Bikini/Kili

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From: Acting Director, Office of Territorial Affairs i20 Following their visits to Kili and Bikini and their discussions with the people living on both islands, Under Secretary Joseph and Mrs. Van Cleve drew up a %tatement of Understanding" concerning United States Government commitments regarding the removal of the residents of Bikini Island and the resettlement program for all of the Bikini people. The memorandum was discussed with High Commissioner Winkel who agreed to it. The original agreement, unfortunately, was lost in the plane crash on August 14 but was redrafted and again approved by the three parties. records is a copy of the agreement. Attached for your High Conmissioner Winkel took signed copies with him to Bikini €or distribution to the people at the time of the

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Office of Territorial Affairs Dcpartment of the Interior A t your request, we are sending three (3) signed copies of the " Stat ment of Understanding on the Part of the Coverrment of the United States and the Government of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Concerning the Hove of the People of Bikini Island. send one copy to Undersecretary Joseph for his file. For your information,the High Collmissioner left Saipan today to Guam and onvard to Majuro / Bikini / Kili. Should you need to relay messages t o him, please feel free to call meat any time either a t home or at the office using our hotline. We would appreciate it very much i f you would kindly

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* OFFICE FOR MICRONESIAN STATUS NEGOTIATIONS From: Richard L. Williams Attached for your information are copies of a USG-TTG Statement of Understanding concerning the recent Bikini relocation, and of covering correspondence.

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OX THE PART OF THE AND I HE COVERXXENT OF THE TRUST TERRITORY Ot' TllE PACII ' I C JSLANDS HOVE OF THE PEOPLE OF l;IKl'!I ISLAXD, AUCUST, 1978 1. On August 11, 1978. the Undersecretary of the Department ofthe rector of thc Office of Territorial Affairs, Ruth G. V:ln Clrwe, yed to Bikini Island to meet with its current residents. T!le purpost+ 5 . of t tie it. meeting was t o convey in io muti on on the sul>jc;t v + : t i : ~ort!!t.o'min,: 0 . Of &he Pacific Islands,Adrian P. Wiiikcl, had been prevented b y bad w r ; i cli cr 1. in bi pan from joining in the vl s ft to Bikini Island, but he had earlier met 2. with the people of Bikini, as well as with other Dik in lans on Kill. i. U. g. Navy in order to enable the United States to use the atoll fora I n 1946. the people of Bikini were rt,moved from t1ir:i.r ntc.11 by the nudear testing program which lasted until 1958. The islanilvrs were niovcd fk dt to Rongerik, then toKu aja le in, and ultimately to Kili. Tn the late 1 - 1960's, it app eat ed that levels of radiation on Bikini atcll xcre such that the beople could return to and use a number of the major islni ~ i sof the atoll. Beginning in 1969, a clean-up of the atoll and a rehab i lita tic n progrim wily 1977; the in take of radio nuclides by the people li vln ; on Bikii : i Island had inc rh sed to a la red ng proportions, atid a major feeding progr;rn; W.IS insri - tuted. April, 1978 surveys shoved that the feeding program had not rcsulted

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.. - ffecrease in the radio nuclide body burden. sre : i or dec l ded,in the light of the evidence presented by the Department The Department of the Energy, that the people living on Bikini should be moved at the earliest n side red as a how for.the UikinS..peiiplf. Among thc requests of the pc ople of both Bikini and Klli was a quest for a statement in writing of the understandings that there pre - g are intend nd 1.0 respond to the principal concerns then and there Mr. Joseph and Hrs. Van Cleve, on behalf of the Government o f tlif it ed States, and Hr. Winkel, on behalf of the Government of the Trust I. The Government of tlie United States considers itself generally ch authority and such resotirces as may be required in order to meet. and flicerb: reierrcd L U above were involved in a major airplane accident f the coast of Guam. Although they were among the survivors.their raf ccd by Mrs. Van Cleve on August 15atthe Guam Naval Hospital is tended tobe as full as recollections permit,but in the circumstances t may not be complete.

