ERDA with the People of Bikini has been the cause of nuch of the damage already done to the Bikini community. For exazple, it was AEC's recommendation that the People might so pack to Bikini Island without appreciable risk of exposure to radiation which lead to willingness on the part of Bikineans, such as to actually take their families and return to Bikini. By August end September, 1975, communication fron different agencies of the United States Governnent to the People of Bikini had become totally contradictory. at the same tine a representative of ERDA vas at Kili celling the People of Bikini that Bikini Island was Ww safe" Al and that he would himself have no reservation about living there, the Department of Interior was announcing officially in Washington that the further Resettlerent of Bikini Island must be stopped because of the apparent risks of radiation based on the August 1975 Eas. BEST AVAILABLE COP preliminary reports by For the People of Bikini, who have heard these conflicting statements only in spoken form, in English translated into Marshallese, without opportunity to review the underlying scientific or technical documents in their own language, the result has been confusion and heartbreak. By their own terms, the August 1975 ERDA documents are so preliminary in nature that expression of conclusions as to safety of Bikini Island is not warranted. The docu- ‘ments themselves state that many tests have yet to be com- pleted, including such vitally important tests as that of radioactivity of ground water at Eneu Island. DOE ARCHIVES The People of Bikini have a strong desire to -8- PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED