Postwar Japan saw many war orphans and vagrant children; the largest number of such children, named “A-bomb orphans,” were born in Hiroshima Prefecture. The Moral Adoption project (1949–1959) was a campaign in which Americans “morally adopted” “A-bomb orphans” in Hiroshima, donating $2.25 per month for foster care expenses and sending the children letters. The campaign was proposed by Norman Cousins (1915–1990), the editor of the Saturday Review of Literature (SRL). This study examines how the Moral Adoptions project developed and ended, regarding the circumstances of the people in Hiroshima, including the orphanages where the orphans lived; those in the United States (U.S.) who provided assistance; the advocates; and the organizations that managed the funds. The study further considers the records of the movement’s beginnings, reactions, and operations, both in Japan and the U.S. Using letters sent to Cousins, the process leading up to the end of the movement revealed the weak financial management system and differences in the initial plans for the project, with the Hiroshima side requesting assistance for higher education and the U.S. side aiming to create a “parent-child” mentality. Additionally, using these letters, articles from the SRL magazine, and reports by General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers as historical documents, this study clarifies the reality of orphans who had been relegated to the background of postwar educational history, not only in policy documents and media records, but also in records that describe different perceptions existing in both Japan and the U.S.
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