401788
United S
Department of the Interior
OFPECE OF THE SLCRETARY
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WASHINGTON, D.C. 26249
Honorable Adrian P. Winkel
High Commissioner
JUL
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[Vos
00
4
0 1973
Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands
Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950
Dear Mr. Winkel:
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
On July 6, 1979, Dr. Bruce Wachhnolz, Coordinator for Marshall Islands
radiological matters, DOE, and Dr. Hugh Pratt of Brookhaven National
Laboratory met with me, Deputy Director George Milner and John E.
deYoung with respect to the proposed medical survey of the people of
Likiep Atol}.
You will recall that this proposed survey was mentioned in my June 26
letter to you on the allegations that certain files containing material
relating to the Rongelap and Utirik exposure groups had been destroyed
by the Trust Territory Administration some years ago.
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DOE now is working on plans for a medical survey of Likiep Atoll and you
will be kept informed of developments.
An attempt is being made also to assemble as much in the way of back-
ground medical material as possible on the people of the Northern
Marshalls. There is very little material as you know.
The Navy
Department, however, some time in the late 1940's conducted a medical
survey of the Trust Territory using, as I recall, a ship named the USS
Whitby.
This medical survey came to be known as the "Whitby Survey" and
John deYoung informs me that copies, at one time, were available in the
Office of the Director of Public Health, TTPI. A copy also might have
been in the callection that was transferred to the Library of the
Congress of Iicronesia some time in the late 1960's.
Our files do not seem to have a copy of the "Whitby Report".
Could you
check with the Bureau of Health Services to determine whether the Report
is still on file.
If so, could copies be made for us as well as for the
Department of Energy.
Also at the May 16, 1979, Inter-Agency meeting, Mr. Anton DeBrum stated
that there have been a significant number of medical referrals to the
Guam Naval Hospital, to Tripler Army Hospital, and to some special clinic
in Honolulu, of people of the Northern Marshalls for thyroid abnormalities
and cancer.
These are not the Rongelap and Utirik exposed individuals or
enhyias3
x (Dr. Walter Weyzen, DoE QUI
I Yo 3