GOVERNMENT OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS 96960 July 25, 1980 The Honorable Wallace O. a CABLE: GOVMAR 4027BE AC I-7 Cee e Green Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Territorial & International Affairs U.S. Department of Interior Office of the Secretary Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Wallace: The Government of the Marshall Islards is extremely isappointed that no opportunity for meanincful consultation has or will be afforded in regard to the comprehensive health care plan that must be prepared pursuant to Public Law 96-205 until September at the earliest. We understand that you met with our counsel, Mr. Copaken, on June 26, 1980, and that when you advised the “arshall Islands for the first time on that occasion that a meeting had been scheduled for August 4, 1980, to carry out the consultation prescribed by the statute, he informed you that neither he nor I could be available for a meeting on August 4 because of a long scheduled prior commitment on that same date. I understand that you told Mr. Copaken that an Interagency meetinc would be held on July 11, 1980, to formulate a final executive branch position on a draft scope of work document for a proposed ovtside contract to assist the Department, the Government of the Marshall Islands and the people cf the affected atolls in formulating a comprehensive health care plan by January 1, 1981, as required by the statute and that the draft scope of work document would be available upon my arrival in Washineton so that we could provide the Nepartment with meaningful comment. We met in your office for several hours on July 23, 1980, with various officials from the Department of Interior and the Department of Energy and were shocked to learn that no such draft scope of work document had been prepared and that, in fact, no one present could even provide us orally with any clue as to what the thinking of your Department or the participating Agencies might be in regard to such a draft scope of work document.