mkNed ui 4 ISL vsNeitems Continued from 7th Page interior subcommittee on appropriations. opened the first of a series of hearings on the money bill and the plight of the Bikimians. At the Apri 12 session of the Yates subcommittee, Trust Terrmtory officials testified that it was their belief Bikint Island would be off limits for 30 to 50 years but that Eneu. 10 miles away, was likely to be a safe site for permanent resettlement. Adrian Wynkel, current high commissioner of the =AS FACE REMOVAL NES Trust Territory, tes- tified that “even knowing of the danger.” those already living on Bikini Island wanted to stav there and that there was some indication others from Kili wanted to Jom them on the condemned home island. The suncommittee was told that final determination of whether Eneu was safe for permanent relocation could not be made until aout Jan. 1, 1979, when radioactivity levels of fruit and vegetables grown in an experimental garden plot on the island would be made known by the Departmentof Energy. But the witnesses agreed that the Bikinians could remain where they were without harm until Jan. 1 if they just stuck to the rules and refrained from eating the coconuts—unless, they added in qualification, the medica] tests (whole body counts) to be made on the Bikinians later in April showed sharp jumps in internal radiawen dosage. And that was not expected. McCraw, now chief of special projects branch of the Energy DePartment’s division of environmental safety, said in an interview in early May, “We can show that Eneuis lower (in radioactivity) by a factor of 10 than BikimIsland. . . Eneu could be a residence island without restrictions, which means you can eat the fish you catch in the lagoon, you can grow anv crop. I'm convinced that these Eneu (test) crops are going to show very much lower levels than the Bikini numbers.” At the Department of the Interior, Ruth Van Cleve. chef of territorial afiairs: John DeYoung. her top assistant and Hign Commissioner Winkel all thought Eneu was the most acceptabl> second choice of the Bikinians. But now ail three were cautious about the data they were getting from the Energy Department. “All we can do at any stage 1s listen to what the experts say—and hope they’re night,” Mrs. Cleve said. “The decisions of 1967-68 (that Bikini was safe for resettiement) were based on available knowledge,” Winkel said. “And now we arein virtuaily the same position. The decisions we make now will be cased on avaiable knowledge.” But less than two weeks later, there was bad newsfor the Bikinians. The report on the April whole body counts on the Bikimans showed a startling increase in internal radiation doses. The readings ranged up to .98, neariy double the federal safety standard of .5 rems. Including the external radiation dosage of .2, the same as in the past, the top reading was 1.18. At the same time, and Just as startlingly, preliminary results of testing on coconuts grown on Eneu showed radioacuvity levels five to six times higher than had been expected. Tesiufving at the May 22 session of the Yates subcommittee, Mrs. Van Cleve said the latest results required a fast overhaul ofplans. First, she said, although there was no immediate hazard to their health. the peonle must be removed from Bikini island within 90 days. Second,it appeared that Eneu must be ruled out as the alternative site of the permanent resettlement. At the samesession, at the head of a smal] delegauion of Bikini leaders. was Magistrate Tomaki Juda, son of the man who was chief in 1946. Although born on Bikim. the 36-year- old Tomaki was too young to remem- ber details of the first removal. But he had heard stories of that time < his life. He repeated one now to the sut committee: When the naval office had told the people they must leas the island a generation ago, he ha compared them “to the children ofIs racl whom the Lord saved from the enemy and led into the promise land.” . It had not worked out that way. “We are more akin to the childre of Israel wnen thev left Egypt an wandered through the desert for 4 years,” the dark-skinned. dignifie Bikinian said. “We left Bikini an have wandered through the ocean fc 32 years, and we will never return t our promised land.” In fact Tomaki was back on Bikir on June 1]aforg with High Commis sioner Winkel, but only to break th: news to the people and to discus with them where they wanted to go. Winkel’s recommendations wer: read into the record at the June 1 meeting of the Yates subcommittee He noted that those living on Brkin Island told him that if they could no remain there, or at least on Eneu they preferred to move to “public do. main" land in Hawaii or to the mainland of the United States. Hesaid the majority of those living on Kili apparently preferred to remain there. But, he added. some wanted to join the Bikini residents wherever they mightbe relocated. Further tests on Eneu foodstuffs would be required before the island could be finally ruled out, Winkel said. But he was not optimistic. And, without quite spelling it out, he seemed to dismiss the thought of relocating the Bikinians in Hawaii or on the mainland. “On the basis of all the factors,” Winkel summedup, “It is my decision that the people of Bikini Island should be relocated to Kili Island at this ume.” Winkel’s statement to the subcomPlease Turn to Page 10, Col. 2