The Honorable Wallace O.

Green

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary
Territorial & International Affairs

August 8,

Page Four

1980

Rongelap and Utirik,

DOI appears to contemplate that every

injury, illness or condition of such people will be eligible
for treatment regardless of whether it is established that
such injury, illness or condition "may be the result directly
or indirectly of such nuclear weapons testing program."
In
contrast, as to the people of other atolls in the Marshall

Islands, DOI appears to contemplate that the people of all

other atolls are entitled to treatment under test #1 but
that a particular injury, illness or condition will only
be eligible for treatment if it is established that such
injury, illness or condition "may be the result directly or
indirectly of such nuclear weapons testing program."

The Government of the Marshall Islands completely

agrees that, in adcition to the people of Bikini, Enewetak,
Rongelap and Utirik, the people of all.other atolls of the
Marshall Islands are entitled to the medical care provided
for in the statute.
Section 102 of Public Law 96-205 clearly
States that medical care and treatment and environmental
research and monitoring shall ke provided to the feople of
“such other atolls as may be found to be or to have been
exposed to radiation from the nuclear weapons testing program.’
(emphasis added)
The Department of Energy has repeatedly

asserted and confirmed that every atoll of the Marshall

Islands was exposed to radiation from the nuclear weapons
testing program.
Consequently, the people of every atoll
must be entitled to care under the terms of the statute.
The Government of the Marshall Islands also agrees
that, in keeping with the intention of Congress to provide a
comprehensive health care program in an efficient manner for

all eligible individuals, the most logical, cost effective
and technically feasible way to proceed is not to require
that a particular eligible individual seeking treatment
establish that his injury, illness or condition may relate
directly or indirectly to the weapons testing program.
We

have been advised by several medical experts that it is
virtually impossible to establish medically that any particular injury, illness cr condition of an individual residing
anywhere in the Marshall Islands may not be radiation related
Or, more broadly, related to the “nuclear weapons testing
program."
Moreover, the cost to procure and utilize
sophisticated equipment and personnel necessary even to

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