re ACCA A. ~ stes Government > them * mn - “ay ka = OD. ff. Devartment of Encrgy a TEOLE. id oe . a2 U a4 a) a) - 1285 PEFLY TO ATTN OF EH=-132 SUBJECT: Department of Energy Rongelap Atoll TO: Edward J. Vallario, (DOE) Involvement in the Evacuation of: EH-132 Tht evacuation of Rongelap Atoll appears to be a totally senseless action unless the role of the Department of Energy in this decision is understood. DOE‘’s involvement could | subject this Agency to Severe criticism both nationally and | internationally. On May 21, 1985, the first of about 328 people left Rongelap Atoll claiming their atoll was not a safe place to live. The population was transported to Kwajaleiu Atoll on the Greenpeace Ship Rainbow Warrior, the ship that was sunk in New zealand about a week ago. The Rongelap people have been disillusioned by what they perceive as contradictory advice from DOE on radiation protection, by monitoring results from a DOE contractor indicating that whole body exposures have . increased at Rongelap Atoll (in a related finding, exposures also increased at Enewetak Atoll), by a high exposure prediction in a Marshallese/English booklet provided by DOE, and by DOE's failure to provide’ answers to questions on their total radiation exposure experience. While there were undoubtedly other political and legal forces at work, the sum total of DOE's failures is a substantial indictment. The DOE unnecessarily gave the Rongelap people radiological justification to support their leaving Rongelap. After almost 18 years of internal strife over who would manage the programs in the Marshalls, these responsibilities were reassigned from the Office of Environmental Protection, Safety, and Emergency Preparedness (EP) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense Programs (DP), and more specifically tc the Deputy for Pacific Operations (DPO) of the Nevada Operations Office (NV) (see Attachments 1 and 2). The complaints about contradictory advice appear to refer to advice presented by the DPO at a meeting at Majuro Atoll in December 1982. This advice was confusing and non-specific. The Rongelap people were told that they should make their own judgments on radiation protection. They were also told that 5001547 EPdiles