Stee December1978 Mr. WH. J. tanley ua . mo Director, Pacific Area Support Office ~ Deparrcent of Energy. ~.0.5. 29929 . : Honolulu, Hawaii 96820 Dear Bill,. pinks, letter is in response to a telephona request I received from Rafry Brown late. yesterday afternoon regarding. my. opinions.as to the feasibliity of‘small helicoptor eupport.for the Medical Survey of the Marshall Islands. As background for the Following discussions, I'd like to reatata an opinion which £ think we have discussed previously in your office, pertatuin,; to the long-raaga logistic plans for the BNL medical survey. First, if woutd appear that sonetima in the near‘'future that the geographic area assigned ta ENL might expand appreciably, i.e., to include the people of Bikini and Entiveutok. This dacision is pending at DOE/DOI. This, of course, would tremendously enlarge the geographic area to ba covered by the mddical survey teaas and would present severe logistic problems for slow shipboard support. As we have: ciscugsed in ths past, the possibility of eatablishing small Independent exanining facilities on each of the islands and supporting these installatloas by aircraft certainly should be considered carefully. The type of alrerafi to be used again presents a variety of options. TI understand that a PBY 5A wilh be available from the University of Hawaii. JI have no further information a1 .to the dates of availability or priority for its utilization by this progran. Another option which I have been considering is the ultimate use of a heavy helicoptor of the SH-3 type that would have both the range and operating charactwristics necessary for outer island support. Both of these options would greatly increase the facility with which we could evacuate patients fron the islands in the event of medical emergencies.° Of ceursa, all of this is conjecture at this point until some final / decision is made as to the Bihini and Eniwetok populations. Onca that decision has been mada and we hava some idea of our Zuture patient loading, I think wea ought to have a logistic meetings to develop soma short~ and long-termaplans concerning these options, To rena. OORTURE)