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408376
THE BININL STO“Y EN BRLEF
Yhe natives ard actually and literally dying of starvatloa.”
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{ckes used these words to describe the conditlica of IGU Marshallese natives,
former residents of Bikini Atoll.
‘The communicy to whica ha referred on
September 29, 1947, in his syndicated colunm "Man to Maa,” had cwo years
earliaor bacn removed
fron Bikini to nike way for atom tomb expérunentacion in
the interests of United States national defeuse.
The colusmist, u former
Secretary of the Interior, based his statement on a report concerning the velfare
Bikinianus on Ronperik Atoll where they had been regetrled.,
"of
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charges wore direct
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Ickes’
the U. S. Navy's aduinistration of the islanders
ct
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of displace
an interim responsibility which that asency bore for all of the Marshallese
and other island peoples residing in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Tslance.
Regardless of political motivations possibly involved in the charges,
and in the subsequent denials by those charged, Ickes! cfforts did direct
national attention to a people who, on 2 much smaller scale, weve uncerzcing
experiences not unlike those of millions of displaced bersons in the postwar
world.
The American public was forccfuily reminded of the decision tekea
in
Janusry, 1946, by the Joint Chicfs of Starf in Washington to conduct acuatc
weapons testing on the isolated atoll
of Bikini in the northern Murshalis, at
+
the expanse of the human occupants whe had to be resetried on another isiund.
Evacuation of Bixlai Anoil
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
“Bikiuiaas first learned of this decision on February 160,
wae
i946, when
the Anerican governor of the Marshalic paid a visit to Bikini.
faterpreter he told the isianders of the Washington proposal,
theiy co-operation,
Fanily heads sitriny tLucorswally in the
discussed the matter at length, and
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their leader answered the governor favorably.
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