Agreement Between The United States Department of Energy and
The Trust Territory of The Pacific Islands Regarding Medical Care of the
Rongelap and Utirik People

The United States Department of Energy (DOE), formerly ERDA and AEC,
has for nearly twenty-four years conducted a program of medical survetlancca
of the people of Rongelap and Utirik atolls who were accidentally exposed
to fallout from a weapons test in 1954.

Since 1956 this program has been

carried out under the direction of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNI)
with the cooperation and participation of the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands (TTPI).

The purpose of this document is to formulate an agreement

between DOE and the TIPI concerning the DOE~BNL Medical Program in the
Marshall Islands.

This agreement supersedes and extends that of Febcuary,

1977 (copy attached).

The agreement reached between ERDA and TTPI

(December 2, 1974) regarding implementation of the Congress of Micranesia
PL-5-52 (Trust Territory Fallout’ Survivors Act, COPY
in effect.

attached) continues

This agreement allows for free hospitelization within the Trust

Territory (including travel and per diem allowanced for individuals in the
Rongelap or Utirik exposed and control groups who become ill.
The people living on Rongelap and Utirik atolls have recently and
separately requested that the DOf Medical Program include more comprehensive
care for all the people living on these islands.

This resulted in the

February 1977 agreement referred to above with provisions for increased
medical assistance by DOE to the TTP in the discharge of health care responsibilities ta the people living on Rongelap and Utirik.

During the past year, the

agreement has been implemented by both parties, apparently to the satisfaction
af

the darshallese people involved.

That agreement only covered the calendar

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year 1977; Leace, the present agrecment is jntended to supplant that one.

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