4O1777
.
.
.
.
United States Department of the interior
Ny
y
‘e
vr
Lf
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
July 6, 1979
Dr. Hugh Pratt
Medical Department
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Associated Universities, Inc.
Upton, Long Island, New York 11973
Dear Dr.
Pratt:
I enclose a copy of a letter dated July 6, 1979, to Mr. Jonathan
Weisgall, Legal Counsel for the people of Bikini, on a question which
was raised with respect to the people who were evacuated in August
1978 from Bikini Island and who also were alleged to have resided on
Rongelap on March 1, 1954. I enclose also a copy of the "Notes" on the
June 13 meeting in which this question was raised,
(See Item No. 10.)
The letter is self-explanatory. It does not seem possible to us that
40 of the remaining 65 original Rongelap fallout victims would have
ended up living on Bikini Island in 1977-78. From our records here we
can identify only one person, Titikoj Laurem, who was in the 1954 Bravo
fallout on Rongelap and who also was evacuated from Bikini in August 1978.
Could you have your lists checked. I realize that variant names sometimes are used and that the people of the Marshalls move around a great
deal but the statement that almost 60% of the remaining Rongelap fallout
victims had moved to Bikini Island by 1977-78 doesn't seem to be borne
out by any records we have here.
Your comments would be appreciated.
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Ruth G. Van Cleve
Director
Office of Territorial Affairs
Enclosures
ce: |Dr. Walter Weyzen
011434