Memorandum for Recard

3-

rely upon our statements or yours."
issue.

At this point we dropped the copra

Next, the President asked "In your personal opinion, is Enyu a safe
place to live?" My answer:
“That unfortunately is not a yes-or-no
question.
Unquestionably it would be acceptable to reside on Enyu if
all or most of your diet came from sources away from Bikini Atoll.
If,
on the other hand, all or most of your diet came from Enyu Island, then
at least for the next couple of decades you would exceed the U.S.
Federal

radiation guides.

In between these two extremes, there may be

.a living pattern that is realistic and reasonable that would permit
resettlement of Enyu. A new dose assessment for an Enyu settlement
has been developed by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and is now, I

believe, being reviewed by DOE Headquarters in Washington. This will
be discussed with the Department of the Interior very soon and I presume will include some specific recommendations by the Department of
Energy.
You have asked for my personal opinion and I guess that's
about as far as I can go at this time."
The President then asked:
"What can you tell us about Bikar and Bokar?*
We understand from the Chief Secretary, who received his information from
the High Commissioner, that both of these atolls, which had been considered as relocation sites for Bikini/Kili people, must now be dropped
from consideration because of the high radiation levels." My answer:
"IT am unaware of any radiological basis for your statements.
In the
first place, the survey of the Northern Marshalls did not include
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Bikar, I do not recall at the moment what the aerial measurements
Snoweda, but 1 am conTigent tnat tne numbers were extremely low.
I
assure you that I shall check upon my return to Nevada and advise you
further. The only data yet available from the Northern Marshalls
survey and pertaining to Bikar would be from aerial] measurements and |
am virtually certain that this would provide no basis for placing any
restrictions on Bikar.
The President:
“What can you tell us about the high incidence of
thyroid abnormalities at Likiep? Tony (Anton deBrum, Actg. Secretary
of Resources and Development) has gathered statistics which show that
there are 50 or 60 thyroid cases at Likiep. Are these due to-the

*Bokar is another name for Taongi Atoll (approximately
170°E, 14°N)

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