Letter to S S Carpenter, Subject: Early Return of a Group of Enewetakese to Live on David (Japtan)

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Director of Territorial Affairs 411477 IleparA~ent of the Interior This will respond to your letter of July 5, 1974, to Chairman Ray. requesting AEC to address the saxety asuects of an early return of a group of Eneyetakese to live on DAVID (Japtan). Detailed recommendations relating to retirn and cleanup are to be considered by the Commission about August 1, 1974. The question you raised about some iZn~wetakese returning to the Atoll before cleanup has not been zxkires seal. The Task Group report, which is to be the basis of the staff recommendations to the Commission, does contain the foilowing: . “The quarantine of YVONNZ (R.unit), put into effect by the Air I?orce on May 26, i972, should be continued in effect until the cleanup of plutonium contamination on that ish.ncl has been completed. Should any Enewetak people return to the Atoll before cleanup is be~un or before completion, an authority responsible for enforcement of the quarantine should be identified and should be in residence in the Atoll when people return. ‘‘ As to the matter of safety for an advance party, the results of the radiological survey show ‘&.at there is no contamination on Saptan which would present a hazard to people living there. Howe>”er. we would not recommend the retwn of people before cleanup and certification because: 1. There are a number of hazzrdous situations on the nbrthern islands and access to these is Lznds and certain foods produced thereon must be restricted. L Until qualified radiation monitors witk proper equipment are available, scrap and other debris should be avoided. Move - meat of scrap which xn2y be contaminated could s~read contamination to tihe clean islands thus necessitat&g -J additional survey and cleanup. / BEST COPY AVAILABLE

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special case because of the nature of the con ta.mination and There is unexploded World War II ordnance on JANET {=jebi). If. on the other hand. the Departrne.nt of the Interior believes there is 2 bend-it to be gained by return to Japtan before cleanup, we would interpose no objection provided the Trust Territory can assure effective mea sure a for: 1. Observing the quarantine on WCNN13 (Runit). ~ Restricting access to all islands prior to cleanup with the exception of those southern islands from ALVIN through KEITH. 3. Prohibiting remomtl and transport of scrap material from any of the northern islands. In our view, your request represents an extension of what we consider to be AEC’s role in the original interagency dfort, namely, to prepare recommendations on whether the radiological conditions were such that a safe return couhl be made and on radiological criteria for