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Dear Ambassador Rosenblatt: It was helpful to talk with you by telephone after the October 12 inter-agency meeting at the Department of the Interior. I have subsequently suggested to Under Secretary James A. Joseph that he should undertake tocall upon the Department of Energy to develop a plan for long range. radiological monitoring of Enewetak Atoll and its People, ~ p~ogram of vital importance to “thm’.jin’dfltoall~,,th”oseIn the Marshall Islands who were nuclear.,,testing activity carried on by the United I am promptedby recent news accounts appearin~ -“ here, copies of which are enclosed, to take up with you ‘. some of’cthe same questions we discussed in our October telephone conversation, and others, arising out of our ; representation of other clients in the Marshall_ Islands. In addition to ~erving as Counsel for the People ‘, of Enewetak, we represent the People of Ron,qelap and \
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test explosions, and, depending upon the degree of -,~,::; ,ber:;21~;:1947’an-d:have lived a very difficult thirty years in exile. The cleanup and rehabilitation program scheduled for completion in April 1980 will contribute in a significant way to reestablishing tile people in.’their -homeland, but there is still much that ‘ will be needed to achieve the ultimate objective. of the program: to reestablish them on their atoll in a state of ~ocial and econotic well-being. In addition, because of the long term effects of ionizing radiation, there is need for a program which will continually reassess radiological conditions in the environment, monitor the radiological health of the people ancl provide treatment of any radiation related illnesses which might occu~:. The People of Rongelap and the People Uti.rik have ~imilar claims and needs . Each j.s a separate group and each is a separate client of ours, but I will speak generally about both in this context. At Rongel.ap tion dose of 175 rads. Other members of the People of Rongelap who were at Ailingnae ‘were exposed to 78 rads and at Utirik the eatima.ted expo~ure was 14 rads. All of the exposure-came from radioactive fallout of the thermonuclear explosion, fallout which was carried “up-. ,,. wind” from the Bikini test site. heavy it resembled snow and because the people were ‘,,. ‘;., unfamiliar with such things, they did not l.mow to take , any precautions: children played in it as though it were harmless. It was two to three days before the ,, people were evacuated by United States authorities. The People of Rongelap were not permitted to return to their atoll for a period of three years, and some of their islands are still subject to restricted use.
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You know of the progr~ of medical examination and treatment for the People of Rongelap and Utirik, carried on under the auspices of Doctor Robert A. Conard. of Brookhaven National Laboratory. There are also two .,.’/,:’,~,~. one which was completed in :’:<’<:~.~, :):, ““%tem~n”eeds o“~~~the?people hava yet to be made. ,’.?.j~j$/:ldo no’”t-~~yany means intend to minimize what has,, ,be&~jdone’in: ~he’past, but my principle purpose here is to highligh~’ the legal responsibility of the United Statea to fully,satisfy the claims, oth individual and collective,..,of,.,all,ofthese people and to make firm and binding comrni~ents for the vital radiological programs which only the-United States has the wherewithal to ~ In our view, these are very special kinds of responsibilities which are not properly comprehended within whatever financial obli~ation is undertaken by the United States for the general support of rhe future government of the }[arshall Islands. The People of ?Inewetak, the People of Rongelap, the People of Utirik, ought not to have to compete with other Iezitimate needs of the Marshall Islands for whatever total financial support is negotiated between you ~ncl the Marshall Island Political Status Commission. Likewise, we do not think the Marshall Island Political Status Commispeople of these three atolls out of whatever limited funds are ultimately agreed upon between you and them, We think the responsibility runs ,directly from the United States to each of these clients and they alone have the legal capacity to settle these claims and to ‘“ agree to a definition, once and for all, of the future “. responsibility of the United States with regard to radiation related personal injuries, losses of proper~y and environmental hazarcls. I realize that the exact means for meeting the needs of our clients, which I have o~ltlineclhere only in the most general terms, can vary consiclerpbly de-
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pendi&upon the esact nature of the relationship ‘::.,:~,:,.’,~, worked out between. you and the Marshall Islands in the.. .’..’.”~:-:;.:- current, negotiations. I also appreciate that you do .:T...:~~~~,”~~~~~ cerning Mi.cronesia and, indeed, as you Lcow from our .~j.,$.:~~j~.~:~” previous ,conversation, my view of the matter Is. that ‘,--’I~:iL:~::.~;~.~,;;;.,:..:.“,,,,.’.-.J.,;C,-,:,,* all:~of:-these claimsj and needs arise out of use, or .. -L,p.’-c!:p%p%*:’;”../,...~.,’;;[,,,+:.:.!~~: misuse if you will, by the trustee, of the property and~~-~:’;:Y.:; beneficiaries: of the trust. Nonetheless, because of ‘, :, preach to-negotiations with the Marshall Island Political ‘ Status’;Cominission”upon the vital interests of our ‘ clients~$~wew ould.be happy to make ourselves available to you or a member of your staff while you are on Saipan next month to discuss these matters. Adrian Winkell High Commissioner, TTPI RuEh Van Cleve, DOTA, DOI liatthew Nimetz, DOS Amata Kabua, MIPSC