Joe O’Donnell, the hero of American and world journalistic photography has passed. I was privileged to attend his memorial service in Nashville invited by his wife Kimiko.
It took me few days to contemplate his life and art, to pull myself together and write few words.
We all know his famous images, most of us know the iconic image shot in 1963 where little John Kennedy is saluting his father’s coffin; some remember a historical photograph of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill at Tehran conference in 1943. But very few have seen the most striking images made by Joe O’Donnell while in Hiroshima and Nagasaki soon after the nuclear blasts.
And here is the most astonishing and disturbing part . An insult. Not to Mr. O’Donnell though; no one is able to insult the icon. But to the American public. To the generations which grew up in the time of peace and prosperity. And the insult was delivered by our prominent educational and research institute, the Smithsonian! In 1995, the Smithsonian exhibited the Enola Gay, the B-29 that had bombed Hiroshima and Joe O’Donnell’s images were supposed to demonstrate the bombs’ horrific effects on the civilian population and the environment. The images that were a mirror of truth in its purest. And our famed educational extension of the “truth”, the Smithsonian, did cave in, apparently to the veteran groups objecting to the images and the commentary as being…. “unbalanced”! Unbalanced?!!! The truth and facts were unbalanced? The truth is a truth. The facts are facts. Except in “1984″. And 1995. And now, since 2001.
The images from Hisroshima were removed, all images of “body bags” are prohibited, the most essential and close to anyone truth is forbidden. Anything that could possibly disturb this fine net of “success” and victory over “evil-doers” is off limits!
Our relation to the history is a tier-structured phenomenon. They are those who learn by reading the reliable sources, those who are close to the events, those who participate in the history in making and those who make history. In case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the last group, the innocent civilians, the recipients of that well tailored and executed attack , perished in a split second swallowed by quite neutral technology in the hands of goal-driven individuals, those are long gone. Joe O’Donnell was in the very next and small group of those who participated in history-making events, witnessed the aftermath and willingly suffered the long-term consequences of radiation. People like Joe, very few and far between, have not recorded history for laurels or money. They follow their hearts and deep responsibility for humanity, for all of us, for our children and beyond. To suppress their work and their feelings is nothing short of deception, thin propaganda, open lies. Withholding the evidence is a crime. Withholding the truth by allegedly “reputable” and “educational” national institution is all the above plus disgrace.
I hope, in my heart, that Joe O’Donnell’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki work, the truth captured by the lens his camera, prism of his imagination and humanity, the horror of unleashed energy and unrestrained rulers, will be made into a world-wide exhibition. And I have a reason to believe that this monumental show for peace will not be allowed to be hosted by the Smithsonian.
Filed under: Hiroshima, Joe O'Donnell, art
Thank you for writing this.
How do we go about getting these photo seen?
The Hiroshima/Nagasaki exibition is in Japan at this time. However, The Arts Company in Nashville will display these photographs in November 2007. It will be a great chance not only to see the history but also talk to Kimiko, late Joe O’Donnell’s wife.
Sadly, Mr. O’Donnell claimed, BUT DID NOT ACTUALLY TAKE those famous images you describe: ” the iconic image shot in 1963 where little John Kennedy is saluting his father’s coffin; some remember a historical photograph of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill at Tehran conference in 1943.”
The John-John salute is by Stan Stearns; the second by an Acme Newspictures photographer. Mr. O’Donnell’s obit appeared in the New York Times 8/14; the Times corrected the photo credits on 9/5 and will soon publish the true story of Joe O’Donnell, which upon careful study, is full of fantasy – his personal “chat” with Truman about the A-bomb, his “candid” shot of JFK in the rocking chair; his claiming dozens of photos that in the past three weeks of intensive investigation have been proved to have been shot by other photograpers. Sad, since the family has lost a father and a husband.
I am grateful to Gary for his comments. It is our duty to make sure the history is not a reflection of our ambitions and desires but simple truth and facts. More detailed information is available in yesterday’s NYT.
As sad as it is, I realize that Joe’s family, most likely, was unaware of the facts and should not be subjected to the negative fallout of the story.
From the historical point of view, I want to see the Hiroshima/Nagasaki images regardless of the controversy.
I will continue my full support of Kimiko, Joe’s wife,