PreeahaPSs a ae oreae a a a as eaeraeSoe wet wee ee, eo a, Beginning in the mid-1960s, several hundred Peace Corps volunteers came to Micronesia, including Rongelap and Utirik where they were most helpful to us. Others were critical of the U.S. Administration (B-34.39,40). This was a period when there was increasing criticism about the Bravo accidentbylocal politicians and lawyers representing the Marshailese. While at Utirik, there were complaints that the people with diabetes had not been given insulin by our resident physician. We explained that we had been advised by specialists in the treatment of diabetes that such treatment was not appropriate for their type of diabetes (middle-age type) in these isolated islands. The Utirik people were also disturbed because we had told them they would not likely develop radiation effects and they had. We discussed the . fact that our predictions had been based onestimates of the amountof radiation they had received, and later, revised estimates showed that they had received larger amountsof radiation, particularly to the thyroid gland, which caused the developmentof a few thyroid tumors. Later that year I received a letter from the Magistrate (Mayor) of Utirik, expressing appreciation for the past work of the medical team and hoping we would continue the examina- tions, © 7 Sea eB era ers In 1976, at the exidof his tour, Knudsen was replaced by:‘Konrad Kotrady..Belgecetiyrétire- ment a year later, I heard that Retady had ~ becomecritical ofous medics}aragram,Without consulting me, he wrote a report?’ and publicly criticized the program. The main thrust of his criticism was that the program was “too nar- row’. We, of course, were aware of the limita- tions imposed on our program by our mandate and financial restrictions. The primary health care of the people of Rongelap and Utirik always had been the responsibility of the Health Services of the Marshall Islands under the Trust Territory government. However,real- izing the limitations of their capability, we had gone well beyond our mandate in providing health care and establishing a resident physician program to help in the interim. (The physicians were employed by BNL). Eventually, the United States made further funds available 20-rhe Brookhaven Medical Program to Detect Radiation Effects in the Marshallese Peopie: A Companson of the Peopies’ va. the Program's Atutude” (unpubiished). 32 50041493 througn the Compact of Free Association agreement which would help bring about an improvement in primary health care (B-19). In Japan, there was continued interest in the. Bravo accident and the Marshallese fallout vic- tims. In March 1976, a Japanese movie team (NHK) accompanied us on our medical examinations at Rongelap and Utirik and produced a 50-minute movie, “Bikini Atoll", a reasonable portrayal of our examinations, which waslater televised throughout Japan. In May 1976, the Japanese Gensuikin anti-A and H-bomb groups obtained medicalcharts of 66 exposed Rongelap people. (It is not clear what these charts were nor how they got them.) The charts were turned over to the Nagasaki Red Cross Hospital and Nagasaki University for analysis, who reported the following (B-70). Some cases showed bone marrow disorder 18 years after the exposurediffering greatly fromthe onset at 4-5 years later in case of Nagasaki. In any case, when the bone marrow is impaired, there is a great risk of hemopoietic disturbance appearing and careful surveillance seemsto be indicated. However, these medical charts have been reported in Chapter 12 of “Atomic Medicine” printed in the U.S. in 1969 and .the results of the analysis are nothing new to medical scientists: ***-"=. Alsg at.this time,theGensuikin group. invited two Rehgelap wien Who had beerr: exposed to thefailoutradapam where they were examined at the 'Nageeakt RedCrossés Hospital (B-71). Later, two Rongelap women werealso examined at that hospital. The examinations revealed nothing that had not been reported by our group. In 1977, a Japanese group from the Gensuikin organization visited Majuro and discussed with Ataji Balos the medical treatment of the Rongelap and Utirik bomb victims (B-74). Balos reassured them that he wassatisfied with the way the examinations were being done. Since that time, as far as I am aware, there has been no further involvement by the Japanese in our examinations. In the ensuing years, unrest continued among the Rongelap people. Their village had deteriorated considerably, with houses in need of repair. Since they had returned. they had not been satisfied about the radiological safety of their island despite our assurances from sensi-