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OrFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER
TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
’
May 1, 1972
SAIPAN, MARIANA
ISLANOS
us o Return, Ne albllitate Enivwetok:
High Commissioner Edward £. Johnston and U.S.
Ambassador Franklin Haydn Williams have issucd a joint
announcement indicating that the United States
Government is prepared to return Eniwetok atoll to the
. Trust Territory at the end of 1973.
Eniwetok atoll is one of the areas of the Marshall
Islands District where the United States has been involved
in defense research and development projects since 1946.
The peopte of the atoll were retocated to other islands:in
_the Marshalls, and
had recently announced their
“Intention to return to their home island. Ly the end of
this year.
.
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{In their statement High Commissioner Johnston and
Ambassador Williams said that future Micrenecian land
needs of the Department of Defense were set forth in the
third round of status negotiations which tock place in
Hawaii last year. “There Ambassador Williams stated that
in regard to... security related land requirements in the
Marshalls, the need for research and development
activities at Kwajalein would not disappear in the
forseeable future.” The statement added, however, that
Ambassador Williams further noted that “it may someday
“become Possible to consolidate our testing activities in the
Pacific and concurrently reduce our land interests in the
Marshat!s.””
The announcement said that “the status of Eniwetok
has been under study by the various departments and
agencies in the United States government ever since the.
possiblility of returning Bikini Atoll was first considered.
Over the years, the Department of Defense has been
- striving to ‘bring its work on Eniwetok to a close. (Now)
During “Promotion Ceremonies” held April 21 at the TT
school of Nursing, Mrs. Coleman, wife of the Deputy High
Commissioner, pins a cap on Miss Theodora Joseph
(Truk}. Fifteen girls received caps during the ceremonies.
Mrs. Kicko Sigrah of the nursing school staff watches at
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High Commissioner Johnston telephoned Marshalls
District Administrator Oscar DeBrum, late Tuesday
. (April 18} to announce the return of the atoll, and
indicated
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that the U.S. government and the Trust
Territory administration will begin immediately to work
with the people of Eniwetok on a timetable and other
plans for a rehabilitation prograra.
tn this regard, the HiCom noted that Deputy High
Commissioner Peter T. Coleman was to accompany
Ambassador Williams on his trip through the eastern
districts, encing in Majuro where he had scheduled
meetings with Eniwetokese at the district center. Coleman
also plenned to overfly the Eniwetok complex on his way
to an inspection of Bikini atoll, where the agricultural
rehabilitation of that former atomic testing site is now
. being closed out.
The HiCom said that at some future date the leaders of
Eniwetok will be invited to Bikini to observe. the
rehabilitation progrdm there in action. He said further
that the people of Eniwetok will be consulted at every
step along the way in the rehabilitation program
DistAd DeBrum said that he was deeply grateful to the
High Commissioner and Ambassador Williams for their
long andhard efforts to expedite the return of the atoll to
the peopic. He said he looked forward to the meetings
with Deputy HiCom Coleman and to beginning the
planning for the reversion of Eniwetok to the Trust
{continued on page 2)
Eleven male nursing students received badges during the
“Promotion Ceremonies.” Shown in the picture is Mrs,
Coleman pinning a badge on Caleb Caleb (Alarshalls}), This
particular ceremony makes these students full-fledged
memberof the TT Nursing School.
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the United States government has in fact been able tostructure its research plans and programs in such away to
permit an carly return of the atoll to the people of
Eniwetok.”
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