4Ol SOs y reve +8 A oa Department of Energy Washington, D.C. 20545 June 23, 1978 . Memo to File JUNE 19 HEARING - HOUSE APPROPRIATION INTERIOR SUBCOMMITTEE This Hearing is one of a series that Chairman Yates is having on the Bikini resettlement program. Copies of statements by Mrs. Van Cleve, DOI; Mr. Winkel, the High Commissioner; Mr. Helmam, Department of State, and Mr. Tomaki Juda, Magistrate, Bikini people, are enclosed. : Mrs. Van Cleve reaffirmed her position that the radiation levels on Bikini Atoll are unacceptable and they, therefore, are planning to move the people to Kili. She briefly reviewed Mr. Winkel's statement about his recent visit to Bikini. (Mr. Winkel was absent because of a serious family illness.) Mr. Juda's statement made reference to conflicting advice about the safety of the atoll and specifically referred to recent statements by Bob Conard. Mr. Yates asked me who Conard was and what he said. I responded by telling him who Dr. Conard was and what his mission was and said that since I was not at Bikini I could not comment about his reported statement. We proposed to clarify this matter later for the record. Mr. Duncan also asked about Dr. Conard's statement and suggested that Mr. Yates ask Dr. Weyzen about it but Chairman Yates deferred the matter and did not return to it again. (Following discussion with Dr. Burr, and Mr. DeYoung, DOL, we have sent Dr. Conard a copy of Mr. Juda's statement with a request that he provide Mrs. Van Cleve a clarifying statement for the Committee record.) There were a few questions about the radioactivity in the atoll and the whole body measurements which we answered promptly. Most of the Hearing was directed toward the reluctance of the Bikini people to move to Kili and questions about the legal rights of the U.S. to use the Atoll for nuclear testing and whether we could in fact move the people again. The legal right question is very complex, however, there seemed to be agree~ ment that the U.S. was acting within its authority. Mr. Yates also read into ‘the record the text of the agreement between the U.S. and the Bikini people that provided them with a $300,000 trust fund, There was a question about when the Bikini people were notified not to eat coconuts and other local foods and how long food had been provided. Mr. DeBrum, the District Administrator, said he told them about two years ago not to eat the foods and that Trust Territory began providing food on Bikini Island about 4 years ago because sufficient local foods were not available. The Bikini resident