REMARKS BY SENATOR BORJA RONGELAP/UTIRIK COMPENSATION MARCH 2, 1974 MR. PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE SENATE. TWENTY YEARS AGO YESTERDAY, ONE OF THE MORE UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND HAPPENED. AND TO ADD TO THIS MISFORTUNE, THE INCIDENT HAPPENED TO MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED MICRONESIANS WHO WERE FROM THE ISLANDS OF RONGELAP AND UTIRIK IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS DISTRICT. ON MARCH 1, 1954 THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA EXPLODED ON BIKINI ATOLL, A GIGANTIC HYDROGEN BOMB. THIS BOMB WAS THE BIGGEST AND MOST POWERFUL DEVICE EVER DETONATED BY MAN. 30,000,000 ,000 POUNDS OF DYNAMITE. IT WAS EQUIVALENT TO MORE THAN FURTHERMORE, SINCE THE DEVICE WAS A "NUCLEAR" WEAPON, THE PRODUCTS OF THE EXPLOSION WERE HIGHLY RADIO- ACTIVE. WHAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THAT EXPLOSION IS A MATTER OF HISTORY AND ALSO A MATTER OF RECORD AS STATED IN A REPORT BY THE SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE CONCERNING RONGELAP AND UTIRIK WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY THIS CONGRESS LAST YEAR. ON A THEORETICAL BASIS, MR. PRESIDENT, IT IS VERY EASY TO SYMPATHIZE WITH THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE AFFECTED. HOWEVER, I WISH TO NOTE THAT AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE AFTER HAVING REVIEWED ALL THE MATERIALS; AND AFTER HAVING SEEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE j Ree ORE NE AUER TT eter Re et th vee pe ey That'll. rr Pop eReTS TE MRT et FE PUTT TEREX peat kf ag te Va ee ete ee wire gt