c¢oPy 402908 UNITED STATES ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20545 April 30, 1976 Alfred D. Starbird Assistant Administrator for National Security PACIFIC AREA PROGRAMS Someof the activities of the Off-Continent Test Readiness Program have been closely associated with several important AES Pacific area programsderived from nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls. As IJ understand your plans for reducing the Readiness Program, the reduction will have little impact on our programs. However, you should be aware that the AES programs have placed, and are planning to place, much reliance on the services provided by and the support of Nevada's Pacific Area Support Office (PASO). The primary purpose of this office has been to provide for Johnston Atoll, a DNA installation, the operations and maintenance ex- pertise related to overseas testing of the NV contractor, Holmes and Narver, Inc. (H&N). At the same time our programs have been able to utilize the management base of PASO and the logistics base of H&N to provide effective and economical support. We have appropriately reimbursed NV for the services received, and since there is now no plan to close PASO, we intend to con- tinue such an arrangement. The following are our Pacific area programs: 1. The Brookhaven Medical Program This is our continuing medical surveillance of the people of Rongelap and Utirik who were injured by fallout from the Bravo event of March 1, Expected duration: 1954. more than 10 years.