Received wisdom says the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary to end the Second World War. Paul Ham thinks otherwise. He talks to Tony Maniaty.
Paul Ham (Australian)
Paul Ham is the author of the highly acclaimed Hiroshima Nagasaki and Kokoda, which was shortlisted for the Walkley Award for Non-fiction. He also co-wrote and appeared in the ABC’s two-part documentary based on the Kokoda book. His second book, Vietnam: The Australian war, won the New South Wales Premier’s History Award and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s History Prize, the Walkley Award and the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award. Paul will present an ABC documentary based on Vietnam to be screened in 2012.
Tony Maniaty is senior lecturer in international journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney, and a screenwriter and author. His novels include Smyrna, shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. His most recent non-fiction work is Shooting Balibo, based on his coverage of the East Timor conflict in 1975 and the making of the feature film Balibo in 2008. Tony is currently completing his PhD on the psychological impacts of war reporting, and developing the interactive game Warco.