MEMORANDUM FOR:

SUBJECT:

1.

CJTF SEVEN

.

10 March 1954

Report on “Soil and Wator Sampling Mission

In compliance with your oral instructions, tho undersigned visited otjc,

Erikub, Maloolap, Wotho, Majuro Atolls in tho Marshall Islands 5 through 7 March
1954 for the purpose of obtaining oarth and drinking water samples, and of moasuring gamma way doso rates, and also checkod the radiological condition of tho S.S.
ROQUE on its arrival at Majuro 7 March 1954,

2.

Tho first four atolls wore visitod by Marshalleso intcrprotor Takushi

and the writcr by mans of an UF-1 amphibious aircraft, Majuro was reached by
C-47. Erikub might havo been omittod since it was not inhabited, boing proporty

of tho Wotjo tribo which gocs thoro only occasionally to gather copra.e
unknown until aftor tho visit.)
3.

At cach atoll, oly the principal inhabited island was visited,

(This ws
At cach

visited island an cffort was made to compose a roprosontative soil avcrago by

collecting into a single containcr sovoral samples, cach approximtcly ono squar
foot of aroa and one inch depth. Wator samples wore colloctcd from tho princip::
sources currontly in use. Tho gamma doso ratcs aro avcregos for the inhabited
arcas,
.
4.

With rogard to certain minor discrepancies betwoen tho survoy methods us-

by Major R. D. Crea and the writcr; it was originally planned to performtho surt

jointly, and when it wccamo advisable to soparato and survey difforont atolls, no

time romainod for discussion of dotails of tochniquos,
5.

Gamma~ray dose ratos on Wotje and on Erikub aro cach the average of MX-5

and AN/PDR-39 average readings which agreed reasonably woll, Tho MX-5 was rendez
inoperative when the rubber life raft was swamped by surf on'tho first attompt to
launch from the beach at Erikub. Following tho Wotho survey, the PDR-39 dovelope?

a tomperature—dependent reading of 0.4 = 2 m/hr, so that later readings in this
range are of vory dubious relfability.
6.

The following tabulation summarizes the atoll survey.

Water Samples

S is Soil, Wis

ATOLL

ISLAND

DATE

TIME

SAMPLE NQ

MRAIR & SAMPLING

WOE

ORMED

5 Mar

1600

S5

3.5 o/fhr, l-beach, 3-mid-vill--

Wo
ERIKUB

“Wn,
SRD-213-sy-2e

ERIKUB

5 Mar

1715

S6

‘ee

age, l-back village.

" $ well plus 4 catch basin.
1.5 orfhr. l-mid-village, 1

on path to beach. No inhabit-.
ants, no water supply found.

—_

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