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Department of Energy

Pacific Area Support Office
PO. Box 29939
Honolulu, Hawaii 96820

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Addressees
TRIP REPORT - H. U. BROWN, PASO
DOE PAYMENTS TO RONGELAP-UTIRIK MEDICAL PATIENTS
Au the request of the Pirector, PASO I visited Dr. William Burr,
Deputy Director, Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research,
on the above matter, during my trip to Washington DC with
Roger Ray to attend the DNA Sponsored Enewetak Resolution Meeting,

May 3 and 4, 1978.
Background
On December 2, 1974 the ERDA entered into an agreement with the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands whereby the TTPI would be
reimbursed by ERDA (DOE) for travel and per diem costs incurred
by patients who came from Rongelap and Utirik to either Majuro
or Ebeye for treatment of illnesses.
These funds provided

annually by DOE were paid to patients in accordance with TTPI Pl.

No. 5-52 which generally set forth that these patients would
receive transportation costs from and back to Rongelap or Utirik,
and also receive $9200 per diem throughout their stay on Majuro
or Ebeye.
,
PASO, in performing various duties in the Marshall Islands was made

aware of some problems associated with this agreement, and thus
brought them to the attention of Drs.

Burr and Walter Weyzen as

discussed below.
Meeting on May 5, 1978, DOE, 20 Massachusetts Ave., DC
Roger Ray and I discussed the assertion that DOE had not provided

sufficient funds to pay many of the claims made under the ERDA-TTPI

Agreement No. E(49-7)3159.
This amount is $32,400 per the enclosed
letter from the Marshall Islands Budget Officer dated May 2, 1978.

This letter was developed at my request during a meeting in Majuro
in April 1978, attended by Micronesian Legal Services, the District

Director of Health Services, and the Marshalls Budget Officer.
Apparently these claims have lain dormant in the Marshalls because

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