GOVERNMENT OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS
MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS 96960

August 8,

CABLE: GOVMAR

1980

The Honorable Wallace 0. Green
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary
Territorial & International Affairs
U.S. Department of Interior
Office of the Secretary
Washington,

D.C.

20240

Dear Wallace:

The Government of the Marshall Islands appreciated
the opportunity to meet with you and other United States
government officials on August 6, 1980 to present to you
some preliminary reactions to the “Discussion Paper" dated
August 1, 1980 prepared by the Department of the Interior
(DOI) regarding the implementation of Section 102 of Public

Law 96-205.

We were quite disturbed however that the United

States executive agencies were unable at that meeting to
share with us their views as to the requirements imposed on
them by the statute or to engage in any meaningful dialogue

on this essential first question.

We continue to await

mxiously such an opportunity for consultations with the
United States executive agencies at which time an exchange
of views and, we are confident, a resolution of differences
can take place.

As Secretary deBrum indicated to you in his letter

of July 26, 1980, the Government of the Marshall Islands was
extremely disappointed that DOI declined to prepare the

promised first draft of a scope of work document in time for
the August 6 meeting, and indeed had no document of any kind
prepared for Secretary deBrum to consider at the time of his
meeting with members of your office on July 23, 1980.
Although he received the “Discussion Paper" by cable in

Geneva, Switzerland only Saturday morning, August 2, 1980,

and it provided no clear indication of the Department's
thinking, Secretary deBrum, nevertheless, immediately interrupted the Marshall Islands participation in the crucial
United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea to return to
Washington in the hope that clarification of the Department's
views could be obtained in a meeting with you.
Regrettably,

Select target paragraph3