MEMORANDUM FOR:

SUBJECT:

CJTF SEVEN

.

10 March 1954

Report on “Soil and Wator Sampling Mission

\
1. In compliance with your oral instructions, the undersigned visited Not: .
Erilmb, Maloclap, Wotho, Majuro Atolls in the Marshall Islands
through 7 March

1954 for the purpose of obtaining carth and drinking water samplos, and of moasur:ing gamma ray dosc rates, and also checked the radiological condition of the S.S.,
ROQUE on its arrival at Majuro 7 March 1954,
2. The first four atolls wore visited by Marshallese intcorprctor Takushi
and the writcr by means of an UF-] amphibious aircraft. Majuro was roached by
C47. Erikub might have beon omitted since it was not inhabited, boing property

of the Wotjo tribe which goes thoro only occasionally to gather copra.
unknowm until after the visit.)

(This ms

3. At cach atoll, oly the principal inhabitod island was visited, at cach
visitcd island an cffort was made to compose a roproscntative soil avcrago by
collceting into a single container sovcral samplcs, cach approximtoly one squarc
foot of arca and onc inch depth. Water samples woro collectcd from the principal
sources currently in usc. The gamma dose ratcs aro avoragos for the inpabited
AarcasSe
.
'
4&4. With regard to certain minor discrepancies between the survey methods us~
by Major R. D. Crea and the writcr; it was originally planned to perform the survjointly, and when it became advisable to scparate and survey diffcrent atolls, no
time remaincd for discussion of details of techniques,

5.

Gamma-ray dose ratcs on Wotje and on Erikub are oach the average of MX-5

and AN/PDR=39 avorage readings which agreed reasonably woll., The MK-5 was rondcer
inoperative when the rubber life raft was swamped by surf on the first attompt to
launch from the beach at Erikub. Following tho Wotho survey, the PDR-39 develope:

a temperaturc-dependent reading of 0.4 - 2 orfhr, so that later readings in this
range arc of very dubious reliability.

6. The following tabulation summarizcs the atoll survoy. S is Sail, Wis
Water Sample:
oo
rg Sr Ake

ATOLL

ISLAND

DATE

TRE

SAMPLE NO

WOTJE

ORMED

5 Mar

1600

$5

ERIKUB

ERIKUB

5 Mar

1715

MR/HR

& SAMPLING

3.5 mrfhr, lebeach, 3-mid-vill

age, l-back village.

w6

4 well plus 4 catch basin.

sé

1.5 m/hr.

l-mid-village, 1

on path to beach.

No inhabit—

ants, no water supply found.

Select target paragraph3