oe stelle Marshallese: We from Rongelap and Utrik have this request and now the Senator from Enewetak also joins in requesting that those of our number who have had thyroid operations, some were not exposed to the fallout, and so consequently received no compensation yet they as a result of their operation are required to take medicine daily perhaps for the rest of their lives. Is there some way to financially help these people since they are now required as a result of their operation for this sickness that they have? | ' deBrum: If you cannot answer this perhaps you can take this request to the proper authorities? Ray: I shall do that. I want to comment that the matter of treatment of ilIness and injury that is not radiation related is a subject of agreements between our government and the government of the Marshall Islands and the subject of continuing discussion. And I shall certainly take that subject to those discussions. Marshallese: deBrum: I have no further questions. On behalf of the President who is not here or the Acting President, I want to express our extreme gratitude and sincere thanks for the team's coming, presenting us with this information from the study made and your report at this time to this group. I am especially grateful for this kind of setting where we are able to sit down face to face, discuss these matters, raise questions and get answers or at least have them raised so the answers can be forthcoming, eventually in the future. We are encouraged by such a gathering and are grateful to have had this. I might just say as sort of an example or a parable that as we sit here it is almost as if a ball of fire had fallen right in the middle of the room and we are trying to find out how we can escape injury from getting too close to that fire, and in that way we want to avoid injury. And those that have been burned, we want to discover, try to find ways of giving aid in their distress and discomfort or illness or harm. That is figuratively how I NCE ARCHIVES 63