410288

STATEMENT OF JONATHAN M. WEISGALL
. LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE PEOPLE OF BIKINI
Before the United Nations

Trusteeship Council

May 20, 1981
Mr.

President and Distinguished Members of the Trusteeship

Council:
The people of Bikini appreciate your granting their
‘ petition to address you today.

of Bikini,

As legal counsel for the people

I have been asked to speak as their representative.

With me are Tomaki Juda, Magistrate of the Bikini Council,
Nathan Note,

the Council's

of the Council,

scribe,

Johnny Johnson,

Senator Henchi Balos,

treasurer

the elected representative

of the people of Bikini to the Marshall Islands legislature, the
Nitijela,

my colleague,

James Hamilton,

and Dr. Henrv I. Kohn,

Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School.
I.

Background to 1980 Dose Assessment Meetinc

Wnen I addressed you last year,

the people of Bikini

knew that resettlement of Bikini Island would not be possible
for many years,

but they still hoped to return to Eneu Island,

located at Bikini Atoll five miles south of Bikini.
time,

the Bikinians had asked the U.S.

At that

Depvartment of Energy to

provide them with updated dose assessments of health risks

regarding the radiological safety of Bikini Atoll.

This infor-

mation was presented to the Bikinians at a two-day dose assessment

meeting held on Kili Island on October 8 and 9, 1980.

Kili,

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