SESSIONIt

37

information that this thing was happening became more or less public
arouno the world. So, when on March Ist there was a detonaion at
Bikini of something of the order of [Q to [5 megatons, the stage was
really set for people to react. People had begun to be awarethat
there is such a thing as fallout, but they didn’t have any real feel (or
it, and [ don't think the military did esther, Certainly E didn't,

fallout is discussed and not badly, actually,

but still [ don't think it

meant very much to anybody because nobody could really see the
problem.
I think one should keep in mind the kinds of people one is dealing
with in this episode. On the one hand, one is dealing with Marshall
Islanders, a smal! group of native people who are quite literate but
who weren't well educated, and [ think this is the distinction ta make,
They had been a possession first of the Germans,

then the Japanese,

and then the United States. [think they do not really love the United
States. Bob may contradict me on this, but I think he would agree that
their attitude had been, ‘Well, somebody is always going to be poking
his nose into our business. We're going to be wards of somebody.
The U.S, has been pretty good.'' So, when something had to be done
ard they were moved. they took it all very quietly and «sere totally
cooperative. lnever ran into a group of people who tried to be more
helpful. Just to give you an idea of the kind of people they are—I
don't have any slides because I think slides tend to slow up discussions
—I'll pass around some pictures of the natives, and you can take a
lock at them.
In contrast, of course, are the Japanese, a highly sophisticated
people, just as sophisticated as we, who had this extra sensitivity to
the whole rhenomenon of radiation, and who had been a beaten peuple
who were very worried about their relations with the United States

and with the world as a whole, but who were just beginning to sort of
feel their oats a little bit.

—

_—

It was within this general framework that these events occurred,
I think that one way to set the stage here is simply to read the preface froma special issuance (Reference 2) of the Institute of Chemical
Research at Kyoto,

which came out in November 1954,

six months

after the event, and which shows howthey set the etage as far as
they were concerned,
his is all physics and chemistry. There is
no medical business inthis report because none of the fisherraen
actually got to Kyoto, but much of the material did,

te
ities.

“

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