The tives of the people of the Marshall Islands have been
irreversibly changed by the U.S. nuclear bomb tests.
GIFF JOHNSON
Micronesia: America’s‘strategic’ trusi
On August 6. 1948. the B-29 Enola
Gav dropped the first of two atomic
hombs that would kill over 200.000
neoele in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Within months the United States
Oesan searching for sites far from
American population centers for
turther development and testing of
nucivar weapons. The Defense Depurtment looked to Micronesia in the
‘Aestern Pacific. whose 2,000 remote
isiands have only one-haif the land
area of the state of Rhode Island.
Eastermmost in Micronesia lie the
Murshall Islands. about 2.200 miles
the Marsnalls went to Bikini in February. he told the people that Amenican scientists were experimenting
with nuclear weapons “‘for the good
of mankind and to end all world
wars.’ He promised that their atoll
would be returned after the tests
were finished, and asked that they
consent to be moved to another island. With more than 42,000 military. scientific and technical personnel. 250 naval ships and more than
{30 observation aircraft poised to
enter Bikini Atoll for Operation
Crossroads, the 166 Bikinians had
souchwest of Hawaii. Up to the little choice but to leave their island.
1¥40s the Marshall islanders. like
Less than two years later, in Demost other Micronesians. were self- cember 1947. the Navy decided to
sufficient. iiving off the ocean and use another atoll, Enewetak. for a
lard. Though covering a great ex- second series of atomic tesis. The
punse of ocean. the Marshalls’ 28 Enewetakese, like the Bikinians.
muiti-islet atolls and five singie is- were relocated by the United States
iands comprise only about 70 square quickly and with little planning to
mies. The atolls are rings of {5 to as small, uninhabited atolls.
many as 97 islets connected by a
Even while the United States was
coral reef that encircles a clear blue removing the Marshailese from their
lagoon. Out of necessity. the Mar- islands. in July 1947 it was signing
shallese are traditionally expert the United Nations Trusteeship
fishermen, deriving most of their Agreement for the U.S. Trust Ternprotein from the rich lagoons. while tory of the Pacific Islands (Mic-
the jand provides coconuts, bread-
renesia). This agreement stated:
The most isolated and least westernized of the Marshallese lived on
the northern atolls of Bikini and
Enewetak. Having little contact with
foreigners (not even with the
Japanese during their 25-year occu-
“In discharging its obligations. the
world for almost nothing.
Ironically, this very isolation
thrust the Bikini and Enewetak
and protect the inhabitants against
fruit, pandanus and taro.
pation), they relied on the outside
administering authority (U.S.] shall:
promote the economic advance-
ment and seif-sutticiency of the in-
habitants. and to this end shall...
encourage the development of
tisheries. agriculture and industries;
the loss of their land and resources.”
people into the nuclear age.
In addition, this agreement bound
In January 1946, Navy officials in the United States to “promote the
Washington, D.C.. announced that social advancement of the inhabiBikini Atoll fitted all requirements tants. and to this end ... protect
for Overation Crossroads. designed the nghts and fundamental freedoms
to rest the destructive power of nu- of ail elements of the population
clear weapons on naval vessels. without discrimination; and protect
When the U.S. military governor of the health of the inhabirants. .. .”"
10
After the relocation of the Mar-
shallese. however, what happened
during the next 12 vears was that
about 70 atomic and hydrogen bomb
blasts devastated the islands andirreversibly changed the lives of the
people.
The Bikinians first moved about
100 miles east to Rongenk. an uninhabited atoll consisting of bareiv
one-half square mile of lana. Within
two months. they expressed anxiety
over the atolls meager resources
and madethefirst of many requests
to return home. Within a year. the
people faced starvation: a visiting
American medical officer reported
that the Bikinians were “visibly sur-
fering from malnutnuor.”” in i948
the Bikinians were evacuated to 2
temporarytent city at the Navybase
on Kwajalein.
Kili Island in the southern Mar-
shalls was selected for their next
home. ili, a single island. has no
lagoon or protected anchorage:
heavy surf from November until late
spring halts fishing and isolates the
island. On the other hand. sili had
once supported a Jupanese coora
plantation, and U.S. authorities
hoped that, while the Bikinians were
not a farming people. the island’s agncultural pessibilities would over-
comeits drawbacks. Thus. the Bikinians were forced to adapt to a completely alien environment.
In early December 1947, Washington officials announced without epreliminaries, that Enewetak was to be
used for the next series of bomt
tests. In less than three weeks. the
people of Enewetak were relocated
to Ujelang, the westernmost atoll in
the Marsnalls. Lixe Rongerik and
Kili it was also uninhabited, and for
good reason. Ujeiang has only a
quarter ofthe iand area of Enewetin
and its 25-square-mile lagoon is less