Note by the Secretary, Subject: Bikini Atoll Survey (Encl; Memo of September 12, 1968)

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1. The General Manager has requested that memorandum of Septembir12, 1968, from the Assistant General ’ c, for the information of the Commission. 7./' 2. Additional information may be found in AEC 604/114y Resettlement of the Bikinians. 3. At Information Meeting 825 on August 27, 1968, the Commission noted the President's August 12 letter concerning the resettlement of the Bikinians and Acting Chairman Ramey's August 21 letter to the Secretary of the Interior indicating AEC's preparedness to cooperate in the development of and appropriate plan for resettlement and to assist in its execution. DISTRIBUTION NO. OF Deputy General Manager 1 Exec. Aspt. to GM 1 Asst. GM for Operations Economic & Community Affairs 1

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UN ITED STATES I BIKINI ATOLL SURVEY By White House letter of August 12, 19687 the AEC was requested to work with the Department of the Interior and High Commissioner W. R. Norwood of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in planning and assisting in carrying out a comprehensive program for the return of the Bikinians to their home islands. During the period of August 29-31, 1968, Lt. Colonel Anthony A. Games, DMA; Tommy F. M&raw, DOS; and Alfred M. Carter, Holmes & Narver, accompanied the High'Commissioner,his party and the press (see Attachment 1) on a planning survey of the Bikini Atoll. Provided below for your information is a summary report on the results of In 1946 the people of Bikini Atoll were removed from their home islands in order to permit the United States to use the Atoll for nuclear test purposes. The Bikini people were moved initially to Rongerik and subsequently were relocated on the island of Kili in the southern part of the Marshall Islands. In 1967, a special ARC analysis of the radiological situation on Bikini Atoll resulted in the conclusion that the islands of Bikini and Rneu are now safe for human habitation. The Bikini Atoll is situated in the northern part of the Marshall Islands and consists of fifteen islands and two island'complexes with a land area of 2.32.square miles (see Attachment 2). The lagoon extends over an area of 229 square miles, Marine life in the lagoon is plentiful and shows no signs of adverse effects from the nuclear detonations. * In the Recprd, Secretariat

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The island of Bikini (see.Attachment3), largest island in the Atoll, is approximately 2.2 mileslong and 0.6 miles at its widest point, and provides some 400 acres *that can be utilized for growing coconut trees and subsistence crops. :,Hustof the island is now covered with wild vegetation which caused oonsiderable difficulty ,intraversing the interior. The effeots of-the nuclear tests have destroyed the former coconut groves and only..a‘fewsubsistence crops were found growing among the wild vegetation. It was determined that the remains of facilities used during,the nuclear test period, including many wooden buildings and two steel towers, should be removed to permit rehabilitation of the area and to eliminate physical hazards. The concrete bunkers on. Bikini are usable as shelters or storage areas and should be retained. The island of Eneu {see Attachment 4), second largest island in the Atoll, is approximately '1.7miles long,and 0.36 miles at its widest point, and provides some 265 acres for growing productive coconuts and other crops. Eneu is also covered with wild vegetation and few coconut trees remain. Usable facilities found on the island were a large metal assembly building (approximately125 feet by 400 feet), a large concrete room underneath a Remains of other test facilities and dangerous structures are to be The conclusions and recommendations resulting from the 1967 AEC radiological survey of Bikini Atoll are contained in Attachment 5. One of these recommendationswas that radioactive scrap metal should be removed from the islands. Prior to this planning survey, Mrs. Ruth G. Van Cleve, Director of the Office of Territories of the Department of the Interior, had indicated that Interior would look to the AEC for assistance in clearing away radioactive debris. Thus, efforts of the AEC members on the survey team were primarily directed toward identifying the types and locations of this scrap metal or other contaminated debris such that plans can be made for its removal (see Attachment 6). In February 1968, the Trust Territory prepared a preliminary resettlement plan for returning 500 Bikinians (300 from Kili and 200 from other atolls) at a total cost of $625,500. The plan was divided into four chronological phases (planning, planting, construction, and move from Kili) spanning over a period of seven years (see Attachment 7). Eneu Island was suggested in the plan as the site to begin the agricultural rehabilitation work. . The planning cost estimate for the planting phase wss $165,000 (see Attachment 8). The $410,000 estimate for construction was based on unit costs for similar wooden structures built in 1966 by Global Associates for the Leb Island village, located 30 miles south of Kwajalein Atoll (see Attachment 9). The construction estimate may be low based on current costs or changes desired by the Trust Territory. The Bikinians have expressed a desire to locate the principal community village on Bikini Island near the present cemetery site.

