aati a On Rongelap, the white ash formed a layer 1° inches thick on the ground; it fell into the drinking water tanks and the children played in the radioactive powder. Development Association in 1977. “The people feel that the ERDaA program is in need of vast changes.” strate that low levels of radiation were not harmful to people. in 1968. ten vears after the MarWhile the Utirik and Rongelap shalis nuclear test program had enpopulations were experiencing the ded. President Lyndon Johnson ettects of direct fallout exposure. the promised the 540 Bikini people a peoples of Bikini and Enewetak permanent return to their home: the were attempting to survive in their radiation had dropped below the U.S.-imposed exile on tiny, in- danger level. according to the hospitable islands. Atomic Energy Commission. In 1969. an aec radiological survey Because living conditions on both stated, “There's virtuaily no radiaKili and Ujelang deteriorated further tion jett and we can find no discernduring the late 1950s and early 1960s. ible effect on plant or animal Itfe ‘on the United States instituted small Bikinit. In the early 1970s the Bikinians trust funds in an etfort to alleviate began slowly returning to their atoll to help in the massive rehabilitation program. which included the replanting otf more than 30.000 coconut trees and manvother jocal crops. as well as construction of a newvillage. By the mid-1960s the people were About [00 Bikinians were on the demanding a retum to their home Is- atoil when the Lawrence Livermore tends. Because the Bikintans and Laboratory conducted a radiation Enewetakese began to receive ex- assessment in June 1975. The study. tensive international publicity for “Dose Assessment ut Bikini Atoll.’ tneir plight. the pressure increased not released until mid-1977. stated on the United States to return them clearly: “All living patterns involvto Bikini and Enewetak. In addition. ing Bikini Island exceed federal some of the problems. For the Enewetak people the trust fund was +130.000 and tor the Bikinians it was +300,000. both yielding semi-annual interest payments (approximately >135 per capita for the Bikinians). the Atomic Energy Commission. which had been increasingly criticized for advocating that there were “permissible levels” of radia- (radiation) guidelines for 30-vear population doses.” A preliminary report issued by Energy Research and Development Association in tion exposure. was eager to demon- August 1975 pointed to the need to restrict completely the use of pandanus. breadfruit and coconut crabs (a dietary mainsiay in the Marshalls). Despite these and other wamings. Energy Research and Development Association s Dr. Conard stated a short time earlier: **Qur medical] team has evaluated the radiation exposure in the people who have been working on Bikini the pas! two vears. There is some low level radiation remaining on the 1sland of Bikini and measures nave been taken to reduce these levels... . The internal absorption of radioactive materials will be... only slight from terrestrial food plant sources. Theretore. we do not ex- pect to see anyill effects in the Bikini people or in their ottsonng trom the small amounts ofradiation to which they will be exposed.’ Caught in the middle )f these con- flicting statements. in late 197§ the Bikintans filed a federal law suit against the U.S. government de- manding a complete scientific survey of Bikini to determine if the tsiand was indeed safe tor habitatior. In late 1977, ERDA monitonng of the Bikinians who had retumed ear-