Chapter Four Ronpertk ated Kwajalein 0521005 ommended it as the bese sie for reseetlement (MacMillan EOE7}. On September 1, the poverteor and the Board New to Rong erik to learn why the Bikinians had decided co remain there They indicated that their primary concern way to retain | kind, and they could not agree om another relocation site. “Po them, Ujelang was too distant and lacked pandanus. Worle was coo small; it and Ujac were inhabited, and resetcment on either could result in populations too large for EXIStE FESOUee Ch. o ther, the Bikinians wanted to keep their community Ge, aan they were strongly opposed to residing with another populace, Kili, while uninhabited, had no lagoon and was now judged an desirable. They wished to stay on Rongerth because of tees tively close proximity to Bikini, and they reportedly tele obli | gated to remain because of the village constructed by the Ameri cans. The islanders also feared chat the costs and clfort required by another relocation might earn them the displeasure ol the | Americans. The possibility of moving to Ujelang was discussed, and the Americans returned to Kwajalein. The Board concluded that Rongerik was madequate anil Ox pressed doubt that it could ever produce resources sufficient for the people. The Board’s first choice was toreturn the people we Bikini. Assuming that this was impossible, it recommends reset tlemenc at Ujelang. The governor concurred and determined the feasibility of Bikini's reoccupation. The results of the invest ipa tions conducted by the Bikini Resurvey, however, revealed that radiological activity precluded Bikini’s habitation by a permanent population for years to come. — | | In late September, 1947, the Bikinians became pawns iin cernal squabbles within the United States government, Vhe age culturalist’s report on conditions at Rongerik came into the possession of a Washington, D.C. syndicated newspaper columnist, He, a former Secretary of the Interior and long tine critic of the naval island administration, charged the navy with the responsi- bility for the sorry condition of the islanders. ‘I he Bikinians became the subject of newspaper articles and editorials throughout the United States and Europe. As a consequence, public opinion as well as the threat of censure by the United Nations placed considerable pressure on navy officials to rectify the situation. During the second week of October, Juda and at least two dhlab were town to Ujelunpe i an effort to porsitade chem gor settle there. On October 17, navy Officials aunmounced that che Bikinis were to be moved co Ujelangy (Mason E954: $25). Ay parently, the Bikinians had agreed to the move, and on Novenuibey 22 ten Bikine men and twenty Seabees airiv ed at UNelanp web Matetial to conseruce a Villiage, Less than two weeks later, oft ctals in Washington, D.C. advised the ddmin istracion an the Muar shalls that Enewetok Atoll was to be uscd for a second seties of acomme tests and that its inhabitancs had to be aoved aamedtate ly. Operations in che Marshalls chanped ac cordingly. The Ene wetok people were moved to Ujelany on Decenber 21s the Bil Hab Peete cn Rongenk. “Fhe governor conwatted with Juda and the Council, who reportedly decided that perhaps an adj ment to the atoll was possible after all. Shortly chereatter, the High Commuussioner of the Perritory decid ed to conduct a cou prehensive study of the Bikini people to determine the “2. 2 un derlywip causes of their apparent discontent” (Richard 1957.525). Response to Crisis Leonard Mason, an anthropolopise from the University of Hawiait, was engaped to conduct the Inves tipation, tle and an as sistant, Mi. James Milne, an islander of mixed Micronesian/Euro pean descent, New to Ronperik by sca plane OW January 31, Lob. Their arrival coincided with the niose critical food shortape yer experienced. Only immature coconuts and pencanus fraits wer available. Arrowrooc was exhausted on the main island and trea ly depleted oa others. The commmunity’s store had only one han dred pounds of flour. Canoes were in disrepair because of the lack of sennit and, asa resule, Fishi ng Was largely curtailed and the relief voyapes to Rongelab had ended. Adul ts were even con suming small quantities of chose fish whic h were found to have Coxic qualities. 1 the Conununal Organization. Mason learned that, when their traditional household and lineage organization had proven ineffective in coping with the crisis, the islanders had responded by reorganizing their community into a single coop erative unit. AY