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The Trust Territory cost estimates of February 1968 are to be revised based on the ffndings of the present survey and the expressed desires of the returning Bikinians. Additional planning cost estimates to be considered In the final Trust Territory plan will include costs for removing contaminated debris and the cleanup of deteriorated test materials and facilities left on the- islands. The AEC Honolulu Area Office agreed to provide these additional planning cost estimates to AEC Headquarters for transmittal to the Department of the Interior and also provide AEC Headquarters with a planning cost estimate for the construction phase of the program. It Is possible that the total cost for resettling the Bikinians may well amount to two million dollars over a seven-year period with additional costs for cleaning the islands and subsidy costs that will be required to sustain the Bikinians during the resettlement period. Any claims for damages contemplated by the Bikinians are not included in these estimates. The manner of funding this program will be determined at the Washington level after the Department of the Interior completes their planning phase sometime in late October. If the Trust Territory decides on a seven-year program, it may be possible to fund the program in increments over the sevenFollow-on actions will be taken to provide the Department of the Interior with a statement on the scope of effort and planning cost estimates required for clearing away the contaminated debris and cleaning up the deteriorated test materials left on the islands of Bikini and Eneu. It is understood that Commissioner Norwood will be in Washington in late October for further discussion on the plans and funding aspects for the Bikini resettlement program. I will keep you informed as significant progress develops on this matter. Major General, USAF Assistant General Manager for Military Application 1. Party - Bikini Atoll Survey 2. Map - Bikini Atoll 3. Map - Island of Bikini _ 4. Map - Island of Eneu 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 6. Consideration of Purpose and Objective for Radioactive Scrap Removal 7. Preliminary and Rough Estimates 8. Cost Estimate - Agricultural Phase 9. Cost Estimate - Construction Phase

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PARTY - BIKINI ATOLL SURVEY TrusE Territory High Commissioner and Staff Bikini Project Officer Peace Corps Representative Peace Corps Representative Department of the Interior Representative Milner, G. Office of Territories Department of Defense Representatives Bikini Council (Natives) Representatives

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SONCLUSIONSAND RECOEPIENDATIONSRESULTINGFROM 1967 RADIOLOGICAL The exposures to radiation that would result from ihe repatriation of the Bikini people do not offer a significant threat to their health and safety. Such exposure may and should be a. Restrict rehabilitation for the present to the islands of b. Establish the first village and- immediate food crops on Eneu; No radiological precautions will be needed on Eneu because of its very low contamination level. c. Any village construction on Bikini Island should involve the covering of the site with coral rock as is the local custom. d. Radioactive scrap metal should be removed from the islands adjacent to former shot sites. e. The population of land crabs should be sharply reduced because f. If pandanus trees which produce edible fruit are planted on Bikini Island, two inches of topsoil should be removed from the planting sites. The area of removal from each site should be equal to the area covered by the crown of mature trees. further reduced by the following Determinations. should be made of body burdens of.A’“Cs and ‘“Sr at the end of the first year of residence on the Atoll and as appropriate thereafter. Resurveys of environmental radiation levels on the Bikini Atoll and estimates of radionuclides in food should be made periodically. These surveys will provide a* continual check of the radiation status of the people and environment and will help form a basis for decision as to the time of rehabitation of islands outside of the Bikini-Eneu complex. Special efforts should be made to ensure a balanced and adequately nutritious diet. For example, a dietary supplement of powdered milk would materially reduce gOSr uptake by relieving the calcium deficiency usually associated with their diet.

