407816 Department of Entergy Nevada Operations Office PO. Box 14100 Las Vegas, NV 89114-4100 January 26, 1983 Mr. James DeFrancis < Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, CP-2 U.S. Department of Energy Washington, D.C. Dear Jim: I refer to a memorandum to you from Tom McCraw dated December 16, 1982: Meeting on DOE/EP Northern Marshalls Survey - Majuro Atoll, December 8-9, 1982 Since I was not on distribution for this memorandum it was almost a month after it was issued before it came to my attention. Before responding to it I felt it necessary to have at hand the verbatim transcript (from tape) which was then in preparation. I now have that transcript and have had a chance to review Mr. McCraw's impressions and recollections. Preparation for our meeting last week and for my travel to the Pacific today, however, have kept me from developing a detailed response--something which I most assuredly intend to do. What I ask at this time is that you reserve judgement upon the Majuro meetings until you can be presented with a factual account and an analysis-in-context of what actually was said. I can tell you at this time that, after a careful reading of the transcript, there is no substantive change that I would make in my statements or those of Drs. Bair and Robison. Nor do I believe that either of these latter two would substantially change any statement of theirs or mine. Mr. McCraw made no substantive statements. We neither made nor advocated any change in Department policy, nor do I acknowledge that I made statements "not compatible with past policy," as alleged. As to the alleged confusion on the part of our Marshallese hosts I would say that if there were not some confusion it would suggest that we were not communicating effectively. I have never yet attended a public meeting on radiation matters where the complexity of the subject did not evoke some degree of confusion and concern. I will, however, offer two direct quotes from the transcript, the first from a member of the parliament (addressed to me): pot aRCBIvee