understanding becomes available, and new risk-benefit decisions are
made. For this purpose this documentary will supplement the more
technical data published by DOE.
— Third, to provide a detailed record ofthe radiological exposure ofthe
cleanup forces themselves. As years pass, it will become increasingly
important to the cleanup participants, to the U.S. Government, and to
health physicists and radiation biologists, to have a meticulously accurate
record of the radiological safety policies and procedures; an overview of

personnel assignment practices; and a careful summarization of air
sampler readings, film badge and thermoluminescent dosimeter

exposures, bioassay samples, etc.
— Fourth, to provide a useful guide for subsequent radiological cleanup
efforts elsewhere. It seems likely that there will be future requirements for
radiological cleanup of extensive areas which present complex
contamination problems. Since the Enewetak cleanup was a bellwether
effort ofits kind, the many lessons learned should provide useful guidance
for those whowill plan and execute future efforts. Information such as this
is quickly lost if not permanently recorded.
In developing this documentary, every effort has been made to be

accurate, balanced, and objective. However, since issues can appear in
somewhat different light when viewed from different organizational
perspectives, the reader should keep in mind that the authors generally
have a DOD affiliation.

ce

August 1980

OBERT R. MONROE~

Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Director, Defense Nuclear Agency

PREFACE
Field Command, Declense Nuclear Apency has prepared this
documentary to provide the general reader a narrative history of the

radiological cleanup of Enewetak Atoll and to provide the interested
researcher a description of the procedures used to support and accomplish
the radiological cleanup. It is intended to present a balanced, objective
review of the mistakes made and lessons learned, as well as the many
successes achieved during the project. Much of the knowledge and
experience gained during the project would be applicable to any military
operation in the harsh environment of a tropical atoll, and the radiological
cleanup experience represents. an invaluable national asset in the Atomic
Age. It is the aim of this documentary to record that experience while it is
readily available. To complete the description. of the United States effort to
restore the atoll, the last chapter includes an account of the Rehabilitation

Program which was conducted by the Department of the Interior
concurrently with the cleanup project.
This report was compiled from historical documents stored in the
. Enewetak Radiological Cleanup repository at the Defense Nuclear

Agency’s Field Command in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
bibliographical notes, which are identified by superscripts within the text,
are intended to provide future researchers with a guide to documents

containing additional data regarding subject matter of the text as well as
sources for the text itself,
The compilers have endeavored to arrange events by topics and
operational categories as well as in chronological order. As a result, there is
some overlapping of chronology between the chapters and sections. To
facilitate continuity for the general reader, brief summary paragraphs have
been included where appropriate, with the hope that the researcher will
overlook these occasional redundancies.

In the use of names, the preference of the group being named has been
followed. In Marshallese, the prefix “‘dri--’ means ‘‘people of.’’ Thus,
‘‘dri-Enewetak’” means the people of Enewetak Island in particular, as well
as the people of Enewetak Atoll as a whole. The people of Enjebi Island
reler to themselves as “dri-Enjebi in distinguishing themselves from the

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other people of the atoll, but as “dri-Enewetak’*’ when referring to all the
people of the atoll.

In referring to the operationa! element of the Defense Nuclear Agency

(DNA). the term ‘Field Command’ is) commeonty used for ‘tield
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305 he

documentary. During the period covered bythis report, the organization
originally known as the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) has been
reorganized and renamed twice. On | January 1975, it became the Energy

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