B Ta care cwatee § Wittbands AAU Kot ar ed Ne aatbe e b e ” BIKINI . . . continued from page 4 tary of Interior whose department is responsible for the welfare of the Bikini natives. Experts of the scientific survey team and the group of consultants who studied their report agreed that the islands have made a remarkable recovery from the ravages of nuclear testing which ended there in 1958. However, it was also agreed that the islands would have to be cleaned of debris from test operations, vegetative overgrowth removed, coconut trees replanted and provisions made for con- struction of housing and community facilities be- fore any Bikinians are resettled. The resettlement The beach area near the dock on Enyu is bustling with activity as cleanup operations continue. At left is the LSM (Mike boat) which transported inspection party to other islands of Bikini Atoll. Barge is loaded with junk metal that will be dumpedinto the sea. is expected to be gradual as the atoll’s capability to support its people is developed. An estimated 530 persons have land rights on Bikini. About 330 of them are now living on Kili. The Department of Defense and the AEC are handling the job of cleanup and sharingtheinitial cost, this fiscal year. The Departmentof Interior has asked for funds to complete the cleanup and to start the agricultural redevelopment of the islands and resettlement of the natives which will be the responsibility of the Department of In- terior/Trust Territory. This phase may take as long as six years. Overall project cost is estimated at about $3 million. Cleanup is now underway and in late April progress was checked by a party led by Vice Admiral Lloyd M. Mustin, director Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA) in his role as DOD Bikini Project Manager. Others in the group were: Major General Edward H. deSaussure commander Joint Task Force Eight, which is providing most of the men and equipment for the cleanup, Jim Johnson, manager Holmes and Narver Pacific Test Division which is supporting the DOD effort, William Bonnet, Honolulu AEC area office manager, Colonel John Bowen and Lieutenant Colonel William E. McKenzie,-both of DASA headquarters, and Ogle, _ : For four, full days we toured the atoll with Colonel John W. Rawlings, Jr., USAF, com- mander of the JTF8 cleanup force, as our guide. By jeep, foot, Mike boat (LSM) and various combinations of the three we searched out all the old installations. Colonel Rawlings described the The bemb assembly building on Enyu is still in good condition and will be retained for use by the returning Bikintans. 6 cleanup plan for each spot and old Bikini hand Ogle reminisced about what had happened there. The test days camealive for us all. Each spot continued on page 8