Even though the most horrific event of the 20th Century had taken place many hours earlier, no word of it having taken place was mentioned. August 6th, 1945 was seemingly just another day in World War 2 as far as this newscast was concerned.
With that in mind, the news seems chillingly ironic with reports from the Pacific of routine B-29 raids over Japan and speculation over an upcoming invasion of the Japanese mainland based on General MacArthur’s opinion that the Pacific war could never be won on Air strikes alone. That the news from Tokyo reported overnight raids by squadrons of Mustangs, but nothing else.
Reports from Europe talked about the continuing War Crimes trial of Marshall Petain in Paris and postwar conditions, including the British rail strike threatening to paralyze that country. Black market scandals surfacing with tea and canned milk supplies showing up in the streets of London and not with troops in France.
From Washington, news that controversial Senator Hiram Johnson had died. Debates on postwar policy and our role in the United Nations and mention of a peacetime draft.
And no mention of an Atomic Bomb in the news for this day in August, 1945, as broadcast by The CBS World News Roundup.
