Torn 226, There i: are a lad aoe, Tee TT vul; ah y Chil vic.ts Comittee te. a> KORE ‘ : Cc Derartre:t of Sealthy, educaticn ari welfare [5 G E | W [s 12° :arvet Ot, JUL o~ n sus . Deer lir, PROGRAM REVIEW & MANAGEMENT SUPPORT DIVISION aleecl: 2a OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS / REGION [X/SF “> weto- write to vou coreem ings Jas 4 amet . a crouLlems in tue .crc.cli -slancs of --icroneslia th:- Cpe s +. 4 meve peer caus2u by the ti ivoa 2tctes bh. violation a ee = j Slip Agree... and to is.: fer vour pBelp. haa} nea 16 1878 a ee "ge yg nd” me ofmLtoe 7vnited m c -.ations Crustee- 7 248 ~ oo Merz ollese, prese:.tly aiterding a university in Vawaii and my permenen: resicer.ce is cr tie isisrnd of Lieve, inv jalein atoll. 2. tac Lutter lo a. cinz to adcress some of the problems fcocins necple ‘arc as a resvlt of the U.o. nuclear testh. irecran. is” vou are indeuotedis’ cuare, 2 U.o. cisned vc vnited -utic.us Trustees ip -greenent in 1°47, wie) is tindins on americo 2 acrisicvering nut oritvy of tiislands, /4.¢ Agreement statec tie Lil. is res orci3obe te “srotect tho nealth cf t'> inhabitants" and te "prcetect t.e in.asitants a7ai.st tre loss of t eir land ans resources." Po 6ofve svent the last two months travelling threughou. the .-ars.clis - te 4.2 many tiny ouver lying atolis tv st can onl be reached by port - intervievine differnt pecple on t © tresscie tier ‘ave experienced Eecm the radiozetive Scallove Crem toe S. were cre sase of tie things I have learned: r * In 1¢4¢, prior te tie first test series of “low yield" atcmic bombs at bikini, residents cf Acncelep ana nearby atclls were evacuated es 4 precnution. Zisht vears later, wen Z3ravo was detcnated - the largest bomb ever cxrloded alcove ground (770 tines larger than earlier tesic} - none of the people were evccuated and several Mundres were seriousl; contaminated wit. snow like fallout on Fonrelep and Utirik. americ: © rudiavion s.onitcring cerse:nel on an atoll close to Senrelaz were evacucted © oartly acter te test, but the Rongselap rveorle were net evacunated Tor tore than oe nour tnus compounding theri radiation problen * In 1¢5% (three vears efter the Bravo shot), with no extensive radiolcgical surveys conducted, the peo l= of Rongelap were told ov the Atomic -nersy lom-ission thet tr»eir atoll Wes safe for re. abitation "despite cliriit lingering redioactivity" and allowed to return nome. rclloving a court suit in 1975 which forced tie AEC / Dept. of cnercy to do 2 radiolo-ical survey cf the northern hars clls, the DCs's 19v& report shows that Ronvelap}'as, on some islands, radiation levels close to Eikind! Ss, where the tests were conducted, Bikini has been declared unlivable for 50-100 -ccrs. Despite the AcC's cssurances of Eongelap's cafet#, t 2 peo: le have been Livin>z on a contominated atoll for more than 20 vears. x The vecple of Utirik were also contaminated by Sravo, but with abouth 1/10 . o-_ _ * a -a = of the Songelap dose. Accordingly, the AEC reacsured ther: continua lly trat they tre cancer and “ould nov: no prebless - ‘owever, in 1977 there was a sudden jwop in Teer noncelep exposed thyroid proble.s equalling t st of the much more heavily The praric an doctors admitted they had been completely wrong in their oredictions Lidl tuat Wm tee oT . a vMyer ity ai r : ' . ' . ‘ vee 7 reeae t Yes, Oe,Ete : Ta eee % , oe sts . ° 4: . . . oa bet . 7 ’ comes . ~ 7 an to Ff . : ware ‘ ~ 4 . ty + . an a