40305 1 CEMCUTRINCES os Department of Energy Pacific Area Support Office PO. Box 29939 Honolulu, Hawaii 96820. syusouw PIO INITIALS/ BIG. HUB, DATE JUN 41973 © 644 syuweo. PIR miTiALe/@G, W. J. Stanley, Director Pacific Area Support Office NIS/_ DATE TRIP REPORT =~ MAJURO, KILI, JALUIT ; | - RTS. Background SYMBOL INITIALS /BSIG, aa On May 12, 1979, I traveled to Majuro to assist the BNL Medical and Whole Body Counting teams and to represent DOE in meet ings with Marshall Islands Government officials. ATG. BYMBOL _———— On May 14, Roger Ray and I met with President Amata Kabua and the initTiace/miG, Marshalls people felt they were not getting all the facts from the DATE Ministers of State. U.S, The President seemed disturbed that the Government as to health problems due to radiation. He cited * "57 thyroid problems” in Likiep and made vague references to an RTG, BYMBOL ATG. G6TMBOL official U.S. document which showed high levels of radiation in Bikar and Bokar in the Northern Marshalls. He also said that the birds there were dying and had very little body weight. The Bikar-Bokar news was rather shocking to us and Roger pointed — out that the birds were so thick on Bikar that the helicopters had to fly higher than usual to prevent them from getting caught in the blades. wee General assurances were given that there were no indica- TMITIALS/ BIG. tions of high levels at Bikar or Likiep and that more complete The President also was upset in that he somehow felt that having us meeting the Board of Tobolar (the copra processing plant) and discussing sample taking, could damage the reputation of the plant because the buyers of their oil and copra cake might be scared off Roger assured by the thought of Bikini copra being processed there. ‘him and the Cabinet. that our only interest was to understand the | process so it could be closely duplicated in the laboratory, and that we wanted to be completely above board in that regard. (A later conversation between the President and myself indicated that_the emotional aspect of Bikini copra and the potential impact on their market if it was somehow associated with the Tobolar plant, blotted out this explanation.) REPOSITORY COLLECTION " OFFICIAL ee FILE“copy] ta Ba ' a i a sina |i on Lt ee i . ‘ove FORM AD-9 t29)] ari 7 Pla ~~ q CO ernena —e— . a a ee an ee Oe eeee ey data would be available in the fall of 1979. ae ~~ ew ee RTG. ATG. S£Y@O8OL TNITIALS/SIG. ATG. SYMBOL inmiTiaALs/S1G. Dot/Paso DOELav JAB + , BOX NO. AAWAL LStAnes Foti #A. EY LZFS-— 22 FOLDER GEUCRAL COdheSoa ENO