313 YB
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Jemes L. Liverman
that misunderstanding and I anticipate success.
Hovever, thero is
a decper misunderstanding which derlyes, I believe, from the very
fact of Dr. Conard's appointment.
Dy. Conard is accepted and
recogiized ag an authority on rediation-induced illness.
The Hay
1969 press rolease took notice of his "15 years af experience in
worldng with the people of the Marshall Islands", end the people
of the Harshells, today, associate that experience with thyroid
ebnormalities, miscerriases and
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fetal leukemia. Is
dt not then ressonchle to expect the sane sorts of things in the
roturning Bilcini populetion? Otheridse, why send Dr. Conerd?. . .or
any medical surveillance team?
These are difficult questions to
answer, espectally for responsible and careful U. S. officials who
must acknowledge that there are elevated rediation levels at Bikini
and who decline to use such terms as "perfectly safe", etc.
There are also those in the Harshalls who rationalize that since wo
are proposing to return people to Bikini, where some exceptional
medical surveillance is required, we are deliberately planning to
expose pcople to Bikini radiation in furtherance of our ow research
interests. In 4n interview which I gave to the Editor of the
Kicronesian Independent en route returning from Kili, I made the
following statement which was reported verbatint
"Our primary concern in recorsending continuing monitoring
is ths heelth and safcty of the people returning."
Then the writer ecitortalises:
"Ho (Ray) nevor mention (sic) whet EXDA's implied secondary
concern of continued monitoring is,"
hisewhere this writer strongly implies that HEDA's real interest is
in cbteining date.
Ths concern of ths pconple ig undcrstendceble.
We havo left roon for
a completely rational (albeit incorrect) interprotetion of the facts.
We have done en insufficiently precise end thorough job of informing
the Department of the Interior, the Admintstration of the Trust
Territory end the effected populations of our purposes end our plens,.
Cur recent experience at Kili andeBildni, and ovr earlier experience
with the psople of Fnewetek, indicate the need and the real value of
frequent and candid direct dialog with the people. Through this means,
I belicve that we can and will gain uwierstanding and acceptance of
. our actions.
oe
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