oes + CL RK | RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY LIVINGSTON COLLEGE » GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ANTHROPOLOGY NEW BRUNSWICK » NEW JERSEY 08903 201/932-2598 Cliff Sloan Office of Rep. Sidney R. Yates . 2234 Rayburn House Office Building Weshington, D.C. 20515 Dear Cliff: Y 92 NAP O86r. Mr. June 24, 1980 I am writing this letter as a follow-up to our meeting ofApril 14th, and also to bring you up to date on some points concerning the Marshall Islands and the Enewetak resettlement. By now I am ¢¥#rtain of your growing bewilderment in these matters due to the many, and often contradictory, reports your Office receives relating to the Marshalls. I mist say that you have my sympathies in attempting to untangle this “nuclear quagmire," and hope this correspondence will be of some help in your attempt to understand the myriad complexities in the Marshall Islands. I should like to say at the outset that I have always favored prudence and caution when dealing with problems associated with radiation in the Marshalls, and the entire history of the United States’ testing program bespeaks the need for very careful analysis end consideration of all relevant factors effecting the well-being of the Marshallese. A case in point is the current dilemma facing the Enewetak Islanders, and particularly the people of Injebi, who ere understandably anxious to return to their ancestral island after living in exile for thirty-three years. It is my sincere feeling that the people of Injebi should be allowed to return to their home island, but only on the condition that it is "safe" for them to return. I use quotations around the word "sefe" because the whole question of Enjebi revolves around the meaning and interpretation of what constitutes “safe.” As you are well-awere, this notion of what constitutes a "safe" level of radiation is one of the most hotly-debated issues in the nuclear field, and it is nearly impossible to find two reputable radiation experts who will agree about a "safe" level of radiation. In the following paragraphs, I would like to briefly outline some nejor points which I think ere relevant to the Injebi question, and I would like to reiterate my eerlier request for truly independent radiation exverts in the Marshall Islends in order to prevent further conflicts of interest regarding the interpretation of radiological deta in the Marshalls. If independent radiation experts prolong the Snjebi resettlement for an additional six months or so, then so be it! ~ix More months is a short time in relation to the thirty-three years