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With respect to the stories concerning widespread contamination
of tuna and other fish as the result of the tests, the facte do not confirm
them, The only contaminated fish discovered were those in the open
hold of the Japanese trawler, Commissioner Crawford of the U. S.
Food and Drug Administration has advised us: "Our inspectors found
no instance of radioactivity in any shipments of fish from Pacific
waters, Inspections were undertaken as a purely precautionary
measure,... There is no occasion here for public apprehension about
this type of contamination,'"' I should perhaps note that in the waters
around Bikini and Eniwetok at certain seasons of the year, almost
all fish caught are normally poisonous as a result of feeding on
certain seasonally prevalent micro-organisms, and the natives and
our Task Force personnel do not eat them at such times,
In the matter of indemnifying the Japanese, our Government has
informed the Japanese Government that it is prepared to agree to
reimbursement for such financial assistance as the Japanese Government
and our Embassy in Tokyo, jointly, may find necessary as an interim
measure to give to the persons involved for current medical care and
family relief, including wages.
With respect to the apprehension that fall-out radioactivity would
meve toward Japan on the Japanese Current, I can state that any radio-
activity falling into the test area would become harmless within a few
miles after being picked up by these currents which move slowly (less
than one mile per hour) and would be completely undetectible within
500 miles or less,
With respect to a story which received some currency last week
to the effect that there is danger of a fall-out of radioactive material
REPRODUCED AT THE DWIGHT, D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY
in the United States, it should be noted that after every test we have
had and the Russian tests as well there is a small increase in natural
"background" radiation in some localities within the continental United
States, but, currently, it is leas than that observed after some of the
previous continental and overseas tests, and far below the levels which
could be harmful in any way to human beings, animals, or crops. It will
decrease rapidly after the tests until the radiation level has returned
approximately to the normal background,
incident involving the fall-out on inhabited areas was actually a plann
part of the operation. I do not wish to comment on this other than to
characterize it as utterly false, irresponsible, and gravely unjust
to the men engaged in this patriotic service.
Finally, I would say that one important result of these hydrogen
bomb developments has been the enhancement of our military capability
to the point where we should soon be more free to increase our emphasis
on the peaceful uses of atomic power -- at home and abroad,
It will be
a tremendous satisfaction to those who have participated in this program
that it has hastened that day,
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