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s of the current resldents of E ik in i Island continue to :3r i.( L 11. Because K lli Island has.until recent weeks, been regarded as lya temporary relocation sitc for the people of Bi kin l,the Governments never undertaken to construct permanent facilities there, norto improve gfi cant ly any ofthe cxisting Kili facilities. It is now known that i Jsl and will not be fit for human habitation for decades to come, and e basis of the most recent scientific information,it appears that Eneu tr cum stances,the Governments under s tnn d that some of the Bikini prop le ch on sr LO remain on Kili in dd in it ely, and tlic Governments will accord - undertake a program for thc permanent rehabilitation of Kili. 111. It is not yet possible to develop a pvrnianent relocation plan fe the people of Bikini.That plan must ava it completion of the aerial/ rdf o logic ol survey that is now un de way, and that is expected to be compwed no later than the early weeks of 1979. When those survey results sable and evaluated, and when any rcmnining scientific tests found are also completed, all of which developments arc expected to the first months of 1979, it will be possible to identify safe n sites. The Governments will then,following full consultation h the people of Kili (including the ' current residents of Bikini Island will by then have relocated there), plan in detail for the relocation 8uch Kili residents as choose to move elsewhere,affording to them a ice among the possjhle rplnc ? tion sites. ?hose who choose to remain on i will be accwumwlated LILULC.

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gust.1978. Because a visit tn Kili reveiils that certain necessary i in it y fac il it i is s there are eith.sr seri on sly in ndi qu ate or non existant, e Covrriimznts will undertake forthwith the ronsLrucLion of certain temporary cill tir s : a new dispensary,a new school, an addition to the church, and addition to the civic assr mh ly building. These facilities, which are cc ted to be completed by the fall of 1978, will be of temporary conruc tion because they can there by be erected with great speed, and because need for them should not be left unmet during the several months during ch prrin.int.nt facilities are planned and constructed. Such pcr nan ent ilitjcs will be provlrlc-d as apart of the rehab ill t ation of Kill referred VI. 'rhc Covcrllin,.ni s rc.cognize the necessity of providing a dock a t s i ~ c ha dock to he cx pl ur rd, and n~suniinp,b u then gi ue erin gfr as ihi lit y the mail ability uf the necessary funds, neither of which is expert ed pose a problcm, chi. cor s ~ ruc tio nO K a duck at K lli is expected to beein

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V I ] . The Governments recognize that the island of Dikini and the ni Atoll are pliices of unique inportancr to the people of Bikini and 2- -c::x&xts, and L I i a i it is t1,erefure iir.;sartantto them to be able icw and visit Riki ; i.,ewn if only brit il v. The Govrrn.nent of the dules permit. to transport Eikini Residents living on Kili (including current Bikini Island rrsidtmts about to move there) for vj.sits from to time to Bikini. Such visits will necessarily be brief, and it n o t be possible f o r the Rikinl visitors to reside. even briefly. on i Isl.and nor, prolmbly, on Eneu Island. Such bricf visits will, er, occur from time to time, as shipping schedules reasonably p e r m i t b Lhc w ls lies of Lhe Rikininns indicate. ,# VIII. The Governments recognize that the current residents of Island will encounter personal hardships, as well as certain e s , attendant upon their forthcoming move. The Governments will ore, pay, as a lump sum relocation allowance, the sum of $100.72 rson. to the head of each family on Bikini Island. That sum is tcnded t o constitute compensation, in whole or in part. for any the Bikini Island residents may be found to have sustained. It cnded instead to be a one-time payment to facilitate their forthmove to Kill Island. .The Government of the United States has . . ed for the current Bikini Island reaidents to stop at Kuajalein, ~ enruute to Kili, to sake purchases there. d at the meeting on Bikini and Kili on August 11 and 7 , 1978. They are intended to respond to the major concerns ex-