com anication with
the
people
of
Bikini,
Roncselar:, and Utirik anc others affected.
Enewetak,
There wovid
be cormunication with officials of the Governrmest of
the Marshalls as weil.
Marshallese would be traines
first in the Marshalls and later in the United States tc
carry out the education program.
Pretaped radio
prosrams in both Marshallese and English would provide
information about nuclear radiation and its possible
effects.
There would be systematic evaluation of
the effectiveness of the communication process anc
modifications of the program as necessary.
The procrar.
would be a continuing one, to reinforce, review, anc
update the information.
The estimated cost of the Education and Information
Procram for the first full year would be $950,000.
Attached is a chart showing the total estimated costs of ali
three programs for each of the first five years.
Also attached are copies of three letters received subsegent
to our meeting of December 10 with representatives of the
Marshallese,
among others,
and pursuant to our invitation for
written comments concerning the three programs then presented:
-- A letter of December 15 from Jeffrey Jefferson,
representing the people of Rongelap, Utirik, and several other
atolls, stating, among other things, that the monitoring
and education programs are inadequate in their coverage,
and that the health program does not sufficiently address the
radiation-related health care needs of the Marshallese;
-- A letter of December 15 from Jonathan Weisgall,
representing the people of Bikini, recommending, among
other things, that primary care be provided for Bikinians
resident only on Kili and Ejit, and Eneu should some Bikinians
later move there, but that secondary and tertiary care be
provided for all Bikinians, possibly outside of the Marshalls,
as at present; and
‘-- A letter of December 17 from Elaine Falender,
representing the Marshall Islands Government,
stating,
among other things, that the health care proposal is in
error in stating that there are minimal radiation-relatedc
health effects evident in the Marshall Islands, and stating
that the Government of the Marshall Islands continues to
believe that Public Law 96-205 requires that health care
be provided to all of the people of the Marshalls.