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A Report on the People of Rongelap and Utirik Medical Aspects of the March 1, 195h Incident Injury, Examination, and Treatment The Special Joint Committee Concerning Rongelap and Utirik Atolls Fifth Congress of Micronesia, First Regular Session
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter of Transmittal Table of Contents Public Law No. 4C-33 Public Law No. 4C-95 Hiroshima and Nagasaki Discussion of Injury and Treatment ..,..........
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Memorandum of Understanding, and Reports of Consultants ........... Preliminary Report of 1972 Examination Initial Report to Committee AEC Public Relations Policy, Nevada Proving Ground ...,.........
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Ama Ia Kabua MA RIANAS OISTRICT CONGRESS OF MICRONESIA CAPITOL HILL * SAIPAN, MARlANA ISLANDS 96950 The Honorable Tosiwo Nakayzuna President of the Senate Fifth Congress of Micronesia First Regular Session, 1973 The Honorable Bethwel Henry Speaker, House of Representatives Fifth Congress of Micronesia First Regular Session, Dear Mr. President and It is a distinct honor to transmit to you by means of this letter a report by your Special Joint Committee Concerning Rongelap and Utirik Atolls. Your Committee, as created by Public Law No. 4c-33, has worked faithfully and diligently to fulfill its obligations under the mandates of the law, During its work, your Committee has been confronted with the technical nature of subject areas, which have in part produced perplexing problems connected with the well-being of the people involved. This report attempts to deal with and explain these, and does make recommendations which it feels are both practical and necessary. While the Committee is certain that this is the most comprehensive and extensive investigation ever made concerning this matter, it wishes to state that the report is by no means as exhaustive as it could be. Had every medical aspect of this subject been explored, the length of the report would have been increased by half, or doubled. Furthermore, it was a determination of your Committee that
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the area of compensation needs further inquiry and deserves to be the subject of a subsequent report. For these reasons, and others, this report represents the Committee’s final determinations in the light of present evidence. It should be noted that your Committee i$ submitting its report in comtion was being received after the report was written. Consequently, the Committee wishes to reserve the right to include additional information concerning the medical aspects in its subsequent report on compensation. Your Committee feels that this is right and proper, considering the nature of and the circumstances surrounding this subject. Representative Timothy Olkeriil I concur: Member Representative Ataji Bales
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Special Camnittee shall cease to exist. Section 6. Appropriation. There is hereby appropriated out or the General Fund of the Congress of Micronesia the sum of $10,000, or so much thereofas maybe necessary, to defray the expenses of the Special Committee. The sum herein appropriated shall be expended at the request, direction,and upon the approval.of the Chairman of the Special Ccmmittee to accomplish the purposes of this act. The Special Committee is hereby authorized to hire such consultants and other staff members as it feels are necessary. All which are not expended or 15, 1973, shall revert to funds appropriatedunder thts Section obligated for expenditureby January the General Fund of the Congress of Section 7. Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon the approval of the High Commissioner,or upon its becoming law without such approval. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
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FOURTH CONGRESS OF MICRONESIA To appropriate the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to cover the cost and contingentexpenses of the Special Joint Committee on Rongelap and Utirik Atolls, and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRJ2SSOF MICRflJ’ESIA: Section 1. The sum often thousand dollars ($10,000),or so much thereof as may General Fund of the Rongelap and Utirik be necessary, is hereby appropriated from the Congress of Micronesia to defray the cost and of the Special Joint Committee Concerning Atolls as created under Public Law No. 4C-33. The sun herein appropriatedshall be expended at the request, direction, and approval of the Chairman of the said Comnittee to accomplish the purposes of Public Law 4C-33. The Special Comaittee is hereby authorizedto him such consultants and other staff meubers as it feels are neussary. All funds appropriatedunder this Section which are.not expended or obligated for expenditure before January 1, 1974, shall revert to the Congress of Micronesia. section 2. l%is act shall take effect High Commissioner,or upon its becoming law General Fund of the upon approval by the without such approval. /~ Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
