4MQ174ag United States Department of the Interior ot >> SULTS as ‘ ~ ot, wey PRew es OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 , Miss Darlene Keju AUG Ebeye, Marshall Islands 6 4978 Dear Miss Keju: The Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Regional Office, San Francisco, forwarded your letter of July 12, 1979, to this Office since, as you know, the Department of the Interior has administrative responsibility for the Trust Territory of the Pacific slands. Since many of the points you raise deal with matters that have been handled by the Department of Energy or its predecessor agencies, I have sent a copy of your letter to that Department for comment. I do wish to assure you that this Department is very cognizant of its responsibilities with respect to the residents of the Marshalls whose lives in some way or other were affected by the atomic testing program. The Department of Energy is equally concerned. In May of this year at an Interagency meeting here in Washington which was convened at the request of the Marshall Islands Political Status Delegation, a far-reaching discussion on radiological problems in the Marshalls took place. One result of that meeting was the agreement that a medical survey of the people of certain of the Northern Marshalls would be carried out. Currently, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, we are dealing with President Kabua on arrangements for such a survey. It is my underStanding that this survey will be done by an independent group of 3 specialists. We all realize the depth of feeling of the people of the Marshalls whose lives have been affected by the testing program. As you know, Under Secretary James A. Joseph, Deputy Under Secretary Wallace 0. Green, and our Director, Mrs. Ruth. Van Cleve, visited the Marshalls last summer and traveled to Kili Island and Bikini Island to meet with the people there. Time did not permit them to visit Rongelap and Utirik but they had an opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from these islands at Majuro and at Ebeye. cc: \dr. Bruce Wachholz gummy 9911801 . | a | ; ae ‘