peeeeemeneeeens
WEAPONSTESTING
Os Osee
1971 continued
therefore, stay on Majuro and one doctor comments: "The team was welcomed
by the islanders who strongly desired
our investigation work."
1973 after completing certain “unspeci-
fied activities" currently underway on
the atoll.
"Time and again the committee
found that the people did not
understand anything about their
exposure, the possible effects on
themselves and to their children
and on their environment."
Congress of Micronesia Report
on Rongelap and Utirik, February, 1973.
oe
1972 Rongelap: An agreement is made
between the Trust Territory administra-
FEBRUARY Utirik/Rongelap: The Congress
of Micronesia creates a Special Joint
Committee to investigate the problems of
the irradiated people living on Rongelap
and Utirik Atolls.
MARCH Rongelap: After the Brookhaven
medical survey ship leaves for Rongelap,
Marshallese discover that the T.T. government has ignored the agreement, and
only one Japanese doctor, who has no
background in treatment of radiation
sickness or thyroid disease, is on board.
As a result, the Rongelap people refuse
to allow the Brookhaven doctors to ex-
VF
ENEWETAK ATOLL, SITE OF 43
ANNOUNCED NUCLEAR TESTS.
—_p—
24
SS
MAY Enewetak: Five Enewetak leaders and
their lawyersmake a brief visit to Ene-
wetak and are ‘shocked at the damage from
the 43 nuclear tests between 1948 and
1958,
Very disturbing to the leaders
was the information that one-half of a
40-acre island had recently been strip-.
ped ef soils in preparation forthe
Pacific Cratering Experiments (PACE).
The initial phasesof the “unspecified
activities" which had already taken
place included 190 holes drilled into
the reefs and land for explosive charges
and 86 trenches dug in different parts
of the atoll, as well as detonation of
amine them, until the UTS.agreestoin=—sixtons -ef explosives.
clude independent doctors on their sur-
vey team.
a
tion and Marshall Islands elected leaders that the annual Brookhaven medical
survey in March will include three Japanese medical specialists.
*
‘Enewetak: A draft EIS as required by
1972 DECEMBER The U.S. begins separate negotiations with the Mariana Islands
toward that district becoming a U.S. commonwealth, after the rejection of this
Status by the rest of Micronesia. ~ Military plans for an air base on Tinian Island are a focus of American interest in the Marianas.
APRIL Enewetak: The U.S. announces it
will surrencer Enewetak by the end of
9002611
NEPA was filed by the two Defense De-
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