Mr. Richard M. Pace 0b. Nixon May 4, 1973 government simply presented the Bikinians with a completed, non- negotiable document entitled "Agreement in Principle Regarding the Use of Bikini Atoll:. The agreement specified that the United States would give the Bikini people $325,000 and use rights on Kili and some islands in Jaluit, in return for use rights to Bikini atoll. It appears that the 25,000 one dollar bills taken to Kili with the dcument had the intended effect -- The Bikini people accepted the proferred agreement. $25,000 was given in eash, to be divided among the people, and $300,000 was to be set aside in a trust fund. The Trust Fund has been a miserable failure, and is one of the primary reasons for th continued grievance of the Bikini people. The Trust Fund was to be established with $300,000, to the "Agreement in Principle": ". . . (b) according the remaining $300,000 to be placed in a trust fund to be established and administcred by the High Commissioner . . ." In contrast to what the agreement says, the facts appear to be that a good deal less then $300,000 Was put into the Yxust Fund. About 1979, the sale of the government bond that constituted the Bikini Trust Fund yielded only $196,000. Had the bond be allowed to mature, it would have yieided $309,000 in 1983. But a statement of yield is a far cry from what the "Agreement in Principle" promises. The people of Bakini want to know what has happened to the balance of the money allegedly invested for them. If the money was ii vssted, what sort of trustee have they who would allow a $104,000loss over the years? If th» roney was not invested, then the $100,000 or more that was omitted should be added to the Trust Fund now, with interest. The income that has been derived from the Trust Fund is mini- mal. Until an amendment to the original agreement was made in i971, the Trust Fund earned only 3 1/3%interest. Even now the income is only 9,035.28 per year, and amounts to no more than a pittance when divided among the Bikini people twice a year -in fact, it comes to about $12.00 for each person. The joys of having such a Trust Fund are obviously quite small. In August, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson announcad that some e islands on Bikini atoll would be cleaned up and returned co ene people of Bikini for resettlement. Of reyoicing for the Bikinians, Certainly this was a cay but subsegquenk events concer ng the rehabilitation of their atoll have left them cynical and comor- eaiived. The rehabilitation project hes been bungled from the begin- : Soe Plifiss * Tn 1970 the Bikint people mez wieh Trust Torritory roprosenrneeiVGs to toll tiem thaw the cuonmtraccor the ‘Pruut Vorechiory fas. a fy. 1, ey te dye + See was 4 Waa meats atad cs why. selected £o7 the rehabilitation projee> unacceptaple. The pop AROBSVEP