provide the special protocal required to monitor these patients. It is clear that the current Four Atoll Health Care Program (John Short and Associates under contract to DOI) does not have nor plans to acquire the necessary tools to carry this out. Ill. Who Carries Out Commitments? This is very subjective and there are varying opinions both inside and outside of DOE. It is argued that DOE should not be in the medical business (at least DP); that the program is small by dollar standards but highly visible (and therefore detrimental) politically; that it has no relevance to DP program interests; that bioassay work can be contracted out to one of several companies or EPA; that technically many DOE obligations end simultaneous with Compact implementation. ALL OF THE ABOVE IS EITHER FULLY OR PARTIALLY VALID. On the other side of the coin we have: 1. DOE currently has a well run medical program through BNL. 2. DOE has environmental programs in place that are producing credible, solid results (witness the vindication of our Bikini and Enewetak data and conclusions after review by “independent scientists". 3. DOE has a seasoned logistics network in place. 4. Most relevant is the fact that DOE and the laboratories have people with unique program knowledge, not readily transferrable, built up over many years of work and contact with people of a society very foreign to most other Americans. 5. Sombody's Gotta Do It! At least for the next several years a vessel and a logistics support base will be necessary. sense to change at this time? Does it make economical While the funding sources are not clear for every program it is probably in the US Government's overall best -4-