The Pacific community, not surprisingly. has reacted strongly to Washington's proposal that a Pacific site, such as Wake, Midway. or Palmyra, be used as a storage facility. “The day has long passed."’ one Pacific journal editorialized, ‘‘when the United Scares could arbitrarily decide on which islands to bomb and which islands would be laden with nuclear waste." Ic is difficult for outsiders to understand the importance of land to the Marshallese people. Land is not a commodity for them: itis a symbol of individual identity. Through its nuclear testing program, the United Sraces gained a position of nuclear strength. The people of Bikini, ontheorher hand. lost their land—and with ic their idenury. The test- ing program is over, but Bikini will bear its scars for many generations, and the United Stares must continue to provide direct care for the people of Bikini for the indefinite future. Two years ago Tomaki Juda. leader of the Bikinians. recalled before a congressional subcommittee the ironic words of Wyatt. who asked the Bikinians to leave their atoll so that ic could be used “for the good of mankind and toend all world wars’' and compared the Bikinians to the Children of Israel] whom the Lord fed into the “:omised Land. Juda testified that his people ‘‘were naive then.”’ and he concluded: ‘We are. sadly, more akin to the Children of Israel when they left Egypt and wandered through the desert for 40 years.”’ Resectlement on Eneu will return the Bikinians to their atoll. if not to their home- land, and ir will help them begin to rebuild their identity and dignity. 98. vt