Political interference:

About 5 years ago a Marshallese congressman attacked the United States
and

the medical team with absurd charges concerning the exposed Marshallese

and medical examinations and in 1971 he invited a Japanese "medical team" to
the Marshalls to check-up on our examinations.
reporters

with one Japanese woman doctor.

High Commissioner because of

The team was composed of largely

The attempt was thwarted by the

inadequate credentials of the group.

This in-

furiated the politicians who caused our March 1972 examinations of the Rongelap and Utirik people to be aborted.

A special committee on Rongelap and

Utirik was formed by the Congress of Micronesia who organized a medical
observer group in 1972, referred to at the beginning.

The cammittee publish-

ed a sizeable book covering our examinations and the observers report, the
results of which were generally favorable to us and did much, at least,
temporarily, to quiet the unrest.
Congress of Micronesia bills and TTPI - ERDA agreement:
During the past few years two bills were formulated at the instigation of
the Congress of Micronesia

1) A hospital benefit bill (Public Law 5-52) to

allow for free hospitalization, transportation and per diem for exposed
Rongelap and Utirik patients and included the control group of unexposed
Rongelap people who are on 7h? examination list.

This has been the cause of

further unrest, which no doubt plays a strong role in the present crisis, particularly in Utirik.

The complaints associated with this law largely concerns

the fact that the Utirik people feel that there should be a control group for
their population.

The unexposed Utirik people are not entitled to the benefits

of the bill as are the Rongelap

control population.

Also the Rongelap and

Utirik people as pointed out above feel that the children of exposed parents
(Tr bee/)

Select target paragraph3