Since the first use of a nuclear weapon in Hiroshima 71 years ago on Aug. 6, 1945, the story of where the uranium for the bomb came from and the covert operation the U.S. employed to secure it has been little known.

Many of those who still defend President Truman's decision on Hiroshima consider the bombing of Nagasaki three days later completely avoidable, even a crime of war.

How the "Hiroshima narrative" has been handed down to generations of Americans -- and overwhelmingly endorsed by officials and the media, even if many historians disagree -- matters greatly.

“I have been able to build relationships with the survivors, not just listen to their stories," says Ari Beser.