me Agden 4 RES 20 1986 ot me. D. C. tafedvre French Peuer bureau Dupeat Cirele Bailding 1346 Caennecticet Avenue, 3... Washingtes, D. C. 20036 Dear Mr. Lefebvre: hh Mc, Krateer, Directer of the Division ef tional Affaire has asked us to respend to your letter of July 27,1966, cencerning Dr. Belpla's interest dm the centemination incident at Rongelap. Dr. Delpla*s surmise is indeed correct. Recent re-estimates of the probable radiation deses to the thyreid glands suggest that the tetal dosage may indeed .beve been Aigher than those computed in 1956 and reported im: "Some Effects ef Ionizing Rediation on Human Beings” by Cronkite, Bond, end Dunham, July 1956, TID 5358. The estimated external doses are wnchanged, but the internal dose from the uptake of radiofedines is now eatimated to have been between 600 and 1400 rem to the §52043 52fey is dzse to inclusion of the short-lived radioisotopes 1 135 with the original dose from 1251, it should be cpus ized” fovever, that these are estimations based on a number of assumptions whieh. at this point cannot be checked. A second Sector which may be important is that, with two exceptions, the nodular ebmorealities have been found in young people who were iess than twelve yeurs of age at the time of exposure. The one adult mentioned in your letter was the enly one with confirmed cancer of the thyreid. All the ethers who have been bicpsied ex operated upon up to this time have shown a weularity ef the acinar tissue which is associated with an illdefined type of kymphacytic thyroiditis; it is not neoplastic. The epidemiclogical aed clinical findings en these people have been reported in detail:receatly by Dr. Robert Cemerd, et al. in the Journal ef the American Medical Asseciation 192:457, Qiay 10) 1965, end in the Hew England Journal of Medicine 274:1392, (June 23) 1966. a“ D/C- NEST Jit - cle COA. as a