NT USieeGnicENERGY

COMMIS

NEVADA OPERATIONS OFFICE

P.O. BOK 314109
:
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89:14

.

Quo

R. E. Hollingsworth

ay

fy

General Manager, HQ

ENIVETOK

Fo

,

-

During the past approximately one year, NV has become aware of,
ond I have become increasingly coucerned about, certain conditions
and activities at Enivetok Atoll. My concern stems from three
facts:
a.

It has appeared probable that Eniwetok, which has not yet
had e Bikini-style radiological cleanup, would soon be a
candidate for rehabilitation and return to the Mzrshallese.
Since mid-April 1972, this probability has become reality,
with a public commitment by the United States to return
Eniwetok to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands by

the end of 1973.
b.

|

(See Encl. 1).

It has been known, due to the nature of the testing which
was conducted at Eniwetok, that cleanup and rehabilitation

when it did occur would be significantly more difficult and

more costly than head been similar activities at Bikini.
-

;

It

-

was also suspected that increased environmental censitivity
and political and public visibility vould be complicating
factors in an Eniwetok rehabilitation.

ce.

There were and are on-going activities of the Department of -

Defense and other public and private egencies which could

ageravate the known (and unknown) radiological problems and
which could subject their participants to unnecessary and
unacceptable radiological exposures.
-

The following is a chronology of recent HV actions pertaining to

Eniwetok :

July 1971

NV and EPA participated with Air Force PACE
Program personnel in a preliminary site -

selection visit to Eniwetok.

CONFIRMED. TO BE UNCLASSIFIED
AUTHORITY: DOE/SA-20

7¥
Ph rp ey DATE: 6 -/6.

/.

/

it

Thre Air Force

-

Select target paragraph3