seen at Yaigu.
He felt from his limited examinetion that these patients were
probably not in severe danger.
capatin of the ship.
The one pétient not accounted for was the
As he was the only snip's meaber not born in the Yaizu-
Shizuoka area, his not being hospitalized for enotner day was viewed with much
suspicion.
TUH.
On 19 March 1954 Dr. icorton and team examined the tro patients at
Following this visit, Dr. Morton told the press the patients were in
better shape then anticipated and should be well in about one month.
On the
basis of Dr. Laki's report and the TUH visit, Dr. lorton was asked to brief
Senator Fastore, liv. Allerdice and Mr. hansfield.
This he did, warning the
Senator that a medical opinion at such an early moment in these patients! courses
was most dangerous.
A similar report was also cabled to lashington.
To the
consternation of the American team, non-medical personnel such as senators,
representatives and military men all made medical statements from a guarded
professional opinion, pertaining to the non-serious nature of the crevwmen's
illness, which they by training were not prepared to judge or evaluate. This
spectacle of seemingly trying to minimize radiation injuries suffered by
citizens of the only country ever to be under attack of a nuclear weapon was
seized upon by the paranoid, hysterical Japanese press and thereby was created
an atmosphere of suspicion, distrust, and contempt.
It is indeed difficult to ascertain what event or series of events caused
tne disruption of rapport between the Japanese and American investigators,
During the interim between 16 Larch 1954 and 3 April 1954, various United States
agencies represented py Doctors J. J. liorton and J. J. Lewis and ir. M.
Disenbud offered the following services to the Japanese Government and the
Japanese investigators:
US DOE ARCHIVES
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