Three days before the medical group arrived, Neas with department heads and Marshallese leaders. a weekly staff meeting The question arose about sending @ petition to the high commissioner signed by both Trust Territory employees and Marshallese. Neas said he thought this was improper, but told the Americans if they wanted they should write individual letters to Midkiff. "I, for one, did. He continued: I wrote to the high commissioner and noted the feeling of the people (about the H-bomb). For instance 1 Marshallese seid at the meeting What are you Americans trying to do. Open up the gates of Hell'. I could tell that there was resentment and fear.” Heine was on a Trust Territory ship at Kwajalein the day of the hydrogen explosion. He said: "We saw the flash first. It shook the ship. Water around the ship seemed to shake. There were several explosions that went wham wham." fhe same day the ship pulled out and arrived the next day at Uterik. "We were met by many canoes," Heine added. "The first question they asked was 'Is there war on.!' "The people said they saw something like flames or shooting stars but too low to be shooting stars. They said children cried and hid in the brush.” Hein said that on the way back to Majuro he began working on the idea of a protest. He did not learn until his arrival at Majuro that the 2 atolls had been contaminated. Heine and other members of the Holdover Committee began work inmediately. On April 5 Neas met with the Marshallese to discuss a copra tax. After he had left, Heine said, he told the Marshallese to remain and they finalized plans for the petition. 9000111