information--a situation which must be corrected,

Cultural Aspects
As it will be recalled, Dr. Conard remarked that perhaps the
team had failed in communicating to the people their special situation and the certain procedures and limitations they must accept.
The Committee believes that this results for a number of reasons,
First,

it should be remembered that the March lst event involved

a great number of military personnel.

This also included the later

examinations in which Dr. Conard as a Navy Captain
in the Medical Corps participated.

(and later Commander)

The memory of the Japanese military

was undoubtedly strong in the minds of the Rongelapese and Utirikese
and the examinations were accepted as a matter of course in the beginning and as a matter of habit later on,

even though the emphasis grad-

ually shifted from a military to civilian representation in the teams.
Thus, while Dr. Conard appears to be a kindly and considerate man, the
examinations as observed by the Committee are initiated in a military

manner (“they act as though they own the island") and carried out with
an almost military precision and efficiency.
Second, the short amount of time of the visits coupled with their
annual occurance leaves little time for consultation with the people.
Also, it should be noted that the results of the examinations may not

be ready for dissemination for several months after the exam has taken
nlace,
Lastly, the Committee would like to call attention to cultural

differences which have a great influence on this miscommunication.

bOre 112

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