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PEFLY TO
ATTN OF
EH=-132
SUBJECT:
Department of Energy
Rongelap Atoll
TO:
Edward J. Vallario,
(DOE)
Involvement in the Evacuation of:
EH-132
Tht evacuation of Rongelap Atoll appears to be a totally
senseless action unless the role of the Department of Energy
in this decision is understood.
DOE‘’s involvement could
| subject this Agency to Severe criticism both nationally and
| internationally.
On May 21, 1985, the first of about 328 people left Rongelap
Atoll claiming their atoll was not a safe place to live. The
population was transported to Kwajaleiu Atoll on the
Greenpeace Ship Rainbow Warrior, the ship that was sunk in New
zealand about a week ago.
The Rongelap people have been
disillusioned by what they perceive as contradictory advice
from DOE on radiation protection, by monitoring results from a
DOE contractor indicating that whole body exposures have
.
increased at Rongelap Atoll (in a related finding, exposures
also increased at Enewetak Atoll), by a high exposure
prediction in a Marshallese/English booklet provided by DOE,
and by DOE's failure to provide’ answers to questions on their
total radiation exposure experience.
While there were
undoubtedly other political and legal forces at work, the sum
total of DOE's failures is a substantial indictment. The DOE
unnecessarily gave the Rongelap people radiological
justification to support their leaving Rongelap.
After almost 18 years of internal strife over who would manage
the programs in the Marshalls, these responsibilities were
reassigned from the Office of Environmental Protection,
Safety, and Emergency Preparedness (EP) to the Assistant
Secretary of Defense Programs (DP), and more specifically tc
the Deputy for Pacific Operations (DPO) of the Nevada
Operations Office (NV) (see Attachments 1 and 2).
The complaints about contradictory advice appear to refer to
advice presented by the DPO at a meeting at Majuro Atoll in
December 1982.
This advice was confusing and non-specific.
The Rongelap people were told that they should make their own
judgments on radiation protection.
They were also told that
5001547
EPdiles