924 DESIRE OF BIRINIANS TO REMAIN ON BIKINI ATOLL Mr. Yates. Your letter indicates that the Bikinians want to stay on the atoll. Isthat impossible f Mrs. Van Creve. Inour Judgment, it would be improper for them to remain because of the. medica! risks involved. and the Department of Energy agrees with that conclusion. Accordingly. we mean to persist in our plans to relocate them. this in the interests of their physical safety, We recognize. of course. their preference to remain. That is why we have had this problem for sonie 30 vears and if will continue for some decades hence. We arc simply irvure to meet it in the most reasonable way we know, recognizing the phy sical threats that exist if they remain on Bikini Island. CAUSES OF RADIOACTIVITY ON BIRINI ATOLL Cee Mr. Yates. Let's look at it a minute before we go to the High Commssioner’s statemnent. fe reason they cp ; gilinnet yt lewns the fou the poiske rather thar be Me vies Se pes pg ate — Tire VanSE ] beheve it is a combination ofbath. Mr. Yates. That wasn't Mr. Deal's testimony the last time. As ] remember his testimony the last time, it was internal causes rather than external causes: is that right. Mr. Deal? Mer. Dinas. T think maybe both are right. The external radiation has to Ge considered. Ihe anlemial 05 20 Inet. that jt avershalews the extemal. a Alr. Yates. How potent is the external: and suppose vou did not have the internal radiation? Would it be feasilide for them 1© remnain / Mr. Deav. The external pacdignian is about Hhke to those Mr. Yates. It would be as danperou: as Denver. Colo.. eholivein Denver? Mr. DeaL. Yes, sir. Mr. Yares. They are not evacuating the city of Denver. are they? Mr. Dear. I hope not. Mr. Yates. So. therefore, the amount of external radiation in the city of Denver is not considered sufhcient for that city to be evacuated. I assume. therefore. that if that is the same condition on Bikini. the basic canse for your suggestion or vour recommendation Tibinthar }ali~ Is evacuated js the ingestion of the food and the water: correct? TEAL. LOS, SIF Mr. Yates. Now if the Bikinians wanted to stay there. stay on their atoll. if they did not consume the water and the ‘food that was there. I would deduce from what vou sav that it would be as dangerous for them to live on Kili or Jaluit or anv one of the other islands as it would on Bikini. right? Mr. Dear. Yes. sir. the other islands are quite—— Mr Yams. Thatwert. ue to the basic question then: Can gyfer them and mve them water fromotuersoupecs Liat CT ent them (oer Riki they would not he takipeinthe radiatedTool an Ue aE you ask my opinion. Mr. Chaimnan. personal Lhave concluded that it is probably impractical to have people livingin re 9011930