Radio Bikini

After WW II the United States were standing at a crossroads. It was the only country in the world that owned atomic bombs. Should the development of this weapon be continued or stopped? A publicity offensive was launched to convince the world of the necessity to continue the course taken. In 1946 the island of Bikini was chosen for this purpose. Two nuclear tests were planned to prove the ingenuity of the American defence industry. The 162 islanders were evacuated and replaced by more than forty thousand soldiers. Hundreds of journalists were invited to witness the explosions. The American army sent 750 (!) cameras, to provide the shots for a propaganda film. Scientists who warned for the consequences of nuclear radiation were not taken seriously.