Me RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY ANTHROPOLOGY LIVINGSTON COLLEGE + GRADUATE PROGRAM IN NEW BRUNSWICK e NEW JERSEY 08903+ 201/932-2508 June 24, 1980 Mr. Cliff Sloan Office of Rep. Sidney R. Yates 2234 Bayburn House Office Building Weshington, D.C. 20515 Dear Cliff: I an writing this letter as a follow-up to our meeting of April 14th, and also to bring you up to date on some points concerning the Marshall Islands and the Mewetak resettlement. By now I am certain of your growing bewilderment in these matters due to the many, and often contradictory, reports your Office receives relating to the Marshalls. I mst 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 and consideration of all relevant factors effecting the well-being of the Marshallese. A case in point is the current dilemma facing the Imewetak 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 retur 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 end 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 1s 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 major points which I think are relevant to the Enjebi question, and I would like to reiterate my esrlier request for truly independent radietion experts in the Marshall Islands in order to prevent further conflicts of interest regarding the interpretation of radiological dete in the Marshells. If independent radiation experts prolong the njebi resettlement for an additional six months or so, then so be itl ~ix more nonths is a short time in relation to the thirty-three years