“TEAS eteSo angeRi Cate Bete 2 eo Be
"
Honorable Peter R. Taft
-2-
February 2, 1976
During the cleanup of Bikini Atoll, the Department of Defense, the
Atomic Energy Commission, and the Department of the Interior cooperated
in the safety studies, and in the cleanup and rehabilitation activities.
The Atomic Energy Commission was primarily responsible for the radiological surveys, safety evaluations, and advice and recommendations on
radiological matters related to cleanup and rehabilitation. The Department of Defense performed the cleanup and disposal of radioactive debris
and the Department of the Interior and Trust Territory were responsible
for the rehabilitation of the islands and return of the people.
The
specific division of responsibility between the Atcmic Energy Commission
and the Department of Defense for this cleanup was set forth in the
February 11, 1969, Memorandum of Understanding, Attachment 1 to this
letter.
‘
In 1974, the Department of the Interior, Office of Trust Territories,
requested ERDA assistance in reviewing plans for the second phase of
housing construction on Bikini Island.
To facilitate this review, and
~Because of the difficulty in surveying so large an island on foot, an
aerial survey was proposed. Such a survey would also provide the
Department of the Interior with needed data on interior portions of other
islands in the Atoll for long-range planning.
The Department of Defense
was requested by the Department of the Interior to provide the necessary
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logistics support to ERDA. In our view, provision of this logistic
support by the Depariment of Defense at no cost would be entirely consistent with Paragraph 8 of the Memorandum of Understanding, and the
continuing responsibility of that Department for the residual evidence
or its operations in the Pacific. The Department of Defense advised
that they were unable to provide the necessary logistics support, without cost reimbursement. Because of the need for timely advice to the
Department of the Interior, ERDA fielded a limited survey using ground
monitoring.
This was sufficient to answer specific questions about hore
locations on Bikini and Eneu Islands, but did not provide any new data
on other islands in the Atoll, and did not provide the same amount of
detailed data on Bikini and Eneu Islands as an aerial survey would.
It has become increasingly apparent that the U.S. will soon end the
Trust Territory Agreement. We believe that before the U.S. does this,
a complete and comprehensive radiological survey ought to be conducted
of all of the Pacific Islands which were subjected to testing and closein fallout to document the status today.
For its part, ERDA is prepared
to fund the FY 1976 operating costs for the technical aspects of the
survey.
The Department of the Interior and ERDA have repeatedly requested
the Department of Defense to provide logistic support for this survey.
That Department has requested financial reimbursement as a condition of
such support.
Neither ERDA nor the Department of Defense has programmed,
nor otherwise has available, funds for this logistic support.
for such funds have not survived budgetary reviews.
Requests
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