NOVEMBER,1946 THEHIROSHIMA"NEWYORKER" SirM: ayIaddsomethingtoyourcommentontheHiroshima ewNYorker?Theeditorsofthatmagazineimagined,andyou yourselfinyourcommenttakeforgranted,thattheHersey piecewasanindictmentofatomicwarfare.Itsrealeffect, however,wasquitetheopposite.Whatitdidwastominimize theatombombbytreatingitasthoughitbelongedtothe familiarorderofcatastrophesfires,floods,earthquakes whichwehavealwayshadwithusandwhichoffertothe journalist,fromPlinydowntoMr.Hersey,anunparaleled wealthofhumanintereststories,examplesofthemarvelous, andtrue-lifenarrativesofincredibleescapes.Thegrandness ofthedisasterandthesmalnessofthevictimsareidealy suitedtothemethodsofjournalism,whichexaggeratesand foreshortenssimultaneously,Theinterviewwiththesurvivors, (Mrs.MargaretO'Reily,of1810OakStreet,housewife, speaknigtoreporters,said:Whensffirstsmeledsmoke,I threwanoldcoatonandwokethebaby,"etc.)istheclassic tichniqueforreportingsuchevents itserveswelenough togivesomesense,slightlyabsurdbutnonethelesscorrect, S:thecontinuityoflife.ButwithHiroshima,wherethecon- tinuityoflifewas,forthefirsttime,putintoquestion,and byman,theexistenceofanysurvivorsisanirrelevancy,and theinterviewwiththesurvivorsisaninsipidfalsificationof thetruthofatomicwarfare.Tohavedonetheatombomb justice,Mr.Herseywouldhavehadtointerviewthedead. ButofthisMr.Herseyis,bothliterallyandtempera- mentaly,incapable.Heisthe NewYorker's reporter-at-large, notVirgilorDante—helisnothissphere.Yetitisprecisely inthissphere—thatis,inthemo-ralWorld—thattheatom bombexploded.Totreatitjournalisticaly,intermsofmeas- urabledestruction,is,inasense,todenyitsexistence,and thisiswhatMr.Herseyhasaccomplishedforthe NewYorker readers.UptoAugust31ofthisyear,noonedaredthink ofHiroshimaitappearedtousalasakindofholeinhuman history.Mr.Herseyhasfilledthatholewithbusylittle JapaneseMethodists;hehasmadeitfamiliarandsafe,andso, inthefinalsense,boring.Asfortheoriginofthetrouble,the questionofintentionandguiltwhichiswhatmadeHiro- shimamorehorrifying,tosaytheleast,thantheChicago Fire—thebombers,thescientists,thegovernment,appearin thisarticletobeasinadvertentasMrs.O'Leary'scow. Thereisnoquestionthatthe NewYorker's editorsdidnot deliberatelyplantheAugust31issueasananniversarycelebrationoftheatombomb(thoughonewonderswhetherthey werenotcompetingjustalittlewithit inthisjournalistic coupthatalowedasinglearticletoobliteratethecontentsof themagazine).Thepointisthatthe NewYorker cannotbe againsttheatombomb,nomaterhowhardittries,justas itcouldnot,eveninthismoral"emergency,"eliminatethe cigareteandperfumeadvertisingthataccompaniedMr. Herseys' text.Sincethe NewYorker hasnot,sofaraswe know,hadarupturewiththegovernment,thescientists,and theboysinthebomber,itcanonlyassimilatetheatombomb toitself,toWestchesterCounty,tosmokedturkey,andthe HotelCarlyle.("WheneverIstayattheCarlyle, I feellike sendnigitathank-younote,"saysamiddle-agedladyinan advertisement).Itisalloneworld. NEWYORKCITY M A R Y MCCARTHY INFORMALSATURDAYAFTERNOONCLASSIN CREM1VEPAINTING Registration,InformationSaturdaymorning RhysLloyd88East10thStreet,NewYorkCity ElibrdlecaGtnoBianco 367 Politicking Thecostofputingoutthemagazinehasrisensosharply sincelastspringthatwenowfaceaful-fledgedfinancial crisis.Suchofourreadersasfeelmorethanacasualinterest inthefateofPOLITICScanhelpusby: (1)GivingsubscriptionstotheirfriendsforChristmas (seetheadonthebackcover). (2)Sendinginaddressesofbookstoresandnewsstandsin theirhometownswhichmighthandlethemagazineif approachedbyus. (3)Sendinginlistsoflikelypeopleforustocircularize forsubscriptions. (4)AdvertisinginPOLITICS)orgetingotherstodoso. Ourratesare:$90apage,$501/4page,$251/4page,$15 Y8page,$7foranad1inchby3/2inches.Classifiedadsare $1aprintedline(10wordsaverage).(We'llbegladtomail, onrequest,oneormoreofournewratecards.)Ourpresent circulationis5,000,dividedapproximatelyasfolows:paid subscriptions,3,200;newsstandsales,1,400;complimentary subs(mostlytoEurope)andexchangecopies,400. CONTRIBUTORSTOTHISISSUE: GeloandAndrea areFrenchsocialists,maleandfemale,whotookpartinthe Resistance,belongtonoparty.Theyareregularcontributors tOPOLITICS. . . RalphManheim's translationsarewelknown; hehascontributedsatireto"TheNewRepublic"andother magazines. . . WilliamPetersen, recentlydemobilizedafter fouryearsinthearmy,isagraduatestudentattheNew SchoolforSocialResearchinNewYorkCity. . . European isthepen-nameofaneditorandscholarwhotookpartinthe 1905RussianRevolution;hisspecialinterestisByzantineand Helenistichistory;helivesinFrance. . . JamesBlish was trainedasazoologistatRutgers,didgraduateworkatColumbia,servedinthearmyasalaboratorytechnician,andisnow afree-lancewriterandthemanagerofaphonographrecord company.HelivesinNewYorkCity. . . MarshallHodgscm wasaC.O.duringthewar,nowworksasastatisticalclerk; heisagraduatestudentinhistoryattheUniversityof Chicago. Lamenting,inthecurrentissueof PartisanReview, the lackof"commonpresuppositions"amongNewYorkintellectuals,WilliamBarrettcontributestofellow-feelingwith thisilustrationofhisthesis:"Mr.DwightMacdonaldmanages topublishfromtheheartofNewYorkamagazinewhich, foritscrackerboxbluster,wide-eyedidealism,andingenue dogmatism,mightjustaswelbeputoutatsometinywhistle- stopinOklahoma.[ForthebenefitofourEuropeanreaders: a"whistlestop"isavilagesosmallthatthetrainstopsthere onlyoccasionaly.DM]Withoutwishingintheleastto minimizeMacdonald'sextraordinaryaccomplishmentinthis, Idothinkitmustbecleartoanyonethatifthereweresuch athingasaNewYorkintelectualclimate,aNewYork intellectualatmosphereorcurrentofideasif, thatis,the metropolisreallyfunctionedasaculturalcenter—evenhe mightfinditimmenselymoredifficult,perhapsimpossible,to puloffsuchatrick." FlateredthoughIamatthisrecognitionofmyeditorial talents, I findBarrett'soutburstacuriousoneforseveral reasons.Foronething,Poimcsevidentlyirritateshim(and, possibly,hisfelow-editorsonPR)somuchthathecannot evenabuseitaccurately:*blusteranddogmatismare,Isubmit, morecharacteristicof theabovepassageitselfthanof POLITICS;andsincewhenisidealism,whetherwide-eyedor
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