“ ne rp m0 Another ix omy | =. a (ove: =e )} LY wd by Giff Johnson Two American military men, stationed on Rongerik Atoll] during the "Bravo" hydrogen banb test at Bikini on March 1, 195+ have Chairmin, idniral Lewis Strauss, stated: Yolo state chot (2ravo) has Blu vorlcusly Coserized as cevas- recently released statements showirs that tating, cut cL control and wits U.S. officials who made the decision to explode Bravo did so in fuli knowledge that winds were blowing east, and would carrv dangerous radioactive fallout across inhabited Rongelap, Rongerix, Utirik anc other other ex.Wyeraced fil mistaken chrove.cteri:.tlc.3. I do not wish CC wide 21...6u5 at no time wer tuo testiac cut of control." atolls. Their statements point to a 27 year cover up by U.S. officials who have maintained that the contamination of hundreds of Marshallese and U.S. servicemen by Bravo was “accidental” and caused by an "unpredicted shift in winds." "Prior to and for weeks leading up to the blast the prevailing upper level troughs indicated that wind was blowing to che vici- nity of our island," said Gene Gurbow, a veteran who was one of 28 Americans on Rongerik Atoll during the massive hydrogen bomb blast. Despite the fact that this weather information was regularly reported by radio to scientists and military officials at the Enewetak Joint Task Force-/ headquarters, U.S. government representatives nave claimed since 1954 that the fallout wnich caused severe burns among the Rongelap neople and Rongerik men was an accident. Marshall tslancs 5 suse amy “ot packs earwstak | efotang ~ els moeBe: POMCTi weit a Vane mh wd? wa _m peeeVy a? SS \ segs ye on =a meee ru oat& me © & ust « we uae sis men ne Ei omeau Dr. Robert Conard, from 1954-1978 the nead of the AtomicEnergy Commission (AEC) / Department of Energy (DOE) medical program in the Marshall Islands, wrote in his 22 year report: "An unpredicted shift in winds caused deposition of significant amounts of fallout on four inhabited atolls east of Bikini." 7 An AEC press release after Bravo noted that the people “were unexpectedly exposed to some radioactivity." In fact, at a Wasnington, U.C. press conference following the Brevo test, AEC In a telecracae interview, Curbow said Conard's "statement is totally inaccurate. We were measuvicz wiad velocity and weather conditions -- the wind was blowing right at us."’ Curbow and Donald Baker, another of the Air Force weather men on Rongerik, point out militisy cemna:i ciose to ignore the unfavorable concitions. They arrived on Ronzerik -=- about 125 miles east of Bikini Atoll -- six weeks before the Bravo test. Curbow stated: "We had the normcl weather station items which gave us the capability of making station ouservations and upper level observations up to and including 100,0CO feet above sea level." Baker, an Air Force radio operator said their job on Ronzcrik was "to provide this weather infcciation aad Enevetak's job was co be sure the cemliticns were absolute’ right before they expledod any atomic weapor Despite the reports of winds threatend: to blow radioactive fallcut on to the peopl and islaris cast of'Likini, the Bravo test went ahead on th2 mosning of March l. '. Whetner, as many iiuarshall Islands people think, the U.S. intencad to us2 the Marshallese a5 guinea piss in their nuclear experi- meats, or tra U.S. cinpiy had no concern for the lives and hesita of adither the Marshallese or thelr owa military personnel, the vell bein: of these noople on the endangere: islands was clearly cf low priority. The 23 Avericans on Rongerik, just as the Rongelap ard Utirik pcople, were not warned when the Bravo test would be explodec Baker described the test at Bikini, more thi 100 miles auay: "The sly wes suddenly completely dit ur, brigiuter, if possible than daylight itselfl...The shock wave that came after the initial blast was SO ¢trc.enZous that all the pre-fabricated buildings were dameged in one way or another. Almost e2] of #2 pindsws just blew one.” Conttnucd on Page