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Pear Bob,
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Kwajalein 1/14/74
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We are safely back from Rongelap, and for once I can report on a succesful
trip. It was brought short by the emergency evacuation of
I
had treated her for some time for what turned out to be the correct diagnosis:
‘Incomplete abortion with pelvic inflammation, but tha I decided that the odds
for an extrau®ine pregnancy got so strong that I had to get her to Kwajalein
before it was too late. We got in Saturgday, they operated on her ye@terday
and she is now in good condition.
From the time I called John Taman about the situation until the ship
arrived 40 hours had passed, and it was another 20 hours before we docked
at Kwajalein. This is hardly what I would call emergency response, but it is
par for the course, and nobody in particular is to blame. I had the feeling
of sitting on a time bomb, and I was kicking myself for not having pushed the
panic-button sooner,
cEOESS
The situation brought home to me some of the dangers of my position, I do have
a TT licnce to practiee medicine, so they cannot accuse me of illegal action;
but I ama free lance operator as far as TT is concerned. My instructions from
you Beql only with the thwyroid program. What happens when I get involved in
case like that and I misjugde the situation andd the patient dies? Am I on
my own? In that case I have to take out malpractice insurance, For it is,
impossible to be there and not get involved and I cannot call in a ship
for everybody with stomach pains or temperatures above 100. To you have some
subgestion?
On Bikini I counted 32 boxes of lead. There was 7 blocks showing, aand t.hey
appeared to be <2 layers deep. All I could check were intact. If you need more |
I am told that up the chain there are lead slabs whighing 5 tons each. JAist bring
a blowtorch and start cutting a piece. Any way you can count on having
about 450 blocks of standard size on Bikini.
The whole body counter on Rongelap can also be easily reconstructed. I axa sure
all the lead is there,
Back to Bikini. It is several hundred yards from where the lead 1s sbtre dl to
the closest bunker. It has many rooms; I measured those closest to the
\
2
enrance: 21 x 25 ft.3; 16 x 25 ft; and 16 x 20 ft. It will be tough try
carry them there, and once they are on a vehicle I would suggest to tabe
to the old power plant by the airstrip. It measures 47 x 36 ft. asaya is
light and airy. The logistics of getting the patients there will ty, much
simpler than dragging them way into the bugh.
osHf7 30U_
Ir. Robert Conard, M.D.
BNL, Medical Dept.
6
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