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_ CONSIDERATION OF PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE FOR RADIOACTIVE SCRAP REMOVAL AT BIKINI ATOLL The contaminated scrap metal on Bikini Atoll has been- observed on islands adjacent to test locations. These adjacent islands which lie along the northern and southern rim of the Atoll islands have been subjected to heavy fission product fallout as well as blast, thermal, and prompt radiation along with water waves. The scrap metal on these islands consist of a wide range of sizes. Not all,metal pieces in a given area are radioactive. Though two items may be similar in appearance and located side by side, one may show indication of radioactivity while the other does not. Pieces of pipe may show significant levels -of radiation on one end and none on the other. Some of the scrap is on the surface, some protrudes from concrete footings, and some is near the ground surface just out of sight. The latter can be found using radiation detectors and scraping the soil to uncover the Results from the 1967 survey indicate that a rn8 or contributor to the radiation field in these scrap metal areas is dCo. This radionuclide is not a fission product, but rather is induced radioactivity in itemgO of iron and steel which have been subjected to neutron irradiation. co was found both in the scrap metal and in the soil samples by the 1967 It is unlikely -that removal of the contaminated scrap metal from the islands adjacent to-tests will make a significant reduction in the external radiation fields observed there. For the present, the resettlement program is to be-limited to the Bikini-Eneu complex, and no use is to be made of the near test islands except possibly short visits to collect food items such as birds, turtles, and their eggs. Removal of contaminated scrap that would otherwise be available can avoid some unnecessary exposure. The effectiveness of 'this precaution can be further strengthened by periodic surveys of village areas and work areas to ensure that no contaminated scrap is collected on Bikini and Eneu. Therefore, the purpose and objective of the radioactive scrap removal effort are to make this contaminated material unavailable to the population of the Atoll and thereby to prevent radioactive source buildup through scrap collection activities on Bikini and Eneu. The following recommendations are made to achieve the above-stated objective: 1. There should be radiation monitoring capability to support clearing operations on Bikini and Eneu for determining whether test-related objects that are turned up contain elevated levels .of radioactivity. This would include a survey of the area on Eneu (when it is cleared) that was used as an aircraft decontamination location.

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2. The island complex and separate islands along the northern and along the southern rim of the Atoll 6hould be cleared of contaminated scram metal. These would include the Aomen-Odrik complex, Iroij, Nam, Enidrik, and the Aerokoj-Enenan complex. The level of effort desired is the complete removal of all scrap metal’on or near the surface of these islands. The final disposition of this material should be such that it is unavailable to-the returning population. 3. Undamaged or lightly damaged concrete bunker6 should be left in place throughout the Atoll. These are judged to provide a benefit to the returning population as shelter against storms and temporary residence for short period6 at locations where no other buildings exist. The observed levels of radiation in’reinforcements of bunker6 can be expected to be reduced at the same rate or possibly faster than levels in adjacent 6051. The bunker with iron aggregate on Aomen should be repaired such that no further flaking of the iron can occur. The steel door6 should be removed from all bunkers to prevent accidental entrapment. Rusting climbing rungs, stairways, and any protruding steel on the outside or inside of bunker6 should be cut off with dispo6al along with contaminated debris, with the exception of the large diagonal structural member6 on the large bunker on Aerokoj which should be left in place. The damaged bunker at the end of the sand island west of Nam should be removed because of the physical hazard it presents and because of its lack of any useful purpose. For the sand island bunker, the radiation level in the twisted steel members is also a consideration. , 4. The steel member6 protruding from concrete footing6 or forms on the islands listed in 2. above should be removed for disposal. These have no utility for native use and many of the metal members show elevated levels of gamma radiation. Both the steel and concrete parts should be removed. 5. A followup survey should be made within 12 months after return of the population and at appropriate intervals thereafter to ensure that no contaminated scrap has found its way into the village or work area on Bikini or Eneu.

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mELRII[#AKy AND RCUGH ESTIMATES &gested Phasinp, Time Table, and Costs: to Bikini. Develop plans. Get outside help B. Advance party, bushing, planting, and later grove maintenance program. Eneu as base. Relieve advance party after six months. Replanting time: 1 year. Grove maintenance for 4 years. Construction of interim camp site. c. Construction program. "Contract", Leb Island village construction criteria. Wood frame school. D. Move from Kill. Physical exams in Majuro. Relocation allowance. U.S.D.A. surplus feeding program for 1 year. E. Total time span until resettled and off government subsidy: 7 years.* Total cost of resettlement program: $625,000. Some thought should be given to an economic loan program for the Bikinians to help them achieve self-sufficiency. The cost of such a program is not included here. .Their proven ability as producers (e.g., the famous . Kill handbags) of much desired handicraft should establish them as "good * 1 year planting. 6 more years for palms to grow until bearing nuts. People move to Bikini at sixth year after replanting. …