401791 Notes on June 13, 1979 Meeting with Bikini-Council Delegation at Office of Territorial Affairs. Participants: Under Secretary Dep. Dir. Geo. Milner, John E. (Covington and Burling), Legal Tomaki Juda, Mr. Henchi Balos, James A. Joseph, Director Ruth Van Cleve, deYoung of OTA; Mr. Jonathon Weisgall Counsel for people of Bikini, Magistrate Member of Nitijela (represents people of Bikini-Kili), Mr. Taro Lekebol, Kili Council member, Mr. Ralph Waltz, Advisor to the Kili-Bikini Council, and Mr. Alan S. Weitz and Ms. Celia Roady (Ginsburg Feldman & Bress Law Firm). Dr. Bruce Wachholz and Mr. Tommy McGraw represented the Department of Energy. Under Secretary James A. Joseph opened the meeting and greeted the members of the Bikini delegation whom he had met when he visited Kili and Bikini islands last August. The Under Secretary could not stay for the meeting due to other commitments and Director Ruth Van Cleve served as co-ordinator. The major items discussed during the three hour meeting which ran from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. covered the following topics. 1. Representation by a law firm other than Covington and Burling with respect to items dealingwith political status negotiations as they relate to the people of Bikini. Mr, J, Weisgal introduced Mr. Alan S. Weitz and Ms, Celia Roady of Ginsburg Feldman & Bress law firm. He explained that since Covington & Burling also represented the Marshall Islands Political Status Commission, the firm believed that a different law firm should represent the people of Bikini with respect to items directly related to political status. The firm of Ginsburg Feldman & Bress had the proposal under consideration and this was why Mr, Weitz and Ms. Roady were in attendance. He (Mr. Weisgall), though, was continuing as Legal Representative for the people of Bikini with respect to non-political status negotiation matters. 2. Need for more direct contact with representatives of the people of Bikini Mr. Weisgall noted that it is essential that there be more direct contact with the people of Bikini regarding the resettlement program and their future. Director Van Cleve agreed and stated that she believed that High Commissioner Adrian P, Winkel had been making a special effort to meet as often as he could with the people of Bikini and their representatives. Mr. Weisgall and members of the Bikini delegation agreed that while this was so, there were still gaps in communication. Some of these might be due to the fact that there was diffidence on part of the Kili-Bikini Council to broach certain matters direct to the High Commissioner, i.e., on some things they might feel more at ease with an official intermediary than with the "top man" in the TTPI. There appeared also to have been some "misses" in getting information to the Bikini-Kili Council or other representatives of the people of Bikini. Examples were cited: