President Barack Obama this Friday paid a historic tribute to the "silent cry" of the 140,000 victims of the atomic bomb dropped 71 years ago on Hiroshima,Japan and called on the world to abandon "the logic of fear" that encourages the stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

Obama's trip to Hiroshima has made him the first U.S. president to visit the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack, as he sought to honor the dead, while avoiding any sense of apology for an act many Americans see as a justified end to a brutal war that Japan started with their brutal attack at Pearl Harbor.

"Death fell from the sky and the world was changed," Obama said, after he layed a wreath, closing his eyes and briefly bowing his head before an arched stone monument in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park that honors those killed on Aug. 6, 1945. "The flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself."

"We stand here in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell," Obama said. "We force ourselves to feel the dread of children confused by what they see. We listen to a silent cry." "We may not realize this goal in my lifetime but persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe," he said. "We can chart a course that leads to the destruction of these stockpiles."

The visit reminds both nations of the horror that occurred in 1945 when a second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki three days after Hiroshima, killed 70,000 Japanese. The nation of Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, which ended a war that killed millions.

Obama's visit hoped Hiroshima would someday be remembered not as the dawn of the atomic age but as the beginning of a "moral awakening." He renewed his call for a world less threatened by danger of nuclear war. He has received a Nobel Peace Prize in the early years of his presidency for his anti-nuclear agenda.

"Among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them," Obama said.

Obama's visit is seen by many Critics especially the United states and the Japanese as an apology for the bombing that was needed to stop a Japanese war machine that had brutalized Asia and killed many Americans. On the other side, many have praised Obama's decision as they see it as a long overdue gesture for the two nations bury the past and move on for the sake of future generations.

Obama also reminded the people of the past saying it "grew out of the same base instinct for domination or conquest that had caused conflicts among the simplest tribes" — but did not assign blame. With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe standing by his side and an iconic bombed-out domed building looming behind him, While Abe, in his speech, called Obama's visit courageous and long-awaited. He said it would help the suffering of survivors and he echoed the anti-nuclear sentiments. They earlier went to the lobby of the peace museum to sign the guest book: "We have known the agony of war. Let us now find the courage, together, to spread peace, and pursue a world without nuclear weapons," Obama wrote, according to the White House.

"At any place in world, this tragedy must not be repeated again," Abe said. After his remarks, he met with two survivors. Although he was out of ear shot of reporters, Obama could be seen laughing and smiling with 91-year-old Sunao Tsuboi. He was to embrace Shigeaki Mori, 79, another survivor in a hug.

Tsuboi later told reporters he was struck by how Obama held his hand and listened carefully. He told the U.S. president he will be remembered as the one who "listened to the voice of survivors like us."

"You should come visit Hiroshima from time to time and meet lots of people. That is what is important," Tsuboi said.

Obama touched down in Hiroshima after completing talks with world leaders at an international summit in Shima, Japan. He was accompanied by Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Hiroshima's peace park is a poignant place with the skeletal remains of the exhibition hall have become an international symbol of peace and a place for prayer.

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