiroshima University? I know we had a delegation from Hiroshima here, and I think there was a visit to the McCall field campus and Ponderosa Park in McCall, right?
GREEN: Yeah, yeah. You're right. You know, more than, uh, you know, even some of the folks on our campus, uh, it goes back a bit, uh, to a woman named, uh, Keiko Ogura, who, um, was, uh, exposed to the atomic bomb here in Hiroshima as an eight year old. Um, she has spent, you know, most of her life as a worldwide, worldwide advocate for peace. And, uh, she's continued to carry out that mission her entire life. And because of that, we asked her to come speak at the U of I, given our our our long term relationship with Hiroshima. And she did that in her students were so taken by her presentation, they translated a book she had written for children, a picture book from Japanese into English. Uh, and um, and she was so taken by that they visited and presented that that um, she made our the introduction, uh, to Hiroshima University. And that's how we got the invitation. Uh, in the meantime, we also awarded her a doctorate of humane letters for, um, for her peace work. And, uh, uh, and it's been a pretty popular, um, here on local television, uh, her work and, and, uh, they did a documentary on on her getting her doctorate at the University of Idaho.
PRENTICE: University of Idaho President Scott Green joining us live from Hiroshima this morning on a momentous day, an important day, and also a day where he and his fellow educators of the planet are talking about and thinking about tomorrow. Best of luck with the new school year and a very safe journey back to Idaho. And thanks so very much.
GREEN: Thank you George. Appreciate it.
Find reporter George Prentice @georgepren
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