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Section 3. Duties of Special Ccanmittee.The Special Ccminitteeshall investigate the results of irradiationon the people of Rongelap and Utirlk Atolls in the Marshall Islands District, shall attempt to secure any and all medical assistance and aid for the people of Rongelap and Utirik Atolls fran whatever sources possible, and shall attempt to obtain compensationfor the people of Rongelap and Utirik Atolls for the injuries vhich they suffered due to exposure to irradiation. Section 4. Powers of Special Camnittee. The Special Committee shall have the power to conduct hearings and investigations, issue subpoen& requiring the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, documents and other evidence and bring suits in any court of its own name to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in enforce such powers, in addition to all of the in Subchapter IV, Chapter 5 of Title 2 of the Report of Special Committee. The Special Committee shall submit an interim report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representativeson or before MW 25, 1972. After said interim report is presented to the President and the Speaker, the Special.Committee shall continue its vork until the members thereof feel that their mission has been completed. The Special Committeeshall submit a final report to the Congress of Micronesia during the First Regular Session, Fifth Congress ofliicronesia,after which date the
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FoURTH CONGRESS OF MICRONESIA SECOND REGULAR SESSION, 1972 Public Law No. 4C-33 To create a Special Joint (!~ittee concerning Rongelap and Utirik Atolls, to appropriatemon>y therefor and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTELDBY THE CONGRESS OF MICRONESIA: 1 Section 1. Statement of Intent. During the period from 2 1945 to 1958 the United States of America exploded atanic wea3 pens on Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls in the Marshall Islands Dis4 trict. As a result of more explosions,the people of Rongelap 5 and Utirik Atolls in the Marshall Islands District vere exposed 6 to irradiation and have been and are suffering serious 111 ef7 fects and medical disorders. It is the sense of the Congress 8 of Micronesia that these people should receive the best medical 9 treatment available and that these people should also receive 10 compensation for the injuries which they have suffered. To in11 sure that the people of Rongelap and Utirik Atolls receive such 12 treatment and compensation,the Congress of Micronesia is creat13 ing a special joint committeeto investigatethis situation. 14 Section 2. Creation of Special Committee. There is hereby created a special joint cammittee of the Congress of Micronesia to be known as the Special Joint Committee ConcerningRongelap and Utirik Atolls hereinafterreferred to as the Special Committee. The Special Cdttee shall be ccmposed of three members, to be appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Such appointmentsshall be mqde on or before March 25, 1972. At the first meeting the Special Committee shall select a Chairman.
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“History shows that these hypotheses nature of things are valuable even when, experience reveals, they are false. Man the unattainable truth through a succession of errors.” ---A.ldous Huxley, Collected Essays
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FOREWORD BY THE COMMITTEE As mentioned in the letter of transmittal, had the Committee covered all the aspects of its assigned subject, this report would have been considerably longer than it is at present. Thousands of books and other materials dealing w~th radiation have been published. Thousands and researchers are studying radiation ai!d its People there are! even today, varying o~inions of scientists, technicians effects today. Among these as to the benefits and liabilities of radiation as it is used tiy and on man. Despite all the scientific inquiry and discussion the field of radiation and its many aspects is a relatively new one. This is especially true in regards to how radiation affects human beings and will continue to be so since ethics and morality forbid man to experiment upon his fellow human beings, Because of these factors, this report is by no means to be considered either final or comprehensive. There never will be a “l~t word”’ on the subject. The Committee does believe, however, is perhaps the most extensive treatment ever given to the subject area, for only does it consider strictly technical medical aspects of the problem, but includes other related topics such as nuclear weapons, experiences in other countries, the personal feelings of the exposed persons themselves, psychological and cultural aspects, and the effects and influences of human judgment, time, circumstance and, if you will, fate. The Committee believes that such a holistic approach-- as opposed to an atomistic approach--is the correct one to follow concerning this topic, It is an approach similaw to the concept in medicine of treating the whole man, rather than just t<eatincj an illness or disease as a single, isolated event unconnected with the complex interrelationships of the total functioning organism. As mentioned, the Report is not as complete as it could be. By the same token, it is not perfect; there may be errors, flaws, or faultY assumptions contained in it. If there are, they will be noted by those persons who are more
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experienced in the subject areas of the report, or, who have had available to them information or facts not available to the Committee. If there be such errors, or flaws, however, the Committee does not apologize for them, but rather reader to accept them as being inherent to the technical nature of the the difficulty in collecting information concerning it. The Committee that it has done the best possible job with the resources available and considering the formidable constraints of time and space of an event occurred over eighteen years ago, but which is still affecting the daily of the people involved, and may affect those of their descendants. Some readers may object to the narrative fo~ of the section dealing with the detonation Of “Bravot’ and subsequent events that occurred. The Committee feels that the approach to this section is justified, however, since in combining known facts, with recollections of the pepple tile re-creation of the event itself brings into relief certain facts and circumstances and their relationships which could be missed by the casual reader in looking at charts or tables connected with the event. The Committee also believes that this approach also makes what could be a dull ‘and uninteresting section in an already cumbersome report on a highly specialized topic somewhat more interesting for the reader. For instance, the personification of “Bravo” as a “sleeping giant” whose radioactive cloud behaved as if influenced by “trickster ghosts” may be considered repugnant or perhaps improper by some scientists. Be this as it may, no one can deny--not even the most prominent scientists--that the radioactive legacy of such an event has continued to “live” until this day both in a purely physical and biological sense in a psychological sense. In writing this rep~rt, the Committee has attempted to popularize and simplify subject of radiation and its effects. The very subject of radiation is a very complex and large one, a fact which is indicated by the remark of one scientist in talking about radioactive
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in l~lain language and plain ideas to give the reader sufficient and appro~lriatcrless contained in tile introductory section dcalinq witil radiation in aeneral is },rimarily due to the efforts of the Cixmittee’s consultants--es!xciall! assistance in editing this section has been irlvaluabl.e. assum1:tion3, conclusions, oj;inions or recommendations. Under no circumstances like to bring to tl]e attentio[] of LIIc redder what it consickrs to l]e some (Me of these, mcrrtioned later on, involves t!lc lack of information received was recluestcd nearly one follow-up letters by the Committee. ‘r}]cColtunitteerjelieves this points out what
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to the interests of the Administering Authority. Yet the basic information needed by the Committee must by necessity come from that very same source. Coupled with this are the contradictory natures of Micronesia and American interests embodied in the Trusteeship Agreement which are manifested in the daily operations of the Trust Territory Government. In short, the Committee, in carrying out the wishes of the elective legislature of Micronesia, has had to deal with an incident caused by the United States, In trying to investigate the matter, it has had to request information from U.S. agencies and departments. This situation was further exacerbated by the events which transpired in December, 1971, and January and March of 1972. The issue of the medical treatment of the Rongelapese and Utirikese had beome a “hot potato” politically (a fact which is discussed in the report) . As a consequence, a somewhat highly charged emotional atmosphere has pervaded the Committee’s work and investigations since its inception. This is clearly evidenced by the pointed absence of an enacting signature on the law which created the Committee. The law and the Committee were passively allowed to come into existence through mechanisms of law, rather official approval of the Administering Authority. This apprehension Committee and its work has, in some quarters, been lessened as it has its work. The Committee has always taken the approach that its studies serious, well-considered, careful and conducted in a mature and professional manner. This has resulted in developing excellent rapport and cooperation with the executive branch of the Trust Territory Government, although the same cannot be “said to hold true at certai]~ other levels. This has been evidenced at various times by several occurrences described below. First, the Committee was pleasantly surprised by the fortuitous appearance while on Saipan. They appeared in a deus ex machina fashion as in Greek plays—.
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of old. Dr. Darling offered the assistance of his the resources of the Public Health Service. Vlhile Commission, and Dr. Steinfeld the Committee has no reasons to suspect the intent and motivation behind their offers, these visitations were more than just coincidental. Second, the Cormnittee’s reception in Tokyo, Japan,by and the United States Embassy, while cordial, appeared which contrasted immensely with the reception accorded Nagasaki. The Committee has compared notes with other it does believe that both that government somehow to be unenthusiastic, it in Hiroshima and committees of this Congress and has found that receptions by representatives of both the United States and Japanese governments for cominittees concerned with status or resources development were far and away more enthusiastic than that of this select committee dealing with the irradiation of Micronesia citizens. Third, this Committee became aware at the conclusion of the September, 1972, survey of a somewhat amazing fact. As early as March of 1572, even before Public Law No. 4C-33 was allowed to become law, and before the Committee’s interim …
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