me -4- Neas said he thought this was improper, but told the Americans if they wanted they should write individual letters to Midkiff. "I, for one, did. I wrote to the High Commissioner and noted the feeling of the people (about the H-bomb). meeting He contimed: For instance 1 Marshallese said at the ‘What are you Americans trying to do? Open up the gates of Hell?! I could tell that there was resentment and fear." Heine was on a Trust Territory ship at Kwajalein the day of the hydrogen explosion, He said: "We saw the flash first. to shake, It shock the ship. Water around the ship seemsd There were several explosions that went wham wham," The same day the ship pullsd out and errived the next dey at Utirik. "We were met by many canoes," Heine added. "The first question they asked was ‘Is there war on,! "The people said they saw something like flames or shooting stars but too lew to be shooting stars. They said children cried end hid in the brusn." Heine said that on the way back to Majuro he begar working on the idea of a protest. He did not learn until his arrival at Majuro that the 2 atolls had been contaminated, Heine end other members of the Holdover Committee began work immediately. On April 5 Neas met with the Marshallese to discuss a copra tax, After he had left, Heine said, he told the Marshallese to remain inMajuro and they finalized plans for the petition. "We are a small people =~ only 11,000 of us," he said. "and the only way to get people to pay attention is when we call loud," ~~ (more)