ihe f-lL. ine cly..nce of events illusotrst:s 5 ro ef the dis*icnltics
“2 have had:
(1)
On March 31 we read in one of the Tokyo English language news- -
papers of two fishing vessels that were contaminated. The Embassy called
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who reported the following information by
telephone:
(a)
The Koei Meru, then at the port of isaki, was at 9 degrees,
22 minutes north, 178 degrees, 19 minutes cast on March 1, The surface
of the ship was re ading 2hl3 ccunts per minute, the catch 155 counts per
minute and the men 500 counts per minute.
ing a decision as to their safety.
(o)
The fish had been impounded avait-
The ityojiim Meru was at Shicgone.
On March 1 it wes at 29
Cegrees, 8 minutes north, 177 degrecs, 19 minutes east, The surface of
the ship wes reading 50 to 00 counts per minute, the fish 56 to 8) counts
er minute, end the crew hO to 90 counts per minute,
(2)
The Embassy infcrmed the !���inistry of “elfare of my interest in see-
ing the ships and fish and told them a spscial plene would be evailable to
fly me to the two ports. The Foreign office was requested to errenge for
access to the vessels and was invited to send whccver they wished to desteg-
nate with re cn this trip.
of April 2,
(3)
.
A flight vas scheduled for early on the morning
&rcund noon on April 1 the Foreign Ministry called the Enbassy
and sdvised that the ityojiim Ueru had left Shiogone that mcrning, that its
destinetion vas not knovm, end thet the fish hed been disposed of in en
unknown manner.
The Enbessy informed the Forcign Ministry thet, tris be-
ing the casé, ve would limit our trip to iliscki.
(1)
Fu cn the efternoon of /pril 1 the Frreign Ministry again
4t
called to inform the Embassy that the Koei Maru had left the port of lisaki
cne hour befcre to dump its contaminated catch 2t sea. The Fnbassy asked
the roreign Jinistry to call the vessel back inasmuch as it was only scne
hour off port but the Japenese stated this could not be accomplished.
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the tuna situation, it is my belief thet no significantly
hove errived in Jepen cxezpt for the extennm rr
from the Fukuryu
3
tisons procedures will undtubtcdly disclose
certein
a-iunts of liwl
radizactivity con the surface of the tuna but the
significance of h
is minimized ty the practics cf skinning tuna frior
to canning.
In
meantime the tuna market has stabilized end tuna
representatives of Acsrican tuna interests have informed me that their
cupenics are no longer
concsrned over the protleom.
by
8
uy