Eongressman Phillip Burton Congressman Sidney R. Yates March 28, 1980 Page Two : - by’ the radioactive fallout from the nuclear weapons testing or contaminated by such a low level of radiation as to be of no consequence. In addition, several people of these atolls had reported the occurence of such medical problems. In a preliminary attempt to define the scope of the problems, the people of one of these atolls, Likiep, were asked to advise the Government of any such medical problems and to complete a questionaire describing the nature cf the problem. The extent of the problems identified by this initial rough effort were profoundly disturbing. Out of a population of apprcximately 600 Likiep people, 22 thyroidectomies were reported in addition to 18 other chronic throat disorders, 2 cases of severe birth malformations, one case of intestinal cancer and 2 cases of chronic nervousness. In an effort to obtain more complete and accurate information on the scope of the medical problem on Likiep and the other atolls in the northern Marshalls previously considered uncontaminated, representatives of the people of Likiep and the Government of the Marshall Islands came to Washington in mid-May, 1979 to report their preliminary findings and to enlist the assistance of the Federal agencies which hed been addressing the problems of Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap and Utirik. In a mid-May meeting attended by numerous officials including representatives of the Department of Energy, Interior, Defense, State, and the Defense Nuclear Agency, the Marshall Islands representatives were assured by the officials of the Departments of Energy and Interior that steps would be taken expeditiously to confirm the scope of the medical problem on the atolls of the northern Marshalls and to provide the necessary medical care. These assurances proved to be empty promises. Ten months after the initial meetings, representatives of the Marshall Islands were invited to return to Washington to_be advised-of the progress which had been made. The delegation was presented not with a plan to provide medical care to the people of the northern atolls with radiation related problems nor even with a plan to conduct an analysis to-ascertain the existence and scope of current medical problems that may derive from radiation exposure resulting from the nuclear testing program. Instead, the delegation