i
1g
|
!
Ea
Ne||
oO
E
6
s
&
;
On November 15,
fa 19-year old Micronesian, died of.
fF leukemia induced by fallout from a
| March 1, 1954 H-bomb blast on Bi-
-kini atoll. Over 200 Marshall IsFlanders were contaminated by heavy
fF doses of fallout, but the people of
Fymost severely affected.
lived, were
In late September 1972 it was
- found that
was suffering from
r acute myelogenous leukemia. He
f was treated at the U.S. Government's
f National Institutes of Health. Like
; just about everybody his age on
F Rongelap, he had previously had
f surgery to remove a thyroid tumor
| also caused by the Bomb.
body was recently re+ turned to Micronesia,
J
_
-
| Rongelap, where
ao
accompanied
| by his parents and an Atomic Energy
; Gommission representative. Unforp tunately, the AEC man neglected to
2 U S445 b-
LAID
4oeisa
=IO¢02
see that
body was put on the
proper flight and as a result the casket was left behind in Honolulu. To
make matters worse, the Navy had
planned to provide an amphibious
plane for the last leg of the journey
but the pilot damaged the plane while
on a joy-ride to another island.
The Government has tried to
keep
death quiet. An exPeace Corps volunteer who knew
well has received anonymous
phone calls threatening legal action
if anyone should see photos taken of
Lekoj in the hospital. To the AEC's
embarassment, Stewart Alsop was
coincidentally assigned to share a
. room with
at NIH and wrote a
‘moving story about him in Newsweek.
But the AEC has not yet officially
notified leaders of the Ceougress of
Micronesia of his death, nor has the
covernmeént news service in Micronesia told the Micronesian people
“and the Bomb.
themselves about
BEST COPYAVAILABLE
VED —
PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMO
fue
'
GIAOWSY TWIYALV LOW AOWAlud
oS]
OVA] wht
!
a
|
- ee ee
VTS Ty 8
DQ]
—
MWA
Var, Ce
eee ee
PON SES
|
i
yy
tT
mie [oi te
RY] AT siSS
Sis
JNop
Re
~
:t
2IGL7 9
MES.Al lomgumtoe &(4 SS QO
_—
¢
a
TA
sate cme ee
1
:
i
.
at
ae